Blood From The Mummy's Tomb / Devil Rides Out / Horror Of Frankenstein / Lust For A Vampire / Scars Dracula (DVD 2002)

This is one film that caught my imagination like very few other Hollywood action films I have seen before.Yes,on the face of it,this is another sci-fi action adventure,a surefire winning card for Hollywood -what's so special about that ?Oh yes,there is !To begin with,there is the scenery at the beginning of the film that completely blows you away,making you feel that this movie could be something above what you had expected.And you are not wrong.The first surprise is Brendan Fraser as the American soldier Rick O'Connell, who accidentally stumbles upon Hamunaptra,the city of the dead,where the wealth of Egypt's greatest emperor Seti the First is buried.After seeing him in "Airheads " ,"Dudley Do-Right " and " "George Of The Jungle",I was very very impressed-this is one actor who can do both comedy and action and look good doing it too !Then there is the beautiful Rachel Weisz ,playing Evelyn Carnahan,who teams up with him to find Hamunaptra.She looks great playing her role,and never allows herself to be upstaged by Fraser, matching his brawn with her ever-alive intellect and quick thinking.Kevin J.O'Connor who plays the double-crossing Beni is a very new kind of villain,looking evil and ridiculous at the same time.But when the resurrected high priest Imhotep( played by Arnold Vosloo)makes his appearance in the form of "The Mummy", everything else becomes secondary.This is CGI at its ultimate best,and precisely why the film is so unusually absorbing .The horror and threat surrounding the curse of the mummy becomes a concern not only for the protagonists in the film but also for the audience-how will they kill something this scary and powerful?, they ask themselves. .The special effects apart from the mummy are also a treat to watch,and keep you glued to your seat.The element that makes this film not only scary but also enjoyable is the dialog.Almost every member of the large cast has a one-liner that will make you laugh in spite of the sinister atmosphere surrounding the story.The script never allows one second of screen-time to be wasted, ideally combining action with fantasy and humor,creating a movie that I consider a classic.Director Stephen Sommers has delivered a film that is bound to stand the test of time,and is definitely one of my favorites.

I love Hammer horror films. I decided to buy this box set primarily as it contains the wonderful "Devil Rides Out" - worth the full price alone.

The other films are more of a mixed bag, but all have some charm.

Scars of Dracula does have Christopher Lee, but is one of the poorer films in his series about the Count. Spot Patrick Troughton, Jenny Handley and Dennis Waterman.

Horror of Frankenstein has Ralph Bates as the Count. The movie cannot decide if it's serious or a spoof, and Dave Prowse as the monster would look more at home in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

Lust for a Vampire is the poorest of a trilogy of movies and , while quite good fun, does have some spectacularly awful moments. The Christopher Lee looky-likey is a case in point.

Blood on the Mummys Tomb is good , and was a surprise with Valerie Leon becoming possessed by the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh


So ... a mixed bag, but if you can pick it up for under £20 then a real bargain, assuming you like Hammer films