BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB (1971)

Margaret, the daughter of Egyptologist Julian Fuchs, is haunted by dream-visions of stars and caves and of the execution of an Egyptian queen—her hand is cut off and thrown to the dogs, but it comes to life and crawls away. We soon discover, in flashbacks, that her father led the expedition that opened the tomb of the executed Queen Tera, and he brought her body back to England where it remains in his basement. Margaret, who was born on the day of the tombs desecration, has turned 21, and when she accepts the gift of a rather gaudy red ring (which came off of Tera's amputated hand) from her father, she becomes possessed by Queen Tera and, helped by the slimy Corbeck, another expedition member, she plots to regain all her missing grave relics in order to attain full resurrection. The mechanics of this remained a bit murky to me, but all we need to know is that she and Corbeck are willing to kill to get the articles they need. Based on Jewel of the Seven Stars by Bram Stoker, this movie may not always make strong narrative sense, but it's fairly fun viewing thanks to some decent acting and a few stylish visual flourishes. Valerie Leon as Margaret/Tera isn't called upon to compete for an Oscar, but she does a fine job of using her physical charms—especially as the scantily-clad Tera—to keep our interest. The familiar faces of George Coulouris and Aubrey Morris show up, and Mark Edwards is Margaret's boyfriend, who despite being handsome and likeable, is ineffective in keeping Tera at bay. There is no dusty, wrapped-up mummy here—Tera, despite missing a hand, is alluring and voluptuous lying in her sarcophagus waiting to brought back to life—and the gore is limited to shredded throats, but the movie manages to be atmospheric in the Hammer style, and quite watchable. Pictured are Leon, Edwards, and Tera's feet. [TCM]