Dawn of the Mummy

Dawn of the Mummy

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Frank Agrama
Produced by Frank Agrama
Written by Frank Agrama
Ronald Dobrin
Daria Price
Starring Brenda King
Barry Sattels
George Peck
John Salvo
Ibrahim Khan
Joan Levy
Ellen Faison
Dianne Beatty
Music by Shuki Levy
Cinematography Larry Revene
Sergio Rubini
Edited by Jonathon Braun
Distributed by Harmony Gold USA
Goldfrab Distribution
Release dates
 December 11, 1981
Running time
 93 minutes
Country United States
Egypt
Italy
Language English
Budget $500,000

Dawn of the Mummy is a 1981 horror film directed by Frank Agrama, who also served as writer and producer on the film.

Plot

A photographer and a group of American models travel to Egypt for a fashion shoot. While shooting in an ancient tomb, their hot lights accidentally revive a mummy and his followers, a band of flesh-eating zombies.

Cast

Production

Dawn of the Mummy was filmed in Egypt[1] with a mostly Italian crew leading many to mistake it as an Italian film.[2]

Unlike traditional interpretations of mummies in cinema, the film's portrayal of the undead is quite unique. In the film the mummies are portrayed as ravenous flesh eaters, similar to the popular portrayal of zombies in which both share many similarities.[3]

Due to the film's surprisingly graphic content the film was subject to several cuts in the UK in order to trim down the film's more graphic scenes, approximately 1 minute and 43 seconds were cut from the film from 12 different scenes in the film. Some scenes included The Mummy ramming a machete into the character Tarak's head, a man being gutted by the mummy, and scenes where the mummy's undead servants feast on several characters.[4]

Release

Home media

Dawn of the Mummy has been released on VHS and DVD format. The film was released on region 1 by Madacy Entertainment, as a VHS transfer. The packaging is said to list the film's Theatrical Trailer and other Theatrical Trailers, although there is only one on the disc, it is not for the main feature, it is of a 1997 film, Road Ends. It does however feature an audio commentary track by director Frank Agrama. Brian Lindsey"Dawn of the Mummy review". eccrentic-cinema.com. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 

The film was released uncut in the UK by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It features an anamorphic widescreen 1.77:1 transfer, plus the 4:3 full screen transfer, DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 & 5.1 Surround. The extras include Director's Audio Commentary, Stills Gallery, Production Notes and Trailer."Dawn of the Mummy DVD". hkflix.com. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 

Reception

The film has received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

John Stanley awarded the film 2 / 4 stars stating, "Hashish smokers in a Cairo square are as exciting as it gets in this tale".[5] Popcorn Pictures.com gave the film 6/10 stating, "It is an arduous struggle to get past the first half of Dawn of the Mummy but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with one of the more entertaining zombie flicks of its period: a guilty pleasure of trashy exploitation at its finest. If the entire film had been as enjoyable as the last half, you’d be looking at a bonafide classic right here".[6]

It was awarded a score of 0 / 4 by VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever which panned the film's plot and acting.[7]

Remake

Anthony Hickox wrote 2012 the script of the remake Prisoners of the Sun, which directed by Roger Christian and stars Joss Ackland, Carmen Chaplin, Nick Moran and John Rhys-Davies.[8] The film will release in April 2015 in the United Kingdom on DVD and Blu-ray.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Sally MacDonald; Michael Rice (15 October 2003). CONSUMING ANCIENT EGYPT. Left Coast Press. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-1-59874-203-9.
  2. ↑ Jay Slater (25 September 2002). Eaten alive!: Italian cannibal and zombie movies. Plexus. ISBN 978-0-85965-314-5.
  3. ↑ Alan Jones. The Rough Guide to Horror Movies. Rough Guides.
  4. ↑ "Dawn of the Mummy (Comparison: BBFC 18 VHS (Apex) - German DVD) - Movie-Censorship.com". movie-censorship.com. Eiskaltes Grab. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  5. ↑ John Stanley (2000). Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide. Berkley Boulevard Books. ISBN 978-0-425-17517-0.
  6. ↑ "Dawn of the Mummy (1981) | Popcorn Pictures". Popcorn Pictures.com. Popcorn Pictures.com. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ↑ VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale CENGAGE Learning. 2012. p. 251. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Dawn of the Mummy Remake". Gale CENGAGE Learning. 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Stephen Romano's RETRO 13 – Dawn of the Mummy… Part 2?". DC. 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2014.

External links

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