Three years after The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, Hammer would release The Mummy’s Shroud, the third entry into their mummy series and it would be a big improvement over the previous picture though it would still find itself being somewhat similar to it and every other mummy film that had come before. There are some differences to be found and in that respect, it sets the film apart from the others but it would have been nice to see something more diverse from the film instead of just another revenge plot. Be that as it may, the film still managed to evoke quite a bit of tension and suspense and the standard chills associated with a being from the dead who is set forth on the world to murder those who disturbed his slumber.

One of the better things to be featured in this film is the fact that it had a much faster pace than the previous movie. It would not be too long before the mummy of the ancient Egyptian Prem would be awakened to seek out vengeance on behalf of himself and Kah-To-Bey, whose tomb had been disturbed by a bunch of British and American archaeologists. Where the second film dragged on until the final act, this picture moves along fairly quickly and you never find yourself distracted wondering when it will end. Another improvement would be the special effects, meaning the mummy itself would look a little different and look a lot more convincing than the last one that took to the screen. That in itself would be the biggest deviation to hit the film as the mummy was less bandages and more clothes, something never seen in one of these pictures before with the downside to that being a less formidable presence from the creature. You would still be terrified if you ever ran into such a monster, clothes or not, but the classic bandage look is what you associate with the mummy when you think of it.

One of the more interesting aspects of this film is the fact that the mummy is controlled by a shroud, the same one as referred to in the title of the movie. While the previous films use the book/scroll of life and the book/scroll of the dead, or at least the words contained within them, here those words must be used in conjunction with the shroud. It is a nice little addition by the writers of the film, John Gilling and Anthony Hinds, and while it does not keep the film from being fairly derivative of the former pictures, it at least shows that they were trying to put their own mark on the series.

The acting was good all-around with André Morell and John Phillips being the standouts among the bunch. Maggie Kimberly would fill the beautiful woman-quota that Hammer needed and John Gilling would provide some solid camera-work to tie it all together. Though The Mummy’s Shroud would not be the best picture in the series, that going to the Cushing and Lee vehicle, it is a good one that never fails to entertain even if you think you might have seen it before. Everything is done well with its only fault being that it had to follow a film superior to this one with a bigger budget and better actors. Though each film in the series would seem to tie things up and stand on its own, there would still be one more entry until Hammer would put their mummies to rest.

3.5 out of 5