Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Review: Evil Dead Rise Director Unleashes a Gruesome Return to Horror Roots

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy delivers brutal body horror and unforgettable scares.

Horror fans can delight that the bad aftertaste of the ‘Dark Universe’ iteration of ‘The Mummy’ has been officially cleansed from our palates thanks to a new worthy ‘Mummy’ successor from the mind of Lee Cronin. ‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ is the ‘Evil Dead Rise’ director’s gruesome follow-up that really proves Cronin has the gory goods.

A Family’s Nightmare Returns

Jack Reynor and Laia Costa portray Charlie and Larissa Cannon, a couple living in Cairo with their two children and a third on the way. Charlie is a broadcast journalist on assignment in Egypt with aspirations to continue his career back in the States. On the same day, Charlie gets offered a job in NYC, their oldest daughter, Katie, is abducted without a trace.

Eight years later, now having relocated to New Mexico, Charlie and Larissa receive the joyous news that Katie has been found. The wonderful occasion doesn’t last long when the Cannon family realizes the Katie they knew is long gone.

Natalie Grace Delivers the Horror

Natalie Grace portrays the version of Katie that serves as the main mummy antagonist of the film. Grace is disgustingly memorable for all of the reasons that I can’t type out here without receiving an R-rating for graphically disgusting imagery. It’s some of the better gross-out body horror that we’ve seen in a while. For example, do you want to get up close and personal with a mummy’s toenails during a pedicure? Lee Cronin has you covered!

Gore, Possession, and Ancient Evil

Some of the most horrific set pieces in Lee Cronin’s The Mummy are quite reminiscent of the Evil Dead or The Exorcist franchises. Think along the lines of projectile bodily fluids and contorted limbs. It’s easy to forget you’re watching a mummy film at all since it’s so exorcism-inspired, but the lore of it all goes back to ancient Egypt.

Pacing Issues but A Strong New Chapter for The Mummy

At times, the film slows down to overexplain exactly what’s happening with Katie through a detective storyline taking place concurrently in Cairo. It’s these moments that throw off the pacing and create a bloated runtime. That being said, the main scares and horror imagery throughout the film are just so darn good and intense that it’s easy to forgive the moments that overstay their welcome.

Speaking on the overall state of ‘The Mummy’ films, we now know that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are returning to their Mummy franchise that began over 25 years ago. That’s exciting news in itself, but we should be thankful that we got a true, horrific mummy installment in the meantime. I’m glad we live in a world where movie fans can have both at the same time.

Verdict

‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ brings the iconic universal monster back to its horror roots with a truly visceral and atmospheric flick. While the runtime is a little bloated for a horror film of this nature, it’s so well done that we can put any negative criticism under wraps.

Film Details

Writer/Director: Lee Cronin
Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón
Release Date: April 17, 2026

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