The Wasteland Reviewer

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026) Written Review

Are you ready for an alternative to the biggest, pulpier mummy horror films of the last 30 years? The Mummy from 1999 was such a wonderful mixture of horror and adventure with its pulpy feel that harkened back to old school adventure films of Old Hollywood. That abysmal attempt at bringing back the Universal Monster Universe with Tom Cruise’ The Mummy certainly leaned a little more into horror, but it was still an action/adventure film in execution and vision. But Lee Cronin (hot off the heels of his demented and darkly fun Evil Dead Rise) takes the reins of the latest Blumhouse/Atomic Monster approach to this class Universal Monster property.

How does Cronin put his own spin on this class tale? The film certainly has plenty of the trademarks that made Evil Dead Rise stand out as a wild horror experience. The visual presentation is quite similar to some brutal and twisted imagery. In tandem with cinematographer David Garbett, you see some truly uncomfortable and unnerving film making choices. There are plenty of hyper close-ups (especially involving some body horror) that put the audience in quite an uncomfortable state. There are plenty of Dutch angles and camera tilts that disorient that audience with an “in-your-face” kind of attitude. Cronin leverages deep focus to drop horrific imagery in the background of scenes as well as Split-Diopter shots that keep both the foreground and background intensely in focus. This is a wholly engrossing experience with the score composed by Stephen McKeon delivering big energy, intensity, and an ominous tone. Cronin expertly crafts tension with quite a few standout moments including a dangerous trip to an isolated farm by the main detective character. The tone of the film is interesting as for most of the run time Cronin leans more into a traditional horror presentation as he leaned into mummy and folk horror motifs as well as some exorcism tropes. But once the third act roles along, this becomes a full blown Evil Dead film with wild energy and twisted humor. The pacing of the film is a challenge though as The Mummy has a runtime of 134 minutes and unfortunately, the film does not earn that runtime. There are moments that drag, especially in the second act.

How does Cronin’s screenplay stack up to his direction? The film truly feels like it is a different type of horror in each of its three acts. The opening act mostly takes place in Egypt and leans heavily into Egyptian folk horror motifs which makes the film feel like it truly is a film that should be called The Mummy. But once the film shifts gears into its second act of this family coming back together, it leans more heavily into exorcism tropes that makes it feel more in line with The Exorcist than any of the other versions of The Mummy. But the final (and by far the best act) feels like it is Evil Dead Rise all over again (which honestly might be Cronin strength). There are plenty of mean-spirited and darkly fun elements injected into the film that become more consistent and commonplace as the film creeps into its second act. Cronin unfortunately does lean into way too many clunky horror storytelling tropes that just feel annoying and lazy. These elements certainly make the film drag quite a bit in the middle. The screenplay does a fine job of laying the dramatic groundwork for the family drama. You do care about their plight and want them to be a family again. But this connection is weakened when all of these characters act in the most stereotypical idiotic horror movie character ways. The film certainly has plenty of crazy set-ups and set pieces that pay off from a horror perspective including a final scene that is a wild choice.

How does the cast shape up? Like so many other horror films with someone who is possessed, you get to have an actor go all out and fully commit to the role. Enter Natalia Grace. Her performance as Katie is wild, twisted, and grotesque. The physicality combined with effects make her presence so unnerving throughout the film. Jack Reynor is rock solid with moments that show some genuine emotion while others give off a sense that he is a bit lost in figuring out the moment. Laia Costa is certainly the big emotional core of the film as Katie’s mother and sells that well (even if the writing for her character becomes increasingly frustrating). May Calamawy carries the parallel narrative (the investigation back in Egypt) and her natural charisma finds moments to shine through an under-written character. Not all the supporting turns are strong or standout, but young Billie Roy is quite a bit of fun as the youngest child in the family and the grandmother, Veronica Falcon, gets her moments to shine as well.

Does Lee Cronin’s The Mummy deliver the win that Universe wants for their monster verse? This is certainly no The Invisible Man but it is probably going to be less divisive as The Wolfman. This is an overly long experience that certainly leans too much into bad horror movie logic and tropes. But the sheer force of vision that Cronin injects into this film and a climax that is completely off the wall gives this film the power to stand out. This is a chilling mixture of body horror and folk horror that will certainly leave an impression.