DVD Corner

The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals Blu-ray Review

“The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals” is a goofy bad movie. 

Written by William C. Edwards, “The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals” revolves around an archaeologist (Dave) who uncovers the preserved Egyptian Princess Akana and a mummy and plans on showing them at a Las Vegas Convention. Dave is curious about the Curse of the Jackals associated with Akana and decides to spend the night next to her sarcophagus. The legend turns out to be true and Dave turns into a jackal and wreaks havoc on locals. As the title suggests, a showdown between the Jackal and the Mummy eventually occurs along with the Princess being resurrected from her slumber.

1969’s cheap B-Horror movie “The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals” is the type of bad movie you’d see on “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” Despite being helmed by Oliver Drake (who has a lot of notable credits to his name), nothing about this movie works from a technical perspective. The sets are cheap, the acting is stiff outside of a brief appearance by John Carradine, the storytelling is absurd, the lighting is dim, there’s a random out of place surf rock score, the Mummy wears an oven mitt, and the Jackal costume looks like a slightly more ferocious and hairier version of the Chuck E. Cheese mouse. Even the titular Vs. fight is forgettable.

Despite its many shortcomings, this is the type of movie that certainly fits the “so bad it’s good” category. How can you not laugh at the Jackal and Mummy wandering around Vegas while extras laugh in the background? It feels like watching a cross between an Ed Wood movie and a Herschell Gordon Lewis film only cheesier. It’s clear the creative team wanted to blend Egyptian mythology and a werewolf monster movie (only with the Jackal taking the place of the werewolf), but the mish-mash is a ridiculous sight to behold. It’s a case of a movie being built around an attention grabbing title. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1 1080p. How does it look? Scanned in 4K from the original negative, the print does feature a lot of grain,

Audio Track: Mono. How does it sound? The audio is rather solid on this disc.

Extras:
* “Angelica, The Young Vixen”- A 1974 60 minute adult sexploitation movie. The once lost film is in pretty rough shape but is bound to be a curiosity to Severin, cult film and vintage adult film fans.
* “The Vega International Story”- A 21 minute interview with author Stephen Thrower who talks about the history of Vega International Pictures.
* “Cowboys, Mummies And Oliver Drake”- A 16 ½ minute interview with film historian/author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner who talks about the vast and surprising career of writer/director/composer Oliver Drake which includes westerns and horror features.
* “Investing In The Jackal”- A brief 3 ½ minute interview with Garry Gassel (the son of investors Milton and Judi Gassel).
* Commentary on “Angelica, The Young Vixen” by Vinegar Syndrome’s Joe Rubin and exploitation film expert Shawn Langrick.

September 25, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Angelica The Young Vixen, B-Movie, Bad Movie, Monster Movie, Severin, The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals