THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS (1969)

By request here’s an encore presentation of one of my most popular reviews of a bad movie.

THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS (1969) – Category:A neglected bad movie classic that deserves a Plan 9-sized cult following     Depending on which film book you read this movie either did or did not have any theatrical release but thankfully it’s available on video. Part of the bad movie fun is provided by how poorly lit some scenes are, even though that prevents us from getting better looks at 1960’s Las Vegas, where the story takes place. In this film Anthony Eisley portrays an archaeologist who, hilariously enough, can’t pronounce the word “archaeological” (he says “arkological”). He also refuses to clean the cobwebs out of his house for some reason, which can be pretty distracting in some scenes.

Like an idiot, he willingly brings the title “curse” upon himself and begins nocturnal transformations into a were-jackal so goofy looking he could pass for the mascot of a sports team. And check out Eisley’s pasty-white neck skin showing under the awkward jackal mask he’s wearing on his face. Eventually Eisley finds himself vying with the fattest mummy in human memory for the affections of an undead Egyptian Princess named Acana. 

Said mummy (who is so bulky you could swear they’ve got Tor Johnson wrapped up in those bandages) has a face that looks like a cross between Popeye the sailor man and the Toxic Avenger. Said Princess is under orders from the goddess Isis herself (in a joyously demented cameo appearance) to revive the worship of the ancient deities and provide them a home and a temple in the Mojave Desert.

Other characters include Eisley’s bland friend Bob and Bob’s blander girlfriend Donna, plus the man who may have appeared in more movies than Bronson Canyon itself, John Carradine, who plays Eisley’s one-time mentor.

No mere description can possibly do justice to the air of ineptitude that suffuses every frame of this film. One of the writers for this flick was Wyott Ordung himself, who was part of the creative team behind the Grade Z classic Robot Monster.

Other things to love in this outrageous mess include …

a) the way the mummy’s big, bulging eye moves from one side of his face to the other by the end of the movie …

b) the sub-dinner theatre caliber of acting. Picture the level of acting displayed in a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, then lower your expectations even further …

c) the silly cross-eyed look on the face of Princess Acana’s father when he dies – and it runs in the family since Acana makes with the same Ben Turpin stare before expiring …

d) passersby clearly laughing at the goofy-looking monsters as they rampage through Las Vegas …

e) the restaurant scene in which Princess Acana, passing herself off as “Connie Adams” is addressed by Bob as “Ann” (But everyone knew her as Nancy) …

f) the way the actor playing the man who gets mummified in the Ancient Egypt flashback scene is much, much thinner than the resulting mummy. Apparently the afterlife adds about 200 pounds to your frame …

g) the weird “Egyptian Macarena” dance that Princess Acana performs to revive the mummy …

and h) the oddly catchy opening theme music, which is repeated ad nauseum throughout the movie.

Why this film is not better known than it is has long been a mystery to me , but not nearly as big a mystery as what exactly goes on at the end of the movie. Yes, all the wonderful madness in the rest of the film is dwarfed by the slapdash “What the Hell just happened?” conclusion which will leave you laughing and shaking your head.

Does Princess Acana succeed in turning all of us into Born-Again Ra worshippers? Do any other characters cross their eyes before dying? Does John “He’s probably even in the Zapruder film if you look hard enough” Carradine exhibit any sign that he knows which film set he’s on this time? For the answers to these and other questions just check out this outrageous movie for yourself.

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