Lee Cronin’s The Mummy [2026]

June 1, 2026

What’s the last good mummy movie you saw? If I had to guess, it’s going to be The Mummy from 2017 starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella. That movie, along with the whole Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy franchise, is more of an action-adventure than a straight-up horror movie. That is not the case here, not at all. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy offers a different take on the subject, leaning into the horror but with mixed results. First of all, if you don’t remember him, Lee Cronin is the guy behind the masterpiece that is Evil Dead Rise. I remember praising him and the movie back when it came out as a breath of fresh air. The claustrophobic atmosphere, brutal action, and a lot of innovative scenes propelled Cronin into the spotlight. So, it didn’t come as a surprise when he started working on an untitled mummy movie.

He even refused the offer for the Evil Dead Rise sequel to focus on this movie. Which was, in my opinion, a huge risk, and, in hindsight, a mistake. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy features excellent gore and horror elements, but fails to create a cohesive story. The whole movie feels very disjointed, especially with the running time of two hours. If he condensed it into one wild night like in the above-mentioned classic, it would be an instant hit. I have to agree with the rest of the reviewers that said this is a mix of The Exorcist and The Evil Dead. The whole mummy thing doesn’t feel authentic, but more like a gimmick. I mean, the girl acts and does things we usually see in possession movies. To make things a bit worse, in good old horror tradition, characters keep making stupid decisions.

Almost every event that moves the story forward feels either contrived or forced. This is quite frustrating as all of these elements had a lot of potential if given the proper treatment. Hell, even the opening five minutes are a testament to this. I was fully on board to watch an ordinary family in modern-day Egypt fight the mummy. Moreover, I feel like the story surrounding this particular family would be an absolute blast and a much better choice for the main story. So, what’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy about? We will be following an American family who are finally reunited with their missing daughter, who seems to have suffered a lot. In fact, she’s almost unrecognizable and exhibits strange behavior. Soon, things will start to escalate, and the parents will have to start looking for answers.

I guess that’s pretty much it. So, don’t count on some satisfying subplots or payoffs. We do get the chance to meet a professor of Egyptology, but that avenue of inquiry goes nowhere. I guess I was expecting a “professional” to appear and help the family, as is usually the case. Cronin also cites Poltergeist as one of the main influences. With all of this being said, I would like to point out some positives. The special effects were great and quite brutal. I especially liked the make-up and the decision to go all-in when it comes to gore. There will be some pretty nasty scenes here that will make even the hardest horror fans go ouch. The nail clipping scene was probably the worst, and that’s all I’m going to say.

Add to this a brooding and unrelentingly dark atmosphere, and the movie starts looking better and better. The cinematography was superb as well. Perhaps the split diopter shot was a bit overused, but it was to good effect. Now you know how to call that shot when both foreground and background objects are in focus. The cast did an okay job with Natalie Grace, who plays Katie, the mummy, standing head and shoulders above the rest. Of course, if the script was better, the performances would’ve been better, but I don’t want to keep harping on the same things. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy tried to use shocking imagery to cover up the messy story and characters. The lack of any proper scares is probably its biggest flaw. So, nobody got what they wanted, not the horror fans or intrigued ordinary moviegoers.

They were possibly quite bored by the end and disgusted by the effects. After all this, I still think the movie is worth watching. Now you know what you’re getting yourself into and can approach it with the right mindset. The whole project reminds me of Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man. Not just because it features a “refreshing twist” on an age-old tale but because it follows the same recipe. Whannell drew inspiration from the pandemic, while Cronin decided on personal experiences of grief. If you want to see how something like this could be done, I suggest you check out Bring Her Back. I can’t believe I still haven’t recommended this movie to you. I promise the review will be up in the coming days, as this was one of the best horror movies of 2025.