Yes, it’s still called Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. Despite rumors that the upcoming horror film from the director of Evil Dead Rise was changing its name due to a rival remake, the first trailer is here to dispel all that. And, to freak us out with its intense, terrifying premise.
The film follows a family who thinks their daughter has disappeared, until she mysteriously reappears eight years later. “What happened to Katie?” they all wonder. Well, we’re guessing it has something to do with mummification.
This is a true teaser, going more for tone than story. But after rumors not just about the title change, among other things, this really feels like a strong way to come out of the gate and change any and all narratives.
For example, right off the bat we know this isn’t a Universal Monsters movies. Tom Cruise or Brendan Frasier aren’t going to be fighting one singular, all powerful mummy in this. It’s more supernatural. More literal. And, according to Cronin, inspired by two classic, very different thrillers.
“It’s an insane mashup to suggest, but [this film is] almost one part Poltergeist and one part Seven, but put through my lens and the way that I like to entertain people,” Cronin told IGN. He goes on to explain that the specific inspirations from those films are the more human aspects. The family in Poltergeist. The world of Seven. And he achieved that by introducing the mummy and its mummification process in a new, more grounded way.
“We all have a frame of reference for perhaps why the great and the good or the rich and the famous were mummified in those times,” Cronin said. “But what about the mummification processes and purposes we haven’t heard about? … I’ll go and hunt about the things maybe we don’t know enough about, or take inspiration from something [that’s] a little unspoken, and then go and get really creative with that.” Meaning, the concept is introduced through a normal woman named Katie. But the questions are why and for what purpose?
Starring Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy opens April 17. What are your thoughts on the first trailer?
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