Lee Cronin's The Mummy

 

        Not to be confused with Universal's "The Mummy", writer/director Lee Cronin puts his name right in the title. While this original story certainly involves a mummy, it is closer in plot to "The Exorcist" since it involves the evil possession of a little girl.

         While the film is too long and could have benefitted from additional editing, it still contains enough gross out moments and jump scares to be a satisfying horror film. At it's core, it's an emotional story about a family threatened from within by their possessed daughter, thought dead for eight years. Little Katie is found alive (but no longer an innocent little girl) inside a thousand year old sarcophagus after a plane crash, and once reunited with her family, things begin to go off the rails.

          The film stars Jack Reynor as Charlie Cannon and Laia Costa as Larissa Cannon, Katie's parents, May Calamawy as Detective Zaki, Natalie Grace as Katie (Emily Mitchell as young Katie), Shylo Molina as brother Sebastian (Dean Allen Williams as young Sebastian), Bille Roy as younger sister Maud, Veronica Falcon as Grandmother Carmen, and Hayat Kamille as "The Magician".

           Mr. Cronin puts his young cast through the ringer with lots of  good special effects and bloody gore, but they are all up to the task. Mr. Reynor is an admirable hero trying to protect his family and save his daughter. The score by Stephen McKeon adds the right amount of dread but the use of some popular rock songs seem out of place.

           Stuffed with horrific moments, including a few good scares, the craziness builds to an exciting climax in a final battle with the demon possessing Katie.