“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” borrows from other films, but they’re not named “The Mummy.”
Here, a girl named Katie becomes possessed and stuffed in a crypt until she’s rescued eight years after she’s reported missing.
When she reunites with her family, she’s wrapped in message-laden clothes, rotting and unable to speak. At home, there’s enough bizarre activity to suggest “The Exorcist.” (If Cronin wanted to remake a film, he should have done that one.) This goes off in so many directions you’re never quite sure what its rules are, but they’re certainly not ones set forth by Brendan Fraser or Boris Karloff.
"Lee Cronin's The Mummy"
The girl’s dad, a broadcast reporter, is stationed in Egypt where she has plenty of time to wander and get caught up with adults who want to use her as their instrument. That’s probably more than anyone intended, but when the family is back in Albuquerque, plenty of violent behavior, blood and swearing ensue.
People are also reading…
When Katie’s little sister sees what’s happening, she unleashes a significant four-letter word. That captures our feeling, too, and leads to even more reasons to swear.
This “Mummy” is horrific and worthy of the eye-widening reactions Jack Reynor offers as the dad. The last time he was this shocked, he was in “Midsommar,” discovering the quirks of a Scandinavian cult. Reynor’s good at recoiling and he certainly gets ample opportunity here. “The Mummy” is so repulsive it’s difficult to watch it through to the end.
"Lee Cronin's The Mummy"
Naturally, the story drifts like sand and involves others who only enter in for plot purposes. But it also has a number of Katies who could be made possible through puppetry, special effects and lighting.
Natalie Grace, who plays the older Katie, is good in the role, but she poses more questions than she answers. In this state — wheeled into the family home and unable to communicate — she should have been taken somewhere for treatment before she was allowed to torment anyone.
The resolution is quick — and involves a videotape, no less — and painful. It’s an agonizing journey through horror tropes and a sure bet Lee Cronin’s name above the title will serve as a warning before his next venture is released.
This “Mummy” should be wrapped and put away.

