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ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - July 7th

"THE MUMMY'S GHOST" released in 1944

The second of Lon Chaney Jr.'s three "Mummy" features for Universal Pictures, The Mummy's Ghost tells the story of an Egyptian priest travels to America in search of the bodies of an Egyptian princess and instead finds her living, mummified guardian!

Watch The Mummy's Ghost trailer below!

Andoheb (George Zucco), the aging High Priest of Arkam, passes on his duties to the younger Yousef Bey (John Carradine) and sends him to America to retrieve the body of Ananka (Ramsay Ames) and her evil mummified guardian Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and return them to their proper resting place in Egypt. Meanwhile in Mapleton, Massachusetts, Professor Matthew Norman (Frank Reicher) continues to study the remians of Kharis (Kharis having been given to the university after his last rampage). Deciphering the hieroglyphics on a case of tana leaves, Professor Norman inadvertedly raises Kharis again from the dead, and the mummy goes on another killing spree - beginning by strangling Professor Norman. Sheriff Elwood (Harry Shannon) discovers the body and immediately knows the deadly mummy is back, enlisting the help of police Inspector Walgreen (Barton MacLane) and the recently arrived Yousef to help stop Kharis. Eventually the men realize that Kharis is after an attractive Egyptian university student Amina Mansori (also played by Ramsay Ames), the mummy believing her to be the reincarnation of Ananka!

Top:   John Carradine as Yousef Bey;

Above:   Ramsay Ames as the ill-fated Amina Mansori

Andoheb: Now swear by the ancient Egyptian gods, that you will never rest until the Princess Anaka and Kharis have been returned to their rightful resting place, in these tombs...

After completing The Mummy's Tomb the year before, Universal almost immediately began on the sequel with Lon Chaney Jr. - beginning production in August 1943. Exotic B-movie actress Acquanetta, otherwise known as "The Venezuelan Volcano", was originally cast as Amina Mansori but was injured early in the shoot; during a fainting scene, Acquanetta fell on a rock she thought was paper mache and was taken to hospital to treat her concussion. Rather than halt production, producers brought in Ramsay Ames to fill in. As it turns out Acquanetta was not the only one to suffer injury during the shoot. Chaney Jr. was so much in character during Professor Norman's death scene, he nearly choked Frank Reicher unconscious; Chaney Jr. was blocking the camera from picking up Reicher's expression and filming continued normally, though later veteran actor was moaning, and exclaimed, "He nearly killed me!" Chaney Jr. himself was injured when he drove his fist into a real glass window thinking it was breakaway glass (the prop man forgot to replace it before shooting started) and a shard of glass flew up and cut him through his mummy mask in his chin.

Top:   The evil mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) finds Professor Norman (Frank Reicher);

Above:   Kharis makes off with his beloved bride Amina/Ananka!

Yousef Bey: Has any man before ever offered his bride the gift of eternal life?

Released in 1944, The Mummy's Ghost was not as well-received as the first Mummy movie, with most reviewers criticizing Chaney Jr's lumbering performance "still shuffling around looking for his lost love." Although the film did break new ground in that is was the first in the Universal horror classics to have the heroine not survive. 13-years later, The Mummy's Ghost was among fifty-two other Universal titles released for television syndication as part of TV's Shock Theater program, introduced by costumed horror host Zacherley played by John Zacherle.

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE:   33%