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(Review) Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) Turns Universal Horror into Domestic Possession Chaos

By. Courtney Convex

 

LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY is something of a mummy itself. Just like intrepid archeologists before him, the titular Lee Cronin has descended into the ruins of Tom Cruise’s Dark Universe, undone the wrappings of nostalgia, and exhumed the corpse of the dormant Mummy series. The undead franchise now roams theaters again, though warped into a grotesque and unrecognizable version of itself.

THE MUMMY follows journalist Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor), and his wife (Laia Costa) in the aftermath of the discovery that their missing daughter Katie (Natalie Grace) has been found mummified inside of an ancient sarcophagus. Evidently, she has been possessed by an ancient demon from a fictional Egyptian myth, and the entity’s corrupting influence begins to spread throughout the family. Though it may share a bloodline with the long-running Mummy franchise, Cronin’s take stands firmly on its own.

As part of the ceremony of reviving the Mummy series, the film ditches the globetrotting adventure of the Bredan Fraser movies in favor of something more intimate, narrowing the scope down to a single family. This means the stakes are much more personal, and the parents’deep care for their troubled daughter makes it all the more tragic when those troubles begin to take their toll, literally eating away at their home. Though it’s not a locked box, almost the entire film takes place within the Cannon’s decaying family house. That restrained scale does not restrain the spectacle, and the film’s terrifying kills are exciting shots of bloody adrenaline, although they never quite reach the mangled heights of Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise.

Universal’s monsters have always reflected the anxieties of their era, something explored further in our piece on Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Cronin brings in a lot from Evil Dead Rise, in fact, from dialogue which is peppered with comedy, to a strange fascination with close ups of mouths. While no one eats any glass, there is one moment involving a little kid with all adult teeth that made my skin crawl. There’s a heavy cross-pollination with the camerawork of Evil Dead Rise as well, which makes sense given that the two share cinematographer Dave Garbett, and the film occasionally dips its toe into some energetic, Sam Raimi-esque visuals.

Perhaps it’s those occasional bouts of stylization that prompted the addition of the name in the title, Cronin’s attempt to establish himself as a household name through his style, or perhaps the name is just to create a distinction with the upcoming sequel to the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. What can be said for sure is that THE MUMMY does fall firmly in line with his other work. Both of his previous features, The Hole in the Ground and Evil Dead Rise, have centered around a nuclear family being thrown into turmoil when a member is possessed by a demonic force, and THE MUMMY is no different. While this is a signature, it’s not a terribly distinct one, and predictability is a major problem for a movie with a 133 minute runtime. Evil little kids are a well-worn trope, already definitively explored in films like The Exorcist, The Omen, Sinister, Insidious, Orphan, or one of the Conjurings, and if you’ve seen any of those films then THE MUMMY won’t have many surprises in store for you.

That’s not to say Natalie Grace does a bad job, in fact her performance as the possessed Katie is a highlight in the film. Early on, before the demon has been fully unleashed, there’s an implication that adjusting back to civilian life is as hard for Katie as it is for her family, and there’s not a clear right answer for the question of how to care for her. One of the film’s most affecting jump scares comes from the family simply attempting to wash her hair. When her demon possessor, called the Nasmaranian, finally does fully take control, it's fun watching her ham up the vulgar dialogue with some deadite flair.

Ultimately, LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY resurrects something old as something familiar, in multiple senses of the word. By transitioning the Mummy concept from action-adventure to domestic horror, Lee Cronin creates something unique for the franchise, but not in the scope of modern horror. Though the style makes for fun in the theater, THE MUMMY is destined to be buried and forgotten, sealed away until the next adventurous director stumbles into its catacomb.

Looking for another horror film about intimacy curdling into something monstrous? Check out our SXSW review of Obsession.