Subplot Kudzu

I treated myself of this little Hammer Horror treasure through Netflix this week, and found it a mixed bag. I have always like the idea of Mummy stories because they're classic horror where the victims usually have it coming. No being a prey animal for a werewolf or vampire, no getting killed by the slasher for having sex or resembling the preppie kids that once taunted him, if you have a Mummy after you its because you're a damn tomb robber and you have it coming. Think fast before the ponderous, unstoppable killing machine catches up with you and you might be more than a cautionary tale to the next generation of archaeologists.

Ponderous, alas, is a good term for the middle part of the film, which is a shame. Things pick up after the second act backstory info-dump, and the scene of Cushing goading the Mummy's Egyptian master was worth the price of admission. Still, it's not art.

On a gaming level (as well as a movie design level) one thing really stood out to me: to keep Cushing out of the tomb when the Mummy first appeared they gave him a broken leg at the film's start. To keep him on the scene of the dig they had him so obsessed that he wouldn't leave to get the leg properly treated. For the rest of the film he walked with a limp. The strange thing was no one really made a big deal over it, and there was no scene in which his limp played a role: he was never chased, never fell, never needed to run, nothing. It was just a character bit - if you're into hyperbole it was the telltale reminder of his past and the day that would come to haunt him! but it wasn't even that important. I can't imagine a movie today not making some use of the limp, turning it into a major plot point, and many GMs are schooled to draw those character flaws to the surface and make them relevant. But for this film the limp was just a limp - it was just my modern experiences that kept me on the edge of my seat expecting it to matter.