Lee Cronin’s The Mummy

2026
Directors: Lee Cronin
Starring: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and more.

Eight years after her sudden disappearance in Egypt, a severely traumatized teenager is returned to her shattered family in New Mexico, triggering a visceral nightmare as they realize she is hosting an ancient, demonic parasite.

If you’re looking for subtle horror, you’re not looking for Lee Cronin. Let’s be honest. If you saw Evil Dead Rise, you know what I’m talking about. I really enjoyed that film so I gave this one a try. I was curious to see what Cronin would do with a modern take on the classic mummy tale. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was brutal and obviously his.

The story begins with journalist Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor), who is living in Cairo with his pregnant wife Larissa (Laia Costa) and their children. Their lives are shattered when their young daughter Katie disappears into the city without a trace. Eight years later, Katie is unexpectedly found alive, discovered under circumstances that shouldn’t be possible. The family that has spent years mourning her suddenly has their daughter back. The teenager who returns home? She’s not exactly the child they lost.

The story setup gives Cronin an intriguing way into the familiar mummy mythology. Rather than resurrecting another ancient Egyptian villain wrapped in bandages, the film places its supernatural threat inside a grieving family. Katie’s return initially feels like a miracle. But her increasingly disturbing physical and behavioral changes turn what should be a bittersweet reunion into an even worse nightmare. Natalie Grace has the difficult task of making Katie both sympathetic and terrifying, while Reynor and Costa portray parents confronting the horrifying possibility that getting their daughter back may be worse than losing her.

Cronin pushes the boundary of its R rating as always. Physical horror is one of his signatures with deteriorating bodies, nightmare dental situations, and creative ways of making human anatomy extremely uncomfortable. The practical and visual effects are often impressively grotesque, and viewers who enjoy body horror will really like this one.

The film struggles to hold together a story to support all the carnage. It’s over two hours long and it really didn’t need to be. His three acts are the mystery of Katie’s disappearance, the supernatural forces that returned her, and the increasingly violent consequences for her family. The investigative elements slow the film’s momentum a few times when the domestic horror should be tightening its grip. It almost feels like two different movies competing for attention. But I do like how the director used the titular monster as a vehicle for possession, grief and body horror instead of just going with the usual movie monster. 

The reinvention of the story is both the movie’s biggest asset and flaw at the same time. Plus, there’s so much body horror here that it sometimes overwhelms the characters. The focus should have been strictly the family’s tragedy, not the endless stream of gore that sometimes took me out of the emotional story. I was supposed to feel the suffering of these characters, to care.

Still, I respect the director’s refusal to unwrap the same mummy yet again. He created something unique with a strong cast, and of course, a divisive ending that leads me to know there is possibly a sequel coming. Yeah, I’m not sure about the ending. Watch it and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Gore fans, this one is for you. 

Isy