Dawn of the Mummy (1981)

Mummies are probably the most under represented creature in horror movies. There just aren't that many  mummy movies around now, although there were an abundance of them in past decades. In my opinion, they're also the least intimidating monster. Slow, shambling and since their bodies have been dead and dry for thousands of years, it seems like they would be incredibly weak. The curse of mummies is far more terrifying. And that is where we begin. The cursed tomb of Sepharaman is opened and defiled by tomb raiders looking for gold. They're interrupted by an American photographer and his models, who are in search of a unique and exotic backdrop for their photo shoot. Most people might hesitate to go traipsing through a tomb and shoot fashion photos with a mummy, but that isn't the case with this group. At least not at first. It's a decision they quickly regret, since the heat from the lights (along with the tomb raiders taking his gold staff) reanimates the mummy. Sepharaman is out for revenge, and his zombie minions rise from the sand to join him. Nestled between padded scenes of hookah smoking, horseback riding and swimming are a couple of bland kills. The real action of the movie is when Sepharaman and his zombies descend on guests at a wedding, and from this point on the gore is plentiful. However, this doesn't occur until the final eleven minutes. The survivors' confrontation with Seph is explosive, and all's well that ends well. Or is it? Since the movie ends with a typical "Is he really dead" shot, I assume they meant to pave the way for a sequel that never got the green light. This movie was a unique mash up of mummy and zombie, and the premise is good but it just wasn't pulled off well. Too much unnecessary fluff. It does make me wonder, though. Are mummies zombies? Technically they ARE the living dead, so... Maybe?