Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 28, 2024

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals, either in spite of or maybe more likely because of its undeniably "low rent" atmosphere, offers three salient lessons in the unpredictable vagaries of show business fame and fortune. Director Oliver Drake had been a journeyman in the film industry from literally the silent era on, and ultimately became known for churning out "quickie" Westerns, which seems to have consigned him pretty firmly to both that genre and hasty production method, though in the good news department, he seemed to have worked regularly for decades. Star Anthony Eisley was once one of the "pretty boy" contingent at Warner Brothers Television, starring in one of their largely interchangeable detective series, Hawaiian Eye (just how interchangeable these Warner investigative shows were, much like their western product, is evidenced by the fact that when Eisley left Hawaiian Eye, he was replaced with Troy Donahue, who simply ported over from Warner's Surfside 6). He probably quickly figured out leaving a hit television series wasn't the smartest business decision, and his film work was pretty iffy, as perhaps indicated by this very outing. In terms of long-lived careers like Drake's though, the venerable John Carradine is on hand here as well, albeit in a glorified cameo that seems like it was crafted only to provide some kind of horror "marquee name" for advertising purposes.

If Ed Wood were alive in 1969, shooting in kinda sorta color, and visiting Las Vegas for some exotic (?) location work, the result may have been something much like The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals. I've made this joke before, but it's especially relevant to this incredibly lo-fi enterprise: the film looks like it wasn't just shot on a shoestring budget, but an aglet budget (Google is your friend for that unusual word if you don't recognize it). Drake and his team evidently just plopped their camera down on the strip in Las Vegas and let their hilariously costumed mummy and quasi-werewolf characters maraud through crowds, who obviously have no idea they're in a film (you can actually see some of them laughing or looking confused in the background).

Eisley is once again an investigator of sorts, this time a guy named David Barrie, who unearths two mummies, one male and one female, and who for reasons unexplained (just one of a veritable trove of unexplained phenomena in this film), falls for the female, Ankana (Marliza Pons), which in turn transforms Barrie into, well, some kind of bizarre hairy beast. Stephen Thrower is on hand in a kind of funny supplement on this disc taking people who deride the "jackal" costume as laughable (even the back cover of the keepcase insert mentions "risible werewolf transformations") to task, mentioning that at least the monster is regularly shown here. As they say, your mileage may vary, as I for one am not quite certain more views of this gonzo "special effect" redounds to the benefit of the film.

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. The back cover of this release states this was "scanned in 4K from the original negative discovered at Ewing "Lucky" Brown's Los Angeles estate sale", though it may be salient to note that Severin's own website actually offers that the transfer was "scanned in 4K from the blow up internegative", which considering the look of this presentation seems the more likely option. This is obviously the very definition of a cult item, and considering that as is discussed in some of the supplements on this disc, the only previously available version was a very lackluster VHS outing that was evidently next to impossible to watch, this newer scan offers at least reasonable detail levels and an intermittently vibrant palette. Outdoor daylight material, which is unfortunately not the prevalent, tends to look the best, with the very heavy grain field retreating a bit and with colors decently vivid and detail levels in the decent if not outstanding range. The bulk of the film is very dark, with a lot of dimly lit interior and/or flat out nighttime material, and crush is evident throughout (to the point that Eisley's jet black hair can disappear into shadowy backgrounds at time). There's recurrent if relatively minor damage on display. The entire color temperature of the presentation is kind of dark and blue-ish throughout. As mentioned above, grain can be extremely thick throughout most of this presentation. My score is 3.25.

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Things may fare marginally better with regard to this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track, but as with the visuals, there are built in limitations, with variable amplitude and clarity, and with a lack of any real dynamic range. Dialogue is mostly clearly delivered, but there are occasional moments when it can be at least passingly difficult to make things out clearly. Optional English subtitles are available, which can help to clarify things.

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Vega International Story (HD; 21:07) features Stephen Thrower giving a history lesson about this little remembered production house.


• Cowboys, Mummies and Oliver Drake (HD; 16:37) offers C. Courtney Joyner providing another history lesson, this one centered on the film's director.


• Investing in the Jackal (HD; 3:42) is a kind of fun interview with the son of some of the film's backers.


• Angelica, the Young Vixen (HD; 1:00:52) is a soft core "bonus" film ostensibly directed by Oliver Drake. This is in pretty shoddy condition, as detailed in a prefatory text card.


• Audio Commentary for Angelica, the Young Vixen features Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin and film historian Shawn Langrick, moderated by Severin's Andrew Frittato.

The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the supplement on this disc featuring him, Stephen Thrower gets into another low rent property that had a kind of Mystery Science Theater 3000 redub, and that frankly might have been a good decision for this often incomprehensible but still overwrought enterprise. If you've ever wanted to see a rather "portly" (in Thrower's terminology) mummy maraud through the Las Vegas strip, this is probably the film for you. One way or the other, though, this is one of those gonzo outings that might be best combined with some kind of drinking game. Technical merits are decent but can't really rise above built in limitations in both the video and audio departments. As usual, Severin has assembled some really appealing supplements, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.