I recently rewatched the Hammer classic BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB and it got me to thinking. Instead of trying that relaunch of THE MUMMY a couple of years ago, why didn’t they just remake this movie? Sofia Boutella in the Valerie Leon role? That’s some perfect casting, right there. And since that movie was based on Bram Stoker’s novel THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS and that work is in the public domain, Universal wouldn’t have even have had to pay royalties. Just give it the same title as the novel and film it straight. How much better of a story and how much better of a movie would it have been had they gone this route?
Seth Holt, the director of BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB, died on set during the production and the project had to be finished by Michael Carreras. The end result was a film that suffered from the disruption. While the acting is solid, the focus is shaky. How might a new version of the film address this? Would a contemporary director be able to smooth out the lumps? It would have been interesting to see. This one will have to remain one of those “if only” projects we fanboys and girls always dream about.