LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY Unleashes a Nightmare in Creepy First Clip
After a pair of intense trailers teased something seriously unsettling, the first full clip from Lee Cronin’s The Mummy has arrived online, and this isn’t your typical bandage-wrapped monster movie.
If you were expecting another globe-trotting adventure like the Brendan Fraser franchise or a slick action reboot like the 2017 Tom Cruise version, think again. Director Lee Cronin is dragging this classic horror icon into much darker territory, and the footage proves it.
The newly released clip drops us into a grim archaeological discovery. Two archaeologists unearth what they believe to be an ancient mummy. But this isn’t some long-dead pharaoh waiting to curse grave robbers.
As the scene unfolds, the “mummy” jolts awake in a deeply disturbing moment, and a beetle crawls out of her mouth.
What makes it even more chilling is the revelation that this isn’t an ancient ruler at all. This is Katie, a young girl who vanished in the desert eight years earlier. Instead of resurrecting Egyptian royalty bent on revenge, Cronin appears to be steering the story into demonic possession territory, blending supernatural horror with something far more personal and tragic.
Cronin recently addressed the direction of the film in an interview and made it clear he’s not interested in repeating what’s come before.
"[It's] coming from a very different place, and it's not even a reinvention of mummy lore; it's looking into darker places and doing something different with what we think we might already know.
“It's an insane mashup to suggest, but [this film is] almost one part Poltergeist and one part Seven, but put through my lens and the way that I like to entertain people."
That comparison should get horror fans paying attention. A mix of Poltergeist and Seven filtered through Cronin’s sensibilities sounds like a bleak and intense experience. And if you’ve seen his gnarly hit Evil Dead Rise, you already know he isn’t afraid to push things into nasty, uncomfortable places.
There were whispers floating around about rough test screenings, including a report claiming producer James Wan walked out. Whether there’s any truth to that remains unclear, but judging from the reaction to the trailers and this new clip, horror fans seem pretty intrigued by what Cronin is cooking up.
Here’s the official synopsis: "Hot off the record-setting resurrection of EVIL DEAD RISE, writer/director Lee Cronin turns to one of the most iconic horror stories of all time with an audacious and twisted retelling: LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY.
“The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare."
The film stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón. It was written and directed by Cronin, with production from Wan, Jason Blum, and John Keville, and executive produced by Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher, and Cronin.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy hits theaters on April 17, and if this first clip is any indication, it’s going to deliver a seriously creepy reinvention of the iconic horror property.
Check out the clip and let us know what you think.