With the 1931 successes of both FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA, Universal Studios continued its popular string of horror films the following year with THE MUMMY. Directed by famed German cinematographer Karl Freund, the film featured Boris Karloff in the starring role.

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Inspired by the opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, THE MUMMY follows an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep who is accidentally brought back to life by archaeologists. Disguised as a modern Egyptian, Imhotep pursues a woman he believes is the reincarnation of his ancient love.

Despite the iconic look of the title character when he is introduced, Karloff only wore the bandages in one scene. For the bulk of the movie, he wore traditional Egyptian robes, subtle makeup, and a fez.

The box office success of THE MUMMY inspired a whole series of mummy movies. However, unlike other Universal series, the MUMMY sequels followed a completely different continuity than the first film.

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