Nigel P Events behind the scenes during the production of this Hammer project contain enough tragedy and intrigue to make a film of their own. Andrew Keir plays a role originally written (and partially recorded) for Peter Cushing, who had to abandon the project when his wife's health took a turn for the worst. Director Seth Holt died on set mid-way through production and Hammer bigwig Michael Carreras took the helm for the remainder (although Holt was still singularly credited).The result is sadly a bit of a mess, frankly. Much of the initial running time is filled with a flurry of characters experiencing strange and deadly events/coincidences often vaguely connected with a singular star system ('The Jewel of the Seven Stars' is the Bram Stoker story on which this is based). A pout-some, voluptuous and fully made-up Margaret is in bed dreaming of a pout-some, voluptuous and fully made-up Egyptian queen Tera (both played by Valerie Leon) having her hand removed by a group of priests. In more wakeful times, Margaret has a father (Keir) and a boyfriend, charmless Tod (Browning, believe it or not - namesake of the man who directed 1931's 'Dracula' and 1932's notorious 'Freaks' among others - played by Mark Edwards). There's creepy Corbeck (James Villiers), mad old Berigan (George Coulouris) and even madder Doctor Putman (Aubrey Woods). The least interesting Browning commands much of the running time leaving much of the rest of the cast under-written.'Blood from the Mummy's Tomb' eschews much blood and gore (and a traditional mummy) in favour of a more supernatural tale. That it is rather dull and talky doesn't help anyone: the most gruesome thing we see is Princess Tera's disembodied hand creeping around. It is admirable to see Hammer attempting a different telling of the story, but sadly this fails to deliver much in the way of horror.

a_chinn Silly story about an evil Egyptian mummy queen who possesses the daughter of an archaeologist after he gives her the queen's ancient ring as a gift. The daughter, now possessed by Queen Tera, proceeded to hunt down the tomb hunters in modern day London in order to collect artifacts that will bring her back to life. So it's more of a possession story than a mummy going around and killing people. Outside of a sentient severed hand, this is a pretty weak Hammer Horror outing. Based on a Bram Stoker novel.

Stephen Abell The first thing I noticed when watching this movie is the gaping distance between this and the horror movies of today. There are two glaringly obvious differences.Firstly: Scope. This film takes you to Egypt and the tombs of the Pharaohs where we see the Queen being interred in her tomb and the rights the priest's carry out, along with the beginnings of her curse. We then move to England where the action continues between three different locations. In modern horror films, the story usually takes place in one location in one time period.Secondly: Story. There's more going off in this film than most of today's horror. I know this is based on an actual novel where most of the modern films are based on the director's ideas. The end product can also suffer from budgetary issues which may restrict them to one location and hence hinder the story.The other differences are acting talent and direction. I have to admit that Hammer used to get some pretty top notch actors in their films. Even the bit-parts are covered by a better-than-average cast and this is the case in this film. Due to that fact, this is a highly enjoyable and believable story that I found myself fully immersed in. It also didn't hurt that Valerie Leon is one of the most beautiful actresses on the planet and does a great job in the lead role as Margaret Fuchs and the Egyptian Queen Tera. Along with Andre Keir, who people from Dr Who: Dalek's Invasion Earth 2150AD and Quatermass and the Pit, and James Villiers this is a strong cast.As for the directing, it was an absolute blessing not to see shaky cam. I do wish that more directors would invest in fixed and smooth-moving camera mounts. I remember there being some negative input for the Evil- Deads shaky cam through the woods - now that is some of the smoothest camera work when compared to today's efforts. Also, all the scenes are watchable in daylight. Dark scenes are lit and visible, with the director using lighting to build mood and atmosphere; the viewer doesn't have to turn off any lighting even ambient just to make out what's happening - just because a scene is shot in total darkness doesn't make it scary. There's also no grey filters, which are so overused today, everything is shot in glorious colour. This actually helps the film as it doesn't make the audience depressed and sad.Though the special effects are outdated by today's standards they are few, as the director uses the story and the atmosphere to build up the tension, suspense, and horror. Though the effects that are used are passable. I did love the severed hand - you can't beat a good severed hand - and the constantly bleeding stub its decapitation left behind.This is one truly lush and lavish, well shot and acted horror film which still has strength in today's horror market. I would recommend everybody to watch this film as it's one of the best Hammer released. I would even watch this one again... and probably sooner rather than later.

lucyrfisher Valerie Leon embodies a forgotten fashion era - circa 1971. Oh, those A-line midi skirts, those cinch belts, those chokers! Ancient Egyptian eye makeup had been in since Liz Taylor's Cleopatra. I like her boyfriend, "Tod Browning", who tries to stop the supernatural mayhem while driving a vintage car - you know it's not going to end happily. James Villiers is wonderful, playing a character who combines a Sergeant portrait, Lord Henry Wotton from Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde himself, and Mephistopheles (from Faust). Wilde had a strange afterlife in fiction - he inspired the character of gentleman thief A J Raffles. Also good in this film is Rosalie Crutchley, with her crystal ball and strange companion - a faun-like boy with long red fingernails. Just a little Gothic touch.