I went into The Mummy (2026) expecting that it would be about ancient curses and dusty tombs, even though I knew it wasn’t part of the iconic franchise. What I got instead was something completely different. And honestly? It took me a while to even decide if I liked that.
Not the Mummy You Expect
If you’re expecting ancient Egypt vibes, you’ll be confused. The film barely cares about that world. Instead, it leans into psychological horror and body distortion, the kind that sits in your stomach and doesn’t leave.
The Plot
The story follows a young girl, Katie, who gets lost during a family trip in Cairo. She is abducted by a magician who is secretly involved in an ancient ritual connected to the Egyptian demon Nasmaranian. At first, it seems like a simple disappearance, but it is later revealed that she was specifically chosen and persuaded away.
The magician tricks Katie with some chocolates, using her innocence to pull her into a ritual site. From there, Katie believed that the magician was her secret friend. She used to visit her daily, not knowing what could happen next, wrapped in the name of love.
Her family left devastated, and the case goes cold until 8 years later, when she is mysteriously found after a plane crash. This should be the emotional core of the story, but instead it feels oddly detached. Katie’s behaviour becomes more disturbing. She is seen moving in unnatural ways, eating cockroaches, and behaving more like a creature than a child.
Unreal Reactions and Confusion
The family continues to act as if they can manage the situation, even when Katie’s condition is clearly beyond control. It took an unusually long time for genuine panic to set in. As a viewer and as someone easily frightened, I would have left that house in an instant.
As the story progresses, the supernatural elements expand in increasingly chaotic ways. Katie begins to influence her siblings, manipulating their actions in disturbing ways: her younger sister removes her own teeth and replaces them with their grandmother’s, while her brother descends into violence, attempting to attack their mother.
The toenail scene is perhaps the most striking example: what begins as a mundane act of pedicure spirals into body horror as Katie’s nails emerge from her mouth, eventually tearing away layers of skin from her legs.
It is memorable, but it relies heavily on blood and violence.
Why It Didn’t Work For Me
Despite the cinematography, the writing does no favours for horror enthusiasts. The logic becomes increasingly loose as the story progresses.
The climax, which involves the ritual being reversed in a way that transfers the curse into the father, is truly an unrealistic scenario, adding confusion to how the detective was able to memorise the entire ritual by watching the tape two times.
The rules of the ritual and possession are never fully grounded, which makes the ending feel convenient rather than earned.
I won’t lie; the movie is very intense. There are scenes that made me physically uncomfortable. Some moments are so graphic that I actually had to look away. The film clearly takes inspiration from Evil Dead Rise, especially with its focus on body horror.
But after a while, it starts to feel like the movie is trying too hard to shock you instead of telling a deeper story.
Final Verdict
It’s a decent horror movie if you can watch gore content, but the story feels unoriginal and misleading.
Rating: 2.5/5
Would I watch it again? Probably not.
Did it stay with me? Only the uncomfortable parts.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for latest news and updates
