I honestly didn’t expect The Mummy (2026) to become one of the darkest mainstream horror films of the year. Most people hear “The Mummy” and immediately think about the old adventure movies with action, treasure hunting, and fun characters. This movie is the complete opposite of that.
This version fully commits to horror.
And not just supernatural horror, this movie goes deep into body horror, possession, decay, psychological trauma, and disturbing imagery that feels genuinely uncomfortable at times. You can clearly feel the influence of Evil Dead Rise throughout the film, especially because of director Lee Cronin’s style. The movie constantly feels dirty, cursed, and oppressive.
The story follows a family dealing with the disappearance of their daughter after an expedition connected to an ancient Egyptian tomb. Years later, she suddenly returns home, but something feels horribly wrong almost immediately. From there, the movie slowly transforms into a nightmare involving ancient rituals, curses, hallucinations, and violent supernatural events.
What surprised me most was the atmosphere. This movie LOOKS incredible. The lighting, sound design, and visual effects create a constant feeling of dread. Some scenes genuinely feel nightmare-like, especially whenever the film leans into the ancient Egyptian horror elements. The movie understands how to create tension visually without always relying on jumpscares.
And when the horror scenes finally explode… they go HARD.
There are several moments involving body transformation, mutilation, rotting flesh, and possession that are honestly brutal for a mainstream release. Some of the imagery is disgusting in the best possible way. The movie clearly wants to shock people, and for the most part, it succeeds.
I also appreciated that this version actually respects the mythology more than previous adaptations. Instead of turning the mummy into a generic action villain, the film treats the curse like something ancient, evil, and almost cosmic. That makes the horror feel bigger and more serious.
But the movie definitely has problems.
The biggest issue is the pacing. The film is simply too long for its own story. There are long stretches in the middle where the movie slows down too much, repeating the same emotional beats without adding anything new. You start feeling the runtime after a while, and some scenes should have been cut completely.
The tone is also inconsistent at times. One minute the movie feels like psychological horror, then suddenly it becomes a possession movie, then a mystery thriller, then full body-horror chaos. Sometimes it works, sometimes it feels messy.
The characters are decent, but not amazing. The family drama is clearly important to the story, but emotionally it never fully hit me the way the filmmakers probably intended. I understood the characters, but I never became deeply attached to them. Because of that, some emotional scenes feel weaker than they should.
Still, the movie is carried HARD by its horror atmosphere and disturbing visuals.
There are scenes in this film that people are going to remember for a long time — especially horror fans who enjoy disturbing imagery and darker supernatural stories.
This is not the fun version of The Mummy.
This is horror first.
Rating: 8.5/10
Final thoughts:
The Mummy (2026) is messy, overlong, and uneven at times, but it’s also one of the most visually disturbing horror films released this year. It takes a huge risk by abandoning the adventure formula and going fully into dark supernatural horror.
Not everyone will like that choice.
But if you enjoy body horror, disturbing visuals, possession horror, and movies with a genuinely cursed atmosphere, this version is absolutely worth watching.
This is just my opinion. If you’ve seen it and feel differently, feel free to share your thoughts.
Leave a Reply