Lee Cronin's 'The Mummy' Delivers Gory Thrills But Lacks Focus

The director's take on the classic horror franchise blends Evil Dead-style gore with family drama, but struggles with pacing and repetitive plot points.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 7:05pm

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An abstract close-up image of a shattered, reflective surface in shades of red and black, conveying a sense of violence and the supernatural.The Mummy's gory, unsettling transformation sequences evoke a sense of dread and body horror.Albuquerque Today

Lee Cronin's 'The Mummy' is a mixed bag that delivers plenty of gooey, practical effects-driven horror, but struggles to maintain focus and pacing throughout its overly drawn-out runtime. The film blends elements of Evil Dead-style gross-out gore with family drama as the Cannon family in Albuquerque, New Mexico, deals with the sudden reappearance of their long-lost daughter Katie, who has been transformed into a violent, bug-eating vessel for a demonic entity. Cronin's aggressive visual style shines in the film's goriest moments, but the narrative becomes repetitive and predictable as it jumps between horror set pieces and melodramatic family storylines.

Why it matters

The Mummy franchise has never had a consistent identity, with the classic 1932 Universal monster, the globe-trotting Brendan Fraser adventures, and the ill-fated Tom Cruise reboot all offering different takes on the material. Cronin's film represents the latest attempt to put a fresh spin on the mythology, blending horror genres in an effort to find a new angle. While it doesn't fully succeed, the film's mix of gory thrills and family drama offers a unique perspective that horror fans may find intriguing, even if the execution is uneven.

The details

In Cronin's take, the Cannon family - Charlie, Larissa, and their two children Sebastián and Maud - are living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of their eldest daughter, Katie, eight years earlier. When Katie suddenly reappears, having been found in a sarcophagus at the site of a plane crash, the family is overjoyed. But Katie's behavior has become increasingly violent and disturbing, as she begins consuming large amounts of bugs and exhibiting supernatural abilities. As the family tries to uncover what happened to Katie during her long absence, they realize she has become a vessel for a demonic entity.

  • Eight years ago, Katie Cannon disappeared without a trace.
  • In the present day, Katie is found alive in a sarcophagus at the site of a plane crash.

The players

Charlie Cannon

The father of the Cannon family, who works as a journalist in Cairo, Egypt.

Larissa Cannon

The mother of the Cannon family, who struggles to cope with the return of her long-lost daughter Katie.

Katie Cannon

The eldest daughter of the Cannon family, who mysteriously disappeared eight years ago and has now returned transformed by a demonic entity.

Dalia Zaki

A detective investigating the original disappearance of Katie Cannon.

Lee Cronin

The director of 'The Mummy,' known for his work on horror films like 'Evil Dead Rise' and 'The Hole in the Ground.'

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What they’re saying

“Lee Cronin is no stranger to demonic incantations of the dead or creepy demonic children, considering his directorial work on Evil Dead Rise and The Hole In The Ground, and his Mummy film stands out most when it's clearly going all in at what he delivered best in his Evil Dead film.”

— Joshua Mbonu, Reviewer

“The movie works best when it's at its most mean-spirited, with nasty bloody brutality and a committed performance from Natalie Grace that will greatly appease most genre fans.”

— Joshua Mbonu, Reviewer

What’s next

The film's mixed reception and uneven pacing may lead to discussions about potential edits or a director's cut that could tighten the narrative and better balance the horror and family drama elements.

The takeaway

While 'The Mummy' delivers some effectively gory and unsettling horror moments that play to director Lee Cronin's strengths, the film ultimately struggles to maintain focus and cohesion, getting bogged down in repetitive plot points and an overlong runtime. The end result is a frustratingly uneven take on the classic horror franchise that hints at a potentially stronger, more streamlined version.