The Mummy (1959 film)

The Mummy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTerence Fisher
Screenplay byJimmy Sangster
Produced byMichael Carreras
Starring
CinematographyJack Asher
Edited by
Music byFranz Reizenstein
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 25 September 1959 (1959-09-25) (UK)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£125,000 or £100,000
Box office857,243 admissions (France)

The Mummy is a 1959 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It was written by Jimmy Sangster and produced by Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson Keys for Hammer Film Productions. The film was distributed in the U.S. in 1959 on a double bill with either the Vincent Price film The Bat or the Universal film Curse of the Undead.

Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two 1940s Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb, with the climax borrowed directly from The Mummy's Ghost. The character name Joseph Whemple, the use of a sacred scroll, and a few minor plot elements are the only connections with the 1932 version.