AMERICAN MUMMY (a.k.a. Aztec Blood) ** U.S.A. 2014 Dir: Charles Pinion 82 mins
An ancient evil will rise when a group of university students unearth an ancient mummy. They are digging in the New Mexico desert when one of the students performs a blood ritual to awake the spirit of the Aztec Lord Tezcalipoca. At first it seems not much has happened, but when the spirit possesses one of the students the curse spreads like wildfire amongst the group.
Universal are back with their reinvision of THE MUMMY (2017) and I would expect we shall see a rise of independent mummy-esque movies to cash in on its box office takings. So that brings us to this movie directed by Charles Pinion, while made in 2014 this movie has been left out in the cold wilderness until the fine folks at Wild Eye Releasing released it this year. What it lacks in star power it makes up for in practical effects and a storyline that will keep you entertained. While some will be saddened to find that there is no Aztecian mummy ripping its way through the film, it does have a decent enough set of cast members who bring a little charm and some humour to the goings on. It is well directed throughout and you can feel the heat of the desert as our characters struggle against the curse that could get them next. A bit of nudity is seen as well which will appease those who enjoy boobs but don’t expect much else. Overall this is a indie film that is worth checking out for a new spin on the mummy movies.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins
