11 October 2024
The Awakening (1980)
102 min.
Directed by Mike Newell.
With Charlton Heston, Stephanie Zimbalist, Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Patrick Drury, Bruce Myers.
Supposed remake of Hammer's Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) and based on Bram Stoker's The Jewel of Seven Stars published in 1903.

Heston is an archaeologist who discovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian queen.

Simultaneously, the archaeologist's daughter is born, whereupon the spirit of the evil queen takes hold of the infant in hopes of one day reincarnating her spirit in the modern world.

Sound outrageous? It's actually executed generally well, the downbeat ending only ups its rating here. Subtle and slow paced, this might not appeal to all tastes, but is certainly worth a watch, particularly to see sci fi hero Heston in an uncharacteristically subdued terror performance.

Might be a nice double feature with the following year's The Sphinx. Or a triple feature with Fulci's 1983 ancient Egypt-flavored supernatural horror Manhattan Baby!

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