At the exact moment that Egyptologist Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir) and party are opening the tomb of the Egyptian Queen of the Darkness, Tara, Fuchs' daughter is born dead in a London hospital. The two events are connected as Tara's spirit enters young Margaret Fuchs (Valerie Leon) and bring her back to life. Unaware of their connection, Margaret grows up to be the spitting image of Tara. Nearing her 21st (?) birthday, Margaret begins having unsettling dreams of Tara. Thus begins Tara's resurrection. To complete the transformation, Margaret/Tara must collect the artifacts from her tomb that are now in the possession of Professor Fuchs' colleagues who assisted in the original expedition. Collecting the objects will lead to a trail of bloody bodies, each with its throat ripped out.Writing that poorly worded plot synopsis was much more difficult that it should have been. The problem is that the plot in Blood from the Mummy's Tomb is a mess of ideas going in several different directions. It's entertaining, but it is admittedly a mess. I quite enjoy the story, but as I've written before, I'm a sucker for Egyptian mumbo- jumbo. Throw in some hokum about an evil queen, possessed artifacts, stars aligning in just the right way, and a traveling, disembodied hand and I'll eat it up. So, despite the many flaws in the plot, none of it really matters to me as I always have great fun watching Blood from the Mummy's Tomb. Watching the film last night for the first time in about 10 years, I realized I had forgotten much about the plot and really most everything else. One thing I hadn't forgotten was Valerie Leon. I defy anyone to watch this movie and not remember Ms Leon. I realize she wasn't hired for her acting ability, but she isn't all that bad. She may be a bit wooden in some scenes, but at worst, she's always watchable. I know Hammer used young women like Ms Leon, but at least Hammer provided her and others the opportunity to star in film. Hammer gave actresses like Ms Leon, Yutte Stensgaard, and Jennifer Daniel a chance for a role with some meat to it. None will be remembered as award caliber actresses, but all are memorable to fans in the various Hammer films/roles.Beyond Ms Leon, the rest of the cast is surprisingly strong. Andrew Keir was a real pro and is quite good as Professor Fuchs. James Villers, as the scheming Corbeck, is a scene-stealer. He's one part smarmy and one part evil. An entertaining combination. The rest of the cast is solid with Aubrey Morris, George Coulouris, and Mark Edwards giving memorable performances. To summarize, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb features a messy but very fun story, the memorable Valerie Leon, and a solid supporting cast. I'm keeping the 7/10 rating I gave it 10 years ago.

"Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" is one of Hammers greatest films from the latter period. This film has a better than average screenplay and with some outstanding direction from Seth Holt in his final film. Andrew Keir and James Villiers share the acting honours but Valerie Leon does well in her dual characters.This movie deserved better advertising when it went out on general release. It was released on the lower half of another Hammer horror film. Given the slightly troubled production, it is a wonder "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" was made at all.Peter Cushing leaving the production after only a days filming and Seth Holt suddenly dying about 10 days before the end of shooting,led everyone involved to believe their movie was cursed.Michael Carraras finished the film himself after assuming directorial duties.The end result is brilliant - a low key approach with only the necessary cast required, some fine photography and music all contribute to the film's success.The Mummy films were never Hammers best but this one is able to infuse the familiar Mummy story with something a bit more original.

"Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" is a film that has its qualities - the doubtlessly most convincing one being the incredibly beautiful Valerie Leon in a double role. Yet I have to say that this film ranks among the lesser ones from my beloved Hammer Studios, as it is not very suspenseful and lacks the intense atmosphere that we all love about the films from this brilliant British production company. Based on the almighty Bram Stoker's novel "The Jewel of Seven the Stars", "Blood From the Mummy's Tomb" is one out of three Hammer films directed by Seth Holt, the others being the very good "The Nanny" (1965) and the presumably great "Taste of Fear" (1961) which I haven't yet seen. Sadly, Holt died in while he was working on this film in 1971, at only 48, and the film was completed by Michael Carreras, who must be seen as a pioneer for directing one of the earliest Eurowestern, "Tierra Brutal" in 1961. Being a huge fan of the Hammer Studios I tend to love their later films, such as "Vampire Circus", "The Vampire Lovers" or "Frankenstein and The Monster From Hell", from the early 70s especially, because they usually mix the elegant Hammer-typical Gothic atmosphere with 70s-typical sleaze and gore. This is also the case here - "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" has some of Hammer's goriest moments - but the suspense was obviously not sufficiently focused on here. It does have some highly atmospheric scenes, but then, there are hardly any outdoor shots and typical Hammer style elements such as foggy grounds etc. appear only a few times in the film.The film tells a very classic Horror story, of a young beauty who happens to bear a stunning resemblance to a vicious she-demon - in this case a blood-thirsty Egyptian Queen... I love classic Horror material like this, but, sadly, it isn't delivered too well here. The film isn't too suspenseful, as one simply doesn't care about the characters. Valerie Leon ("Never Say Never Again") is stunningly beautiful (and shows some flesh) in her double leading role as the Egyptian Queen Tera and the archaeologist's's daughter Margaret Fuchs. Miss Leon is truly ravishing and her presence alone easily is reason enough to watch the film. The great Andrew Keir ("Quatermass and the Pit", "Dracula, Prince of Darkness") plays her father Prof. Fuchs. Funnily, Margaret's boyfriend's name is 'Tod Browning' - a tribute to the genius director of such gems as "Dracula" (1931), "Freaks" (1932) or "The Devi-Doll" (1936), the immortal Tod Browning. "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" has its moments - as said, Valerie Leon is by far the most convincing reason to watch it, and the film has some stylish moments as well as some very well done gory ones. However, it does get boring in-between, and that is something extremely rare with a Hammer film. Overall it must be said that, while Egyptian Mummies are generally fascinating creatures, their representations in cinema are often quite weak. The only true Mummy-Masterpiece I've seen is Karl Freund's brilliant "The Mummy" of 1932 with the immortal Boris Karloff in the lead. My second-favorite is Hammer's 1959 remake "The Mummy" with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" is still 100 times better than these crappy new Mummy films which consist of CGI only, but it's definitely one of Hammer's weaker films and mostly interesting for the gorgeous Valerie Leon.

It's been many years since I read Bram Stoker's 1903 novel "The Jewel of Seven Stars," but what I mainly recollect is a feeling of great disappointment; the book is all buildup, with very little in the way of payoff. The 1971 Hammer filmization, renamed "Blood From the Mummy's Tomb," can be accused of the same unfortunate misdemeanor, but still has much to offer. It tells the tale of Tera, an ancient Egyptian sorceress who had been executed back when, had her hand dismembered and her body encased in a tomb. Centuries later, that tomb is discovered by a researcher named Fuchs, whose daughter is the very image of the priestess. It would seem that Tera is about to be finally reincarnated.... Taking place in an indeterminate year (the clothing and furnishings are modern, yet the automobiles are vintage), "Blood From" boasts some mild gross-out FX (that severed hand, and Tera's many throat rippings), an interesting enough story, adequate sets and--typical for a Hammer film--fine acting from its second-tier cast. In her dual role as the "slumbering" Tera and Fuchs' possessed daughter, Margaret, actress Valerie Leon literally stands out in this cast. A stunning-looking woman even today, her, um, mUmmarian protuberances are amply brought to the fore here in any number of negligees and low-cut gowns. As Tera, she is found completely unswathed; I suppose even the ancient Egyptian priests felt that her body was too impressive to be kept under wraps! In any event, Valerie's presence is reason enough to give this film a recommendation. The film's story line presents some unanswered questions (Just how does the Corbeck character plan to control Tera once she "awakens," for instance? And that ambiguous ending is anybody's guess!), but I must say that I enjoyed this film more on a repeat viewing, with lowered expectations. It's a fun latter-day Hammer flick, shown to good advantage on this great-looking Anchor Bay DVD.