...these are the words that came to mind after watching 1998's "THE ETERNAL Kiss of the Mummy," originally titled "Trance" and written & directed by Michael Almereyda. The story is about an alcoholic couple who travel to the wife's country manor in Ireland, supposedly to sober up and give their son the opportunity to meet her ailing grandmother. They discover that her weird uncle (Christopher Walken) has a 2000 year-old mummy of a Druid witch in the basement, which he's curiously trying to revive! This is Gothic horror in the modern day and struck me as a Hammer flick if it were released in more current times. Alison Elliott is fetching in the starring role of the alcoholic wife. You can tell she has a sweet figure, but you'll only catch a glimpse here or there (not that I'd want to see nudity or sleaze; I'm just saying that there's a way to film beautiful women like Alison and this movie doesn't deliver enough on this front, but it does a bit). "THE ETERNAL" is not your typical modern horror schlock. It doesn't shoot for conventional horror and gore, but it IS pretty creepy in a Gothic sense. I saw "Big Bad Wolf" (2006) before I viewed this one and, although "Big Bad Wolf" is thrilling and ultra-gory, it's not scary, mainly because the filmmakers & cast cop a semi-campy vibe. "THE ETERNAL," by contrast, plays it completely straight and the foggy Irish moors & centuries-old mansion add to the haunting ambiance.There's also a quality soundtrack with a few stand-out alternative rock numbers, like the one that plays during the end credits, "My Head Becomes the Sky" by Tara Baoth Mooney.Anyway, there's a Gothic beauty to the movie, which makes it a pleasure just to watch even if the story is "sluggish," as some criticize. It's clear that the writer/director was aiming for art more than common horror thrills. I'd compare it to "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002) in this sense, albeit not as good. It was limited by an obvious modest budget, which shows through here and there with awkward, amateurish filmmaking.After viewing, I reflected on the seemingly nonsensical story, particularly the perplexing events in the third act, and certain things started to make sense: This is only a story about a Druid witch coming back to life on the surface; and all that might be figurative. It's really about a woman in bondage to alcoholism who comes face-to-face with her lower nature, her self-destructive side (her "id" or "flesh"), not to mention confronting her incestuous uncle, and trying to prevail. Going back to her heritage, her roots, enables her to see WHY she turned to alcohol for succor in the first place.In essence, this is a Gothic tale about the purging of one's fleshly demons.The film runs 95 minutes and was shot in Connemara & Dublin, Ireland; New York; and Miami Beach, Florida.GRADE: B-/C+

An alcoholic American couple travel to the United Kingdom with their son so he can meet his grandmother but they walk in on their crazed uncle who is in the midst of reviving a centuries-old Druid witch.This film is getting a five for now because I do not know better how to rate it. As a whole, it seems like it is missing something and should be lower (a 3 or 4). For what should be a horror film, it comes off more as a romantic drama... which is not what I want.And yet, I have to give it a better rating because of Christopher Walken, who has a small but important role. And also the overall eeriness of the film. I got a good impression that the director had vision but simply fell short of executing it properly. You have to succeed to be a good director, but there is a spark here that I think could indicate potential... I am not sure what else he made -- maybe it is good stuff.

This movie is NOT a thrill-ride horror movie, which may be the reason many seem not to have liked it. It's slow, character-driven and moody, but I loved it. From the opening scene of a young girl on a spooky Irish moor to the last image of a woman in a white dress sinking down into the endless black of the sea, I found this film enthralling.Other things I love about this movie: The opening song, with the line "And no one is afraid/Of themselves" (a key to the characters' struggle)--- The cry of anguish when a mother finds her son dead (we see it but we can only imagine the sound of it)--- Death by shards of a broken rock-and-roll album (and the cutaway to the murderess on the beach, sad but resigned to the fact of her own survival).These are only a few of the poetic moments of this movie. Love and death. Guns and liquor. A true black-Irish sense of humour. A great horror movie for grown-ups, and for children wise beyond their years.

I LOVED this movie. It was intense and moody and very deep. The acting was out of this world and the cinematography,beyond description. This is a movie that needs to be absorbed, not just watched between runs to the kitchen. Don't expect flash and fire, video style. It will stay with you for a long time. The soundtrack is wonderful too by the way.