The "Mummy" films from the 1940s were never going to be as good as the 1932 classic and sure enough, they aren't. This one from 1944 is a slight improvement and is the best of the trio that Lon Chaney Jnr made. According to reports, this character was the actors least favourite and I can understand why.The film has a bit of incident and even a bit of atmosphere.

1943's "The Mummy's Ghost" was third in the Kharis series, second to star Lon Chaney in the title role, and was, like all its predecessors (including Karloff's 1932 original), included in Universal's popular SHOCK! package of classic horror films issued to television in the late 50s. An improvement on the listless "The Mummy's Tomb," Chaney's Mummy sports a different mask but actually shows more range, whether stalking a helpless victim like Frank Reicher (also back from "Tomb"), or recklessly shattering a glass museum exhibit, which resulted in a visible gash on the mummy's chin. John Carradine lends his exquisite sepulchral tones to Yousef Bey, High Priest of Arkham (Karnak having retired from shame), who leads Kharis to Manhattan's Scripps Museum to recover the mummy of the Princess Ananka, only to see the body disappear from its wrappings before their very eyes. Incredibly, by returning to Mapleton, they're able to find the girl now possessed by Ananka's reincarnated soul, who proves to be too much for Yousef to resist, forcing Kharis to eliminate the competition in typical fashion (apparently, Egyptian priests were never taught about the birds and the bees). Once again, we get stuck with a belligerent, unsympathetic 'hero' in Robert Lowery, so the climactic twist actually makes sense, the reincarnation theme successfully revived from Karloff's 1932 classic. Director Reginald Le Borg, a recent graduate from short subjects, worked well with Lon Chaney, continuing with "Calling Dr. Death," "Weird Woman," "Dead Man's Eyes," and "The Black Sleep." Deputising for the injured Acquanetta, Ramsay Ames proves sadly lacking, her Amina Mansouri registering as a total blank (she was little better as Chaney's unfaithful wife in her Universal finale, "Calling Dr. Death"). George Zucco contributes another welcome cameo (his last in the series), but Barton Mac Lane is woefully out of place in his only Universal horror, the dead end investigation trailing behind Lowery (this time, Kharis scrupulously avoids crowds). Look fast in the opening reel for Martha Vickers ("The Big Sleep"), previously seen in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and "Captive Wild Woman." Next up for Chaney was the final entry, "The Mummy's Curse," which amazingly continued the upswing from the previous two, now set in the Louisiana bayous. "The Mummy's Ghost" made five appearances on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater- May 7 1966 (following 1959's "The Angry Red Planet"), Feb 3 1968 (following 1956's "The Undead"), Mar 31 1973 (following 1969's "Attack of the Monsters"), June 19 1976 (following 1967's "Island of the Burning Doomed"), and Aug 13 1977 (preceding 1934's "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head").

In the previous movie, "The Mummy's Tomb" the mummy known as "Kharis" (Lon Cheney Jr.) had been killed by fire. However, because of his curse 3000 years earlier he cannot remain dead as long as a certain ritual involving tanis leaves are prepared during a full moon. So the High Priest of Karnak instructs a priest named "Yousef Bey" (John Carradine) to bring him back to life. When Yousef Bey boils the tanis leaves Kharis reappears in the small town of Mapleton where he was last seen. This time however there is a beautiful Egyptian woman by the name of "Amina Mansouri" (Ramsay Ames) who becomes his intended target due to her now possessing the soul of Princess Ananka. Anyway, rather than give away the entire story and risk ruining the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this particular film is a little bit better than it's two predecessors, "The Mummy's Hand" and "The Mummy's Tomb" in that it seemed to flow a bit more smoothly. Obviously, it should be remembered that this was made in 1944 and as such it doesn't have the advanced techniques available to horror films today. But it's still pretty good and I rate it as slightly above average.

***SPOILERS*** By far the worst of the "Mummy" movies has a young Abraham Lincoln looking John Carradine as Egyptian priest Yousef Bey who's instructed by his boss Andoheb the high priest of Arkan, George Zucco, to travel to Mapleton USA and retrieve the body of the long dead, for some 3,000 years, Princess Ananka, Ramsay Ames, from the town Scripp Museum.Were told that some 30 years earlier Ananka's lover Kharis the Mummy, played by Lon Chaney Jr, went on a rampage through town trying to get her back on the first boat to Egypt. Kharis ended up being burned to a crisps when he was trapped by the angry townspeople in a deserted house. As things tuned out Kharis just went on vacation and was just waiting for a chance to come back to life and finish the job that he started 30 years ago! It was in fact Scripps Museum curator Prof. M. Norman, Frank Reicher, by discovering the secret of eternal life in the fluid of nine brewed Tana leaves that brought Kharis back. This ended up costing Prof. Norman's life when Kharis paid him a visit at his office where he was brewing the Tana leaves!Slurping up the Tana leaf solution Kharis went on his way with Jousef Bey directing him to find Princess Ananka and bring her back home to her eternal resting place in Egypt. What Yousef Bey didn't figure on is that the princess was not in her tomb at the Scripps Museum but in fact was reincarnated as Amina Mansouri! An Egyptian exchange student at Scripps Collage studying ancient Egyptian history!The movie really goes nowhere with Kharis doing what he does best by killing a number of unsuspecting Mapleton citizens, just to keep in practice, as he goes on his search for Princess Ananka who's soul is now in the body of Amina Mansouri. When Kharis finally does find the princess, as Amina Mansouri, it's Jousef Bey who screws things up by trying to keep her all for himself at the now angry as hell Kharis' expense! This has Kharis throw a fit as well as throw Yousef Bay to his death from the top of the mine shaft where Ananka/Amina was being kept. It's now up to Amina boyfriend Tom Hervey, Robert Lowery, to save the day as well as her life by taking on the what looks like the indestructible Mummy Kharis! ***SPOILERS*** As things turned out it was the cute little dog Peanuts, who's a dead ringer for Toto from the "Wizard of Oz", who in fact put an end to Kharis reign of terror. With Peanuts Sniffing Kharis out at the abundant mine shaft outside of town he has an angry mob cornered him and chase Kharis with Ananka in hand into the nearby swamp. Tom Hervey who was at first ready to jump into the swamp to save his girlfriend Amina's life had second thoughts when she started showing her true age, 3,000 years old give or take a century, and soon came to the realization that it wasn't worth the effort!