Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) 💀

“The one where the franchise just goes… you know what? Let’s make it funny.”

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🎬 Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

Since this is a Universal film. Y’all know what that means? Cue the Universal Logo!

If y’all are wondering why i’m reviewing these now, it’s because we’re getting a new mummy film that just released today by Lee Cronin, so I thought it’d be a perfect time to look back at some niche mummy, movies or egyptian movies.

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🧾 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

So after four movies of the same formula slowly falling apart, this one comes in and goes:

“Yeah… we’re done taking this seriously.”

Instead of trying to be horror or even straight adventure, this is a full-on comedy. You’ve got Abbott and Costello getting wrapped up in a plot involving a mummy, a medallion, and people trying to find a hidden tomb.

And right away, you can tell this is not trying to be scary.

It’s trying to make you laugh.

And honestly?

That changes everything.

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👥 Character Rundown

Bud Abbott plays Chuck, and he’s the straight man of the duo. He’s the more grounded one, trying to keep things together while everything around him gets ridiculous.

Lou Costello plays Wilbur, and this is where most of the comedy comes from. He’s confused, he’s panicking, he’s constantly reacting to everything in the most exaggerated way possible.

If you like that style of comedy, he’s gonna work for you.

If you don’t…

you’re gonna feel it REAL quick.

Marie Windsor plays Madame Rontru, and she fits right into that classic “mysterious villain” role. She’s serious, she’s plotting, and she’s basically playing this straight while everything else around her is chaos.

Michael Ansara plays the mummy, and honestly, he looks the part. He has that classic mummy presence, but the movie doesn’t treat him like a true horror threat.

He’s more of a setup for jokes than anything else.

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⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

The pacing is actually pretty solid because it’s a comedy.

It keeps things moving, sets up jokes, pays them off, and doesn’t linger too long on anything.

It’s not trying to build tension or atmosphere, so it doesn’t have that problem the previous movies had.

It knows what it is, and it sticks to it.

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🧠 Final Thoughts

This is one of those situations where the movie works better because it stops trying to be something it’s not.

After watching the previous movies repeat themselves over and over again, this one comes in and goes:

“Let’s just have fun with it.”

And for you, that’s gonna land better than you’d expect.

Because you’re not going in expecting horror.

You’re going in expecting entertainment.

And if the comedy hits for you, even partially, that’s enough.

Is it a great “Mummy” movie?

No.

Not even close.

But as a comedy?

It does its job.

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⭐ Rating

7/10

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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

Alright… spoilers from here on out 🚨

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🧨 Spoilers

So the whole plot revolves around this medallion that leads to a hidden tomb, and of course, everyone is trying to get their hands on it.

Abbott and Costello’s characters get caught up in all of this, and most of the movie is them stumbling through the situation while everything gets more chaotic.

The mummy itself is present, but not in a threatening way. It’s more like:

“Hey, here’s the mummy… now let’s make a joke out of it.”

And that’s the biggest difference from the previous movies.

Instead of building tension, the movie uses the mummy as part of the comedy.

There are moments where Wilbur is interacting with the mummy, and instead of it being scary, it’s played for laughs. Confusion, misunderstandings, exaggerated reactions—that’s the focus.

The villains are also more exaggerated. They’re not meant to be taken too seriously. They exist to push the plot forward and create more situations for the comedy to play out.

The ending follows the same tone.

It doesn’t build to some big, intense climax.

It builds to a comedic resolution where everything wraps up in a way that fits the tone of the movie.

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🏁 Final Spoiler Thought

This isn’t trying to be a horror movie.

And that’s exactly why it works better than the last few.

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🧾 Overall

A comedy first, mummy movie second.

And honestly?

After the last few movies…

that was probably the right call 😄