The Mummy (1959) (UK)

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Hammer excellence opens with British archaeologists unearthing the tomb of the princess Ananka and paying for it with their lives. An attempted warning from the devoted Mehemet Bey is ignored and after the desecration leaves the leader of the group insane, the tomb is eventually sealed by his son and brother. Three years pass and Mehemet arrives in England with the towering mummy Kharis. He uses the Scroll of Life to resurrect the mummy and knock off the violators. A wrench is thrown into the plan when the son’s wife is revealed to be the spitting image of Kharis’ love, Princess Ananka. Christopher Lee is my odds-on favorite mummy and definitely the most terrifying version of the shambling corpse. Cushing is perfect (as usual) as the young archeologist confronting the living dead but the whole thing is Lee’s show. There’s your customary flashback revealing the origin and an excellent atmosphere expertly handled by Terence Fisher. A classic.