The Mummy Director Lee Cronin Explains Why Horror Fans Love Mummy Stories So Much [Exclusive]

In the history of horror, few creatures that have inspired franchises have had quite as much juice as The Mummy. Dating back to the 1932 classic starring Boris Karloff, these bandaged, ancient beings have been a staple of the silver screen. Now, director Lee Cronin is trying his hand at a new take on the monster for Warner Bros. and Blumhouse. "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" looks like no other Mummy movie we've ever seen before.

Cronin, who is coming off of his surprise 2023 horror hit "Evil Dead Rise," recently spoke with /Film's BJ Colangelo in honor of the release of his version of "The Mummy" this coming weekend. During the conversation, the filmmaker was asked why horror fans love stories about mummies so much, given that we've had damn near 100 years of them thus far. Here's what he had to say about it:

"For me, my draw towards a mummy, for example, is that it's a hidden secret. A thing that actually we always think about the things we see in museums. They didn't get buried expecting to show up in a museum. They were going there to rest for eternity. So I thought it was really interesting that we could go and dig something up that shouldn't be found."

Cronin's film centers on the young daughter of a journalist who disappears into the desert without a trace, only to reappear eight years later, much to the shock of the family. Unfortunately, what should be a joyful reunion turns into a nightmare. Thus far, critics have been united in their praise of "Lee Cronin's The Mummy." Cronin's version of that hidden secret that should not be found appears to be a winner.

Lee Cronin wasn't the only one steeped in the horror genre who had a hand in bringing this new riff on a mummy to life on the silver screen. "Saw" and "Insidious" director James Wan, who is behind two of the biggest horror franchises ever at the box office, serves as a producer of the new film.

BJ Colangelo also had the chance to speak with Wan, who additionally weighed in on why mummy stories have endured for so long. For Wan, it's all about the mystery box. Here's what the filmmaker had to add:

"I think it's the mystery that has kept this particular character, its longevity, for so long. It's been through many different versions of The Mummy, and I think there's just something very captivating about it that makes us filmmakers want to keep coming back to it and audiences wanting to come back to watch these movies."

To Wan's point, there are so many different versions of "The Mummy." There are the original entries in the classic Universal Monsters franchise. There's "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy," the Hammer film from the 1950s, and the much-beloved 1999 take starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, which kicked off a franchise of its own. There's also 2017's "The Mummy," which caused the Dark Universe to fail instantly before it really ever got started. In light of that, Cronin has the opportunity to establish a new take on mummies for modern audiences to enjoy.

Cronin wrote the screenplay in addition to his duties as director. The cast includes Jack Reynor ("Midsommar"), Laia Costa ("The Wheel of Time"), May Calamawy ("Moon Knight"), Natalie Grace ("1923"), and Veronica Falcón ("Imaginary").

Lee Cronin's "The Mummy" hits theaters on April 17, 2026.