Halloween is coming soon and that brings to mind werewolves, vampires, and mummies. There are quite a few movies about ancient Egyptian mummies coming to life and doing bad things. Universal did five (1932, 1940, 1944, 1944, 1955), then British company Hammer did four (1959, 1964, 1967, 1971), and then Universal did three more (1999, 2001, 2008), and finally Universal attempted a reboot with Tom Cruise in 2017. I’m not a huge fan of mummy movies but most of them are quite watchable. Here are my top 10 favorite mummy movies ranked from most favorite to least favorite.

1. The Mummy (1999) – This is my clear favorite mummy movie with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as the good guys and Arnold Vosloo as the mummy. Action, horror and comedy meshed together effectively. Excellent special effects too. Scary.

2. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) – Even though this movie is silly, I thought it was really funny. There’s a very clever scene where there are three mummies (one real, two imposters) stumbling about and causing confusion.

3. The Mummy (1932) – This was the original mummy film and starred Boris Karloff as the mummy Imhotep. Set in 1921, the mummy searches for his lost love so he can kill her then reincarnate her.

4. The Mummy (1959) – A British film starring the legendary Peter Cushing as an archeologist and Christopher Lee as the mummy. In this version, the mummy Kharis seeks vengeance on those who desecrated Princess Ananka’s tomb. The mummy is controlled by evil Mehemet Bey, a worshiper of the cult of Karnak.

5. The Mummy Returns (2001) – The title says it all. Archeologists played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz battle Imhotep with the added complication of the Scorpion King, played by Dwayne Johnson, and his army. A good movie but not as good as the 1999 predecessor because there’s too much emphasis on action rather than plot and character.

6. Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) – This is the last of the four Hammer films and is different because the mummy is female and isn’t mummified. Clever ending where it’s not clear if the evil mummy survived or not.

7. The Mummy’s Hand (1940) – This is the second classic Universal mummy film but it doesn’t really follow the 1932 film. The mummy Kharis is controlled by evil Andoheb (played by George Zucco, one of my favorite villains of the 1940s). They both seek Princess Ananka who has been reincarnated as Marta, the beautiful daughter of the sponsor of an archeological expedition.

8. The Mummy (2017) – A big-budget reboot starring Tom Cruise as a soldier/adventurer who releases a not-so-nice mummified Egyptian princess (played by Sofia Boutella). I had high hopes for this movie but it was less than the sum of its parts. The mixture of comedy, action, and horror just didn’t entirely gel for me. It was clear that this movie was trying to set the basis for follow-up films but that strategy was at the expense of delivering a satisfying experience.

9. The Mummy’s Shroud (1967) – In this Hammer film, the mummy is accidentally brought back to life by an archeologist and a businessman-sponsor who ignore ominous warnings. The mummy seeks vengeance on those who desecrated his tomb and took his sacred shroud. And the mummy also kills the businessman, who as it turns out was a villain. In the end the mummy is destroyed.

10. The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) – One of two Universal mummy films released in 1944 (along with The Mummy’s Hand). The mummy is played by Lon Chaney, Jr. who was best known for his portrayal of the Wolfman. In this version, the mummy Kharis and Princess Ananka, reincarnated as Amina, are reunited in death as they sink into a swamp at the end of the movie.

Halloween mummy puppy. Narwhal costume is nice but he might have trouble trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Batman with his bat-beer and bat-moustache — very cool. Paris Hilton in a native Indian costume with questionable authenticity. Unfortunately placed ventral fins on this Nemo costume.