An adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of Seven Stars, director Mike Newell's The Awakening shows us that there is nothing like a good mummy's curse to ruin your life and the lives of everyone around you. The first portion of the film takes place at an Egyptian dig sight where grizzled, hard drinking archaeologist Matthew Corbeck (Charlton Heston) is searching for the tomb of Queen Kara. He is there with his pregnant wife Anne (Jill Townsend) and his young, spry, and completely platonic assistant Jane Turner. (Sussanah York) Right from the beginning of the film we see that there is already noticeable friction between Matthew and Anne over his relationship with Jane. Anne has this wild notion that Matthew and Jane are spending some much time away from camp, in the hot, sweaty desert, because Ms. Turner secretly has a thing for Dr. Corbeck. On one such venture into the desert the pair stumble upon the tomb for which they had been searching. Corbeck does the first logical thing any scientist would do upon making such an amazing discovery and starts breaking his way in with a sledge hammer. Back at camp, wife Anne is struck with violent labor pains each time Matthew's hammer strikes the tomb. Anne is rushed to a hospital where the birth of her daughter strangely coincides with the removal of Queen Kara's sarcophagus. This is also when mysterious and violent accidents start happening at the dig site that kill several workers.
Eighteen years later, a now teenaged Margaret Corbeck (Stephanie Zimbalist) seeks out her estranged archaeologist father to find out the bizarre circumstances surrounding her birth and her connection to the mummy of Kara. As she learns more abut the history of Queen Kara, more and more people close to her and her father begin dying in strange ways, and Margaret discovers that she might be the reincarnation of Kara. One thing to remember while watching The Awakening is that it was made back when films could have a slow and building pace, even if it is a bit slow at times. The movie actually gives us a lot of character development throughout and is really about Charlton Heston's character and how the decisions he's made, dragging his wife to digs, leaving her and his daughter to further his career, have affected him and those around him with both mundane and supernatural consequences. The roles are all well cast, and it is particularly fun to hear Heston growl out most of his lines. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone with a short attention span, but if you're a fan of old horror movies, and you can track this one down, give it a watch.
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