For Universal, Two of ‘Mummy’ Are Much Better Than One

Universal Home Video certainly loves its “Mummy.” This week, it released a DVD collector’s edition of this year’s hit adventure “The Mummy” ($30), and a special digital version of the 1932 horror classic “The Mummy” ($30), which starred Boris Karloff in the title role.

Brendan Fraser adds a lot of charm to the current “Mummy,” which is pretty silly but chock-full of special effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic. He plays an adventurer who teams up with an Egyptologist and her brother (Rachel Weisz and John Hannah). Together they accidentally set free an unholy flesh-eater (Arnold Vosloo) with tremendous power.

The collector’s disc features the film in wide-screen and includes a nifty 40-minute documentary, “Building a Better Mummy,” which gives an in-depth look at the creative process of the special effects.

Writer-director Stephen Sommers points out that he wanted his mummy not to be bloody or oozing fluids. So ILM went through several designs to achieve a creature that was dry and bony. The documentary also illustrates how several of the other ILM effects were created, including the opening scene set in ancient Egypt. It would have been nice, though, if the documentary had spelled Sommers’ name right--it’s Stephen, not Steven.

Also featured on the disc are deleted scenes, a separate audio track for the score, trailers and a collection of facts about ancient Egypt called Egyptology 101. Those with a DVD-ROM can access Web site links, play an interactive game and read production notes.

The audio commentary features Sommers and his longtime editor, Bob Ducsay. The two talk about relentless heat in Morocco that often soared above 130 degrees, so that most of the scenes there had to be shot before 8:30 a.m. and after 5 p.m. The extras, Sommers adds, were a complete nightmare because they never listened to direction.

One interesting note: In the scene in which Fraser’s character is hung, the actor asked them to tighten the noose around his neck so it would look more realistic. It was so tight, though, that Fraser ended up passing out.

The collector’s edition of the original “Mummy” is full of goodies, including archival photos and an original documentary, “Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed,” from filmmaker David J. Skaal. It chronicles the painful makeup Karloff had to endure to play Im-Ho-Tep, a 3,700-year-old mummy accidentally brought back to life. Karloff, says his daughter Sarah, was such a huge star because of “Frankenstein” that he was simply billed as “Karloff the Uncanny.” The documentary also profiles his co-star, Zita Johann, a Broadway luminary who disdained Hollywood and especially “Mummy” director Karl Freund.

Film historian Paul M. Jensen supplies the audio commentary. Though his delivery is often as dry as the Sahara desert, he does offer in-depth analysis of each scene.