The Mummy 2026 Teaser Expertly Pays Homage To A Horror Classic

Blumhouse and director Lee Cronin are bringing "The Mummy" back from the dead, but it seems that they are also out to pay homage to other horror classics — at least if the film's new teaser trailer is anything to go by. The brief footage takes cues from Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," so don't expect a lighthearted adventure movie like Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's "The Mummy 4."

The teaser for "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" is shrouded in ambiguity, so viewers can go into it knowing that most of the surprises are being kept under wraps. That said, everything from the choice of footage to the sound design makes it feel like "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." The clips features photographic snapshots of the Mummy's deteriorated body, which is essentially what happens during the opening sequence of Hooper's seminal 1974 film. The only difference is that the Mummy wakes up in this teaser, while the unfortunate souls in the "TCM" scene stay dead. Elsewhere, the teaser boasts eerie, industrial-style sounds — just like the "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" intro theme.

Cronin's brand of horror tends to be grim and disturbing, as evidenced by "Evil Dead Rise" (you can read our review from SXSW 2023 right here). His take on "The Mummy" should be interesting, but what can viewers expect from Blumhouse and New Line Cinema's reboot once the sarcophagus is finally opened in theaters on April 17?

New Line Cinema

Ever since Universal rebooted "The Mummy" franchise in the '90s, the movies have been big-budget, action-packed adventure flicks that boast a surprisingly small number of horror elements. This trend continued with the Tom Cruise-starring 2017 reboot that was supposed to spearhead a MCU-esque Dark Universe featuring all of the classic Universal Monsters, but that grand experiment failed spectacularly and was scrapped before it reached fruition. However, "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" is going the opposite route by embracing full-blown horror, which Cronin confirmed while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter:

"This will be unlike any 'Mummy' movie you ever laid eyeballs on before. I'm digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening."

Cronin's movie will also reimagine the Mummy at the heart of the terror, as this version isn't a Pharaoh or princess. Her name is Katie, a seemingly regular child who went missing and returns to her family harboring a monstrous new identity. As for why that is, that part is still shrouded in secrecy. So while Cronin's reboot might feel like a throwback in some ways, it also aims to be unlike any "Mummy" movie that's ever been made. That sounds like a potentially exciting mix, and we'll see how it plays out when "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" hits theaters on April 17, 2026.