This thoughtful and restrained supernatural horror film features Heston and Zimbalist. The movie, filmed during the summer of 1979, draws inspiration from Bram Stoker's 1903 novel “The Jewel of Seven Stars.” Other films have also taken liberties with this story: Hammer’s "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" nine years earlier, “Legend of the Mummy” (also known as “Bram Stoker’s Legend of the Mummy”) released in 1998, and the recent independent film “House of Ka” from 2023, which was simply inspired by the book. It falls into the category of major studio supernatural horror alongside films like "The Exorcist," "The Omen," and "The Amityville Horror.” Another worthwhile comparison would be “The Calling” (from 2000) and Pierce Brosnan’s “Nomads” from 1986. These kinds of movies generally avoid the simple or sensational elements common in lower-budget horror, instead emphasizing artistic merit, psychological depth, and greater complexities—all supported by a significantly larger budget than your average horror movie. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite measure up to the best examples because the convoluted plot taken from (or inspired by) the original material is hard to translate effectively to the screen. The filmmakers could have presented things more clearly and with less ambiguity, not to mention in a more engaging way. I found the ending ritual, which involves Kara’s deception, particularly confusing. Still, if you consider it carefully, you can piece everything together and see how it fits—assuming that supernatural events are even capable of making logical sense. I appreciated the symbolic portrayal of the ongoing conflict between spiritual and physical nature, essentially representing one's better self versus destructive impulses. The genuine Egyptian locations were a real plus; and the acting is solid, with Charlton Heston, Susannah York, and Stephanie Zimbalist among the cast. The film’s running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes, and it was shot in Egypt as well as England (specifically Cambridge University and the London area, which is roughly a two-hour drive from each other). GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB