Lee Cronin's The Mummy lands in theaters on April 17, 2026 — and early reactions suggest it's one of the most disturbing horror films in years. Coming from the director of Evil Dead Rise, that's not a low bar to clear. Here's everything you need to know before you see it.

What Is Lee Cronin's The Mummy?

This is not a sequel to the Brendan Fraser films. It's not connected to the Tom Cruise 2017 Dark Universe misfire. Lee Cronin's The Mummy is a complete standalone reboot — a new story, new characters, and a very different tone. Cronin wrote the screenplay himself, drawing inspiration from Poltergeist (1982) and Se7en (1995) rather than the adventure-horror blend of the Fraser era.

The result is something far darker: a family horror film about loss, transformation, and something ancient and malevolent that doesn't let go.

ℹ️
The Mummy (2026) is rated R for strong disturbing violent content, gore, language, and brief drug use. In the UK, it received the rare 18+ certificate. Runtime is 134 minutes.

Release Date

April 17, 2026 — wide theatrical release in the United States via Warner Bros. Pictures. International dates vary by territory.

The Cast

Key Facts
  • Jack Reynor as Charlie Cannon — a journalist and grieving father
  • Laia Costa as Larissa — Charlie's wife
  • Natalie Grace as Katie Cannon — the missing daughter who returns
  • Veronica Falcon — supporting role
  • May Calamawy — supporting role
  • May Elghety — supporting role
  • Shylo Molina — supporting role
  • Billie Roy — supporting role
  • Hayat Kamille — supporting role

Jack Reynor (Midsommar, Sing Street) leads the film as a journalist whose daughter disappeared eight years before the story begins. Laia Costa (Victoria, Newness) plays his wife. Natalie Grace — who delivers what early viewers are calling the film's most harrowing performance — plays the returned daughter.

The Plot

Charlie Cannon is a journalist whose young daughter Katie vanishes into the desert without a trace. No body. No explanation. Just gone.

Eight years pass. The family is shattered — grief, guilt, a marriage strained to breaking point. Then, without warning, Katie is returned to them.

What should be a miracle becomes a nightmare. The girl who comes back isn't quite the girl who left. She's changed in ways that defy explanation — and whatever brought her back wants something in return.

Cronin has described the film as a "possession procedural" — less supernatural spectacle, more intimate dread. The mummy mythology is present, but recontextualized as something personal and ancient rather than a monster-movie threat.

Cronin cited Poltergeist as his structural reference — a family-first horror where the supernatural intrudes on the domestic. Se7en informed the film's tone: methodical, grim, building toward a conclusion you won't see coming.

Early Reactions: What Critics Are Saying

The film screened for critics ahead of release, and reactions have been intense — in the best way.

Critics described it as "mean-spirited, disgusting" horror — as a compliment. "Exactly what horror needed."

"Relentlessly and viciously haunting with ghoulish scares and intimately textured violence."

"Natalie Grace delivers one of the most unsettling child performances since The Exorcist."

The consensus so far: this is gnarly, unflinching horror that doesn't apologize for what it is. If Evil Dead Rise felt like Cronin warming up, The Mummy is him going full throttle.

Pros
  • ✓Director with a proven horror track record (Evil Dead Rise)
  • ✓Strong cast led by Jack Reynor at peak form
  • ✓Original story — not a franchise cash-in
  • ✓Early reactions call it terrifying and unmerciful
  • ✓134-minute runtime signals real ambition, not a quick scare
Cons
  • ✗Very hard R — not a casual horror watch
  • ✗18+ rating in the UK — may alienate mainstream audiences
  • ✗Completely unrelated to the classic Mummy films some fans love
  • ✗No monsters-adventure tone — strictly psychological and visceral

How Does It Compare to Previous Mummy Films?

The Brendan Fraser trilogy (1999–2008) was adventure-horror: Egypt, action sequences, Imhotep as a charismatic villain. Beloved by fans for its fun, swashbuckling energy. None of that here.

The Tom Cruise version (2017) attempted to launch a Universal Monsters "Dark Universe" and failed critically and commercially. The franchise was scrapped.

Cronin's take has nothing in common with either. This is a horror filmmaker making a horror film using the mummy mythology as a lens for family trauma. Think of it the way Robert Eggers uses folk horror or Ari Aster uses grief — the supernatural is a vehicle for something deeply human.

1999
The Mummy with Brendan Fraser becomes a cult classic
2017
Tom Cruise's The Mummy bombs, killing the Dark Universe
2023
Lee Cronin exits Evil Dead Rise with massive critical acclaim
2024
Cronin's The Mummy greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures
April 17, 2026
Lee Cronin's The Mummy in theaters

Should You See It?

If you liked Evil Dead Rise, The Witch, or Hereditary — yes, absolutely. This is exactly in that lane: elevated, punishing horror with craft behind every frame.

If you're expecting the campy, fun Fraser-era adventure? Wrong film. The Mummy 2026 is built to disturb, not to entertain lightly.

For horror fans, this is one of the most anticipated releases of 2026. The combination of Cronin's direction, Reynor's emotional range, and a genuinely original take on the mythology makes it worth seeing opening weekend.

Quick Facts

  • Title: Lee Cronin's The Mummy
  • Director: Lee Cronin
  • Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
  • US Release: April 17, 2026
  • Rating: R (18+ in UK)
  • Runtime: 134 minutes
  • Stars: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, Natalie Grace
  • Genre: Horror / Supernatural

Clear your schedule for April 17. This one is going to be talked about.