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Seduction Cinema presents

Mummy's Kiss: SE (2002)

"I was hoping though, being part Egyptian, you were starting to take interest in your heritage."- Prof. Harwa (Richard Lynch)

Stars: Sasha Peralta, Ava Niche
Other Stars: George Thomas, Richard Lynch, Aysia Lee, Katie Lohman, Nicolette Lupian, Regina Russell, Elina Madison
Director: Donald F. Glut

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for strong sexual content
Run Time: 01h:28m:14s
Release Date: 2003-01-14
Genre: late night

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B- B-BB B+

 

DVD Review

Mummy's Kiss:SE could be the harbinger of a new era for Seduction Cinema, and that's a good, good thing for fans of all things tacky. While most of the studio's titles are notoriously cheap-looking affairs designed loosely around lesbian-themed sex scenes, this new project from writer/director Donald F. Glut moves into more traditional low-budget B-movie territory, while keeping the trademark erotic lesbianism and free-flowing nudity intact.

In this tale, lovely young archeology student Ana Harwa (Sasha Peralta) finds herself the romantic center of attention for the unexpectedly resurrected Egyptian sorceress Hor-Shep-Sut (Ava Niche). There's talk of "black wizardry" and "forbidden love," but the whole story borrows from the old reincarnated-soulmate premise, only this time it is between two stunningly beautiful women. After a golden Osiris Death Mask is removed by a dopey security guard at the local university, the well-endowed Hor-Shep-Sut comes to life, and spends an inordinate amount of time in a tiny Princess Leia-as-Jabba's-prisoner styled metal bra. That is, when she's not completely nude or reminiscing (cue sexy flashbacks) about her forbidden lesbian love back in ancient Egyptian days.

Glut slides in the nudity and lesbianism with far more ease than I've seen in most of the Seduction titles, and he spends a fair amount of time trying to establish an actual storyline to accompany the titillating visuals. Sure, Isis is ALWAYS topless, but when she's played by busty blonde former Playboy Playmate Katie Lohman, I guess that's just the way it has to be. The basic premise of Italian horror films of the early 1970s was essentially no different, and it seems Glut has only expanded slightly upon that framework.

This isn't a "great" film by any means, but the sensual eroticism seems more necessary and plausible as part of the story, instead of occasional scenes of unrelated coupling. The degree to which Glut connects these sex/horror elements works pretty well in Mummy's Kiss, and though this is really nothing more than a sub-par B-grade horror film, it does represent an interesting melding of genres.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Rationo
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: Image presentation comes via a somewhat inconsistent 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer. Color depth fluctuates quite a bit, with the pool and other outdoor scenes (where there are oodles of gyrating nude flesh) look fabulous, while some of the interiors come across soft and hazy. When it's good, it's just fine, but grain and an occasional blur is evident in some scenes.

This is by far one of the better looking Seduction transfers I've seen.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review: The 2.0 stereo surround track is clear and crisp throughout, with no audible hiss or noise. This is definitely a noticeably fuller, more expansive mix than most Seduction titles get, and hopefully an indicator of quality to come on future releases from them.

Audio Transfer Grade:

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
Scene Access with 21 cues and remote access
1 Original Trailer(s)
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Lustful Addiction, Roxanna, Pleasures of a Woman, Play-Mate of the Apes, Witchbabe, Gladiator Eroticus
1 Documentaries
3 Featurette(s)
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Donald F. Glut, Kevin Glover
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: Seduction never comes up short in the extras department, at least in terms of quantity, and on Mummy's Kiss: SE have actually provided some genuine quality. First of all, the full-length, scene-specific commentary track from writer/director Donald F. Glut and producer Kevin Glover kind of caught me off guard; it's really quite good. Glut and Glover talk up the film with great seriousness, and it is pretty clear that they consider Mummy's Kiss more than just a typical Seduction title. Both readily admit this is low-budget filmmaking, essentially a B-grade horror film with an abundance of nudity. Right out of the box Glut points out the little homages he placed to the classic Universal horror films, including Karloff's The Mummy, something that innately appealed to the movie buff in me. This one is worth a listen for anyone who appreciates the hows and whys of making a low-budget film.

The Behind the Scenes segment (10m:11s) is primarily background footage of the creation of the creature costume, instead of the usual array of random, wanton nudity. But not to fear, the random, wanton nudity is more than made up for in the remaining extras, starting with Bloopers and Outtakes (34m:17s), which isn't really a reel of bloopers as much as it is a collection of takes and retakes. Isis Uncut (03m:46s) highlights the unfettered nudity of top heavy Katie Lohman as she performs the film's opening scene, here against a green screen. Dancing Maidens (12m:20s) focuses on assorted random footage of two background characters (including Nicolette Lupian), who spend the entire film (and this segment) dancing topless.

The disc concludes with a modest set of Seduction trailers and 21 chapter stops.

Extras Grade: B+
 

Final Comments

Seduction Cinema titles aren't for everyone, but Mummy's Kiss:SE takes the typical highly-charged lesbianism of their decidedly niche genre and writer/director Donald F. Glut channels it into an unusually effective and erotic film of campy B-movie caliber. This disc also sports an enjoyable commentary from Glut and producer Kevin Glover, as well.

Recommended.

Rich Rosell 2003-02-26