Victims of
The Mummy's Curse!

Kharis puts the squeeze on famous
German Egyptologist, Wilhelm der Max,
in the lost film The Hand from the Cursed
Tomb of the Mummy's Ghost (1946.) 

In only four films, Kharis managed to rack up an impressive kill-quotient of 17 victims. Not bad for a slow moving monster like the mummy! Contrary to popular opinion, strangulation was not the only method employed by Kharis to dispense with his prey. One of his victims in The Mummy's Tomb (1942) dies of shock, and he actually kills the reincarnated Princess Ananka twice, in both The Mummy's Ghost and The Mummy's Curse (both released in 1944), with a process that could be referred to as retro-reincarnation. In the former film, Kharis throws Yousef Bey to his death, and in the latter film, Kharis causes a heavy stone ceiling to collapse and crushes Ragheb, his final victim in the series.

Here is a list of all the victims of Kharis!

in The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Dr. Petrie (Charles Trowbridge)--While examining the body of Kharis,
Petrie is startled by the sudden appearance of Professor Andoheb in
the cave tomb on the Hill of the 7 Jackals. Andoheb provides an even
bigger surprise when he feeds Kharis tana fluid and the mummy revives,
grasping Petrie firmly by the wrist and throat. The hysterical Petrie trys
unsuccessfully to break free, and Kharis claims his first victim.

Ali, the camp guard (Leon Belasco)--After warning members of the
Banning expedition that a dreadful curse hangs over the newly discovered
tomb, Ali runs away with the other diggers, only to foolishly return. While
on guard duty, Ali finds a vial of tana fluid which unerringly leads the
murderous Kharis directly to him, and he soon feels the grasp of the
mummy's strangling hand.

in The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Stephan Banning (Dick Foran)--Now a successful senior citizen living in
Mapelton, MA, the elderly Banning amuses his guests with tales of adventure
in Egypt. Upon retiring to his bedroom, however, he hears something distinctly
unamusing on the balcony porch outside his window: the sound of an ominously
familiar dragging footstep. When Kharis shambles into the room, Banning knows
his 30 years of avoiding the mummy's curse are up!

Jim, the Banning's groundskeeper (Paul E. Burns)--Poor Jim just
wanted to see what the dogs were yelping about outside the Banning house
and found something far worse than the stray cat he'd expected! The sight of
the withered, bandaged Kharis unhinges his mind, and he dies several days
later of shock.

Jane Banning (Mary Gordon)--Old Aunt Jane also wanted to see what
was causing the commotion outside and got more than she bargained for when
Kharis crept up behind her. Mary Gordon played the first female victim of the mummy,
and also has the distinction of having been killed by the Frankenstein monster
when he hurls her down into the waters beneath the burned mill in James
Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (1935.)

Babe Hanson (Wallace Ford)--Always talkitive, Babe finally says too much
when he broadcasts his belief that a mummy is killing folks in Mapleton. The other
patrons of the bar where he's holding forth think the old man is crazy, but the
swarthy Egyptian gentleman at the next table is most interested....As Babe walks
home that evening, Kharis corners him in a blind alley and silences him forever.

in The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

Professor Norman (Frank Reicher)--When Professor Norman discovers
that nine is the correct number of tana leaves to brew in order to perform the
ancient ritual, his doom is sealed. Sensing that tana leaves are bubbling, Kharis
pays Norman an unexpected visit and strangles him. According to Brunas, Brunas
and Weaver in their Universal Horrors--The Studio's Classic Films, actor Lon
Chaney, Jr., underestimated the power of his own grasping hand and accidentally
choked poor Reicher when filming this scene!

Ben Evens, the farmer (Eddy Waller)--When King, the family dog, begins
barking in the middle of the night, farmer Ben makes a big mistake and goes to
see what's in the barn. Hearing gunshots, his wife rushes out to investigate, and
finds Ben dead with streaks of mould on his throat. When the police arrive, they discover
a gaping hole in the barn where something has broken out. A trail of dragging footprints
leads to this forced exit. "If the mummy didn't make thoses prints," the police
chief sagely comments, "I'll eat 'em."

Scripps Museum Guard (Oscar O'Shea)--While listening to his favorite
radio mystery program, the night watchman at the Scripps Museum hears crashing
sounds coming from the gallery where the mummy of Ananka is on display. He
investigates and encounters Yousef Bey and a very angry Kharis. These two sinister
individuals had earlier broken into the museum to retrieve Ananka's mummy, only
to discover that the spirit of the dead princess had reincarnated into a new body.
Enraged, Kharis begins to destroy everything in sight, and quickly kills the
unfortunate guard.

Yousef Bey (John Carradine)--During his years of fanatical dedication to the
gods of ancient Egypt, Yousef Bey had neglected some of his more earthly needs.
These hidden frustrations suddenly emerged when he finally saw the beautiful
Amina Mansouri laid out on the sacrificial table before him. In a sudden, impulsive
change of heart, he decides to inject both her and himself with tana fluid. Then,
as immortals, they could live together forever as lovers. Overhearing these plans, a
furious Kharis attacks Yousef Bey, and throws him to his death from the window
of the tower-like structure where Bey had set up temporary headquarters.

Amina Mansouri (Ramsay Ames)--Always filled by a strange sadness
whenever the subject of ancient Egypt comes up, the lovely Amina Mansouri
dosn't even suspect that she is the reincarnation of the Princess Ananka. But
when Kharis appears on the scene, Amina begins to age. First, a white streak
appears in her hair; an initial sign that the presence of her ancient love is pulling
her back into the past. And when Kharis carries her off into the swamp,
poor Amina's regression becomes complete, and she withers away into
a three thousand year old mummy before the horrified eyes of pursuing
Mapleton citizens.

in The Mummy's Curse (1944)

Michael, the caretaker (William Farnum)--Who is this guy, anyway? He
says he's the caretaker of the abandoned monastery, but he looks more like
some homeless wino who just crashes there for lack of a better place to stay.
At any rate, when this ragged old fellow stumbles in on the rituals being
conducted by Peter Coe and Martin Kosleck, he pitches a fit and Kharis has to
calm him down...permanently.

Tante Berthe (Ann Codee)--Owner and operator of the local cafe, Tante
Berthe liked to entertain her patrons with musical numbers. But her own
number came up the day Cajun Joe carried the Princess Ananka into the
back room. While tending to the semi-conscious girl, Tante Berthe watched
in horror as the shambling figure of Kharis entered the room, his withered
hand reaching for her throat. In minutes, the mummy had ended her singing
career forever!

Dr. Cooper (Holmes Herbert)--This friendly medic couldn't understand
why the Princess Ananka was so hysterical when she ran into his tent...until
the terrifying shape of her bandaged pursuer lumbered onto the scene! The
strangling grasp of Kharis ensured that Dr. Cooper would never practice
medicine again.

Cajun Joe (Kurt Katch)--While searching the swamps for the missing
Princess Ananka, Cajun Joe discovers that there's more than just quicksand
and aligators to watch out for among the Spanish moss.

Princess Ananka (Virginia Christine)--After emerging from the swamp,
Princess Ananka couldn't quite figure out where she was or how she got there.
After wandering aimlessly from tent to tent in the archeologist's camp, always
listening for the sound of dragging footsteps following close behind, Ananka
finally falls into the clutches of Kharis and is carried back to her mummy case
in the abandoned monastery. When next seen, the beautiful princess has once
again reverted to her withered mummy form.

Ragheb (Martin Kosleck)--Always ready with a knife to stab into the
back of anyone who got in his way, this shifty-eyed henchman of the Priests
of Karnak makes a fatal mistake when he betrays his Egyptian master.
When Kharis discovers Ragheb's evil deed, he literally brings the roof
down, burying both himself and his unfaithful servant under tons of rubble.

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