This is an imaginative re-interpretation of ‘The Mummy’, a story that has, of course, been told in many different ways over the years. Here, the premise centres on an American journalist from New Mexico who is living in Egypt with his family when his young daughter is abducted from their garden under mysterious circumstances. Foul play is clearly involved. Then, eight years later, she is returned – having been entombed in an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus as part of a curse.

There are strong echoes here of ‘The Exorcist’: the image of a young girl back at home, under the care of her family, but showing unmistakable signs of possession, even as those around her struggle to accept the truth. Physically, she is transformed – her skin desiccated, wrinkled, indeed mummified – and while her parents are desperate to believe they have their daughter back, it becomes increasingly clear that something else has taken her place. She exerts a disturbing level of control over her surroundings, and what doctors initially diagnose as something akin to locked-in syndrome quickly reveals itself to be far more sinister.

The film does not hold back in terms of its horror. There are some genuinely difficult moments to watch – skin tearing away, teeth used as weapons – and a sustained sense of bodily decay that adds to the unease. At the same time, there are some interesting contemporary touches. The backstory involves elements of human trafficking, suggesting that the girl’s body was being transported – possibly connected to a plane crash involving the tomb – while earlier scenes hint at grooming, as she is lured by a mysterious woman offering sweets in a moment that recalls ‘It’.

Stylistically, the film is strong, with Cronin bringing a sharp visual sensibility to the material. There are also intriguing narrative threads, such as a sequence in which the family consults an academic archaeologist who begins to recognise signs of a malignant force, though these ideas perhaps aren’t explored as fully as they could be.

Even so, what emerges is a refreshing and distinctive take on the mummy myth. It blends possession horror with ancient curses and modern anxieties, creating something that feels both familiar and newly unsettling.