fresh from the success of evil dead riseFilmmaker Lee Cronin promises one of horror’s most iconic stories Mummy As a slow-burn psychological monster story that leans heavy on atmosphere and emotional scares.

The film is based on a sinister backdrop: what happens when a journalist’s young daughter disappears into the desert without a trace, and returns eight years later? What begins as a miraculous reunion quickly turns into a nightmare, as it becomes clear that there is something deeply and disturbingly wrong about her.

Opening up about the creation of the film’s central creature, Cronin underlined the importance of precision and intention in creating scares.

“This movie is a monster movie and the creation of the monster is always very important in your movie. One of the things I knew was that I wanted to have this monster in full daylight and have the audience experience and have the family experience something unknown, something that’s out there, something that feels strange but hasn’t been fully revealed yet. And then, the concept within the movie, it creates this slow bond, versus a sudden burst of fear right in your face. Explosion,” he said.

Cronin said, “The design of the monster was inspired by the idea of a secret that’s buried. The layers are settled and initially focused on the gaze and attention of the people who love Katie when she comes back – it’s about making her better, healing her skin, healing her flesh, making her more comfortable. Finding a way to communicate with her, but not recognizing that some of the things that are obviously wrong with her are actually what happened to her in the first place. Are connected to him.”

Rather than relying on jump scares, Cronin’s approach relies on gradual revelation. He suggested that the monster is not simply a visual entity, but a manifestation of suppressed trauma and unanswered questions.

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He further explained how every detail of the creature’s appearance was deliberately created to serve the mystery of the story. “The look of the monster was also heavily inspired by the mystery of the story, and I love when things like that happen, rather than just saying, ‘Hey, let’s make it scary. Let’s make it scary.’ There is a purpose behind all the choices we make. There is a purpose behind the color of her skin and how it develops when we first meet her. It may seem that she is getting healthier, while in reality she is starting to decay in a different way. So, all of that, the different stages throughout the movie that we wanted to see with the demonic look, were very carefully planned from the beginning,” Cronin shared.

The film stars Jack Reynor, Lia Costa, Mae Calamavi, Natalie Grace and Veronica Falcon. It’s backed by horror veterans James Wan and Jason Blum.

Mummy It is expected to release in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in theaters and IMAX across India on April 17, 2026.