The Mummy USA, 1932 Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners Directed by Karl Freund    "It comes to life!" In 1921 a British Museum field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. Unknown with the possible effects, a young and naïve member of the expedition reads the scroll and thus unwillingly brings Imhotep back to life. Years later the mummy sets out to recover the scroll from the archaeologists in order to bring his lost love back to life, an ancient princess who's soul will be reincarnated into modern young woman… the daughter of one of the archaeologists. This film is considered to be the 'mother' of all mummy films. Fresh and different in its approach of the theme, it paved the way for all later movies about an expedition finding a tomb, awakening the cursed mummy inside, which then sets off to seek revenge. Based on the short story "Cagliostro" by Nina Wilcox Putnam, which was inspired by the life of traveller, occultist and Freemason Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (Giuseppe Balsamo; 1743-1795).