Ng goh haak gwai dik siu nin (2002) Online

OK, this was one of the most supremely bizarre movies I've seen in a long time. Yet somehow I really enjoyed this—it made no sense, the subtitles were way off so I had a hard time keeping track of the dialog (even if it did make sense), and the whole thing was just wacky beyond belief. There were some actual mummies in it, pretty scary makeup too. But mostly it's about a 19 year old who gets a mummy soul inside him and begins to turn into a mummy. Rather, his arms begin to flake and he develops a desire to wrap himself up in ace bandages, toilet paper, whatever. He also goes completely wild whenever he sees a pyramid shape (including one guy's hairdo) and attacks people. Then there is the catholic/exorcist subplot and I can't even talk about the scene where whole family is sliding across the floor in a coffin while the main boy daydreams he's riding carnival rides… I just don't know what to say! But in all the insanity, I must admit that I had a very good time, even though complete disbelief and confusion sort of overcame me on several occasions during the movie!

This movie has a few "so-bad-it's-funny" moments, which is what I was hoping to see when I picked it up. The subtitles were particularly frustrating/amusing since sometimes they're off by a long shot...the first line of a scene often appears in the previous scene!

I was surprised though that Mummy Aged 19 has some genuine laughs, some pretty good tension, and a few surprises that I was not expecting to see: I won't spoil anything, but there's one funeral gag that I'm surprised I've never seen before, even in all the seasons of 6 Feet Under! It's a very strange film and some of the gags and acting are WAAAY over-the-top, but I found that overall I was entertained by it's campiness AND it's quality. A rare accomplishment!

Is this a "horror-comedy"? Well, sort of, but I'd say it leans much more on the comedy, with only a few scenes that seem out of the horror genre. It's really more of a teen-angst comedy, just with a few touches of horror. The idea of a Mummy back to life is hardly original for a movie, but other than the basic plot, I can't think of another movie to compare it too as far as it's style and humor go.

Somewhere in there is an Asian teenage version of the classic The Mummy with hints of 80's teen comedy (Better Off Dead?) and a little Exorcist in there too, redone in a modern, fun way. Once you see it, you'll see how tricky to describe it is.