Inside the REAL Mummy’s curse that plagued original 1999 cast
LONG before Hollywood relied on CGI, making The Mummy meant dragging a crew into the depths of the Sahara Desert – and paying a brutal price for it.
From near-fatal accidents to deadly wildlife, the set was plagued with so much off-screen drama that crew claimed the ancient pharaohs had put a curse on production.
Despite the chaos, the film became a smash hit that helped launch the careers of its charismatic leads, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.
It also proved so popular that it led to two direct sequels and a hit spin-off over the next nine years.
Now, 25 years after it debuted, the beloved film is back for a fourth installment – scheduled for release in October next year – with Brendan and Rachel back at the helm.
New photos show librarian-turned-action heroine Evelyn O’Connell, played by Rachel, in character, looking as glamorous as ever at the age of 56.
However, here are seven near-disaster stories from the original set that prove The Mummy filming was as perilous as its plot…
Brendan Fraser’s near-fatal noose
When the heroic character of Rick O’Connell is nearly executed at the start of the film, the horror wasn’t entirely just acting.
Brendan Fraser stood on his tiptoes with a tight, real noose around his neck for a close-up shot.
When a stuntman pulled the tension a fraction too far, it instantly cut off Brendan’s airway, knocking him out cold.
He blacked out, and woke up to the stunt coordinator slapping his face back to reality.
The crew’s comforting reaction? “Welcome to the club – the same thing happened to Mel Gibson on Braveheart.”
Oscar nominee Brendan said on the Kelly Clarkson Show: “I was standing on my toes like this with the rope and you only got so far to go.
“Stephen [Sommers, the director] ran over and he said, ‘Hey, it doesn’t really look like you’re choking. Can you sell it?’
“And then the next thing I knew, my elbow was in my ear, the world was sideways and there was gravel in my teeth.”
Venomous snakes
Filming in the Moroccan desert meant sharing space with some of the world’s deadliest creepy-crawlies.
Scorpions, venomous spiders, and deadly snakes routinely slithered into tents and boots.
The danger was so severe that production kept medical helicopters on 24/7 standby, airlifting multiple victims out of the Sahara to rush them to anti-venom treatment before it was too late.
While he avoided getting bitten, Brendan shared to Entertainment Weekly: “They sent a memo out describing a type of snake. I think it had yellow dots on it.
“They said, ‘If you see this kind of snake, do not go near it. Because if it bites you, at best, they’ll amputate your limb.’
“Anyway, there I was, pissing down a rock, and I look down and there’s the yellow-dot snake. I was like ‘f***!’ I just ran for it.”
Kidnap Insurance
Shooting near volatile border zones in Erfoud, Morocco, came with its own political challenges.
Universal Pictures was so terrified of their stars being targeted that they took out kidnap-and-ransom insurance policies on the lead actors.
Brendan explained: “[Producer] Jim Jacks said, ‘I took out million-dollar kidnapping insurance policies on you.’ We were like, ‘So, basically, you put a bounty on our head?’ He’s like, ‘That’s one way of looking at it.’”
On top of that, the King of Morocco provided military protection, leaving the cast to perform their scenes surrounded by soldiers carrying loaded assault rifles.
Brendan Fraser’s broken bones
Playing the action hero came at a staggering physical cost for Brendan, who insisted on doing his own stunts.
By the time the franchise wrapped, he had sustained multiple injuries including a torn spinal disc and a cracked rib, which led to numerous surgeries over several years.
He told Vogue: “By the time I did the third Mummy picture in China, I was put together with tape and ice – just, like, really nerdy and fetishistic about ice packs. I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily.”
Speaking about the long-term impact of his stunts on his body, he told The Telegraph: “I was doing stunts that were getting more and more demanding, and my body was just giving out… I was trying to fulfill expectations that I thought were required of me, but eventually, you hit a wall.”
Dehydration measures
The film was shot in the grueling, scorching heat of the Sahara Desert, which meant extra care had to be given for the cast and crew’s wellbeing.
To combat the threat of extreme dehydration and heatstroke, the production’s medical team provided a special, foul-tasting electrolyte rehydration drink.
Every cast and crew member was required to consume this concoction every two hours to prevent fainting, severe heat sickness, and collapse.
Apocalyptic sandstorms
If the heat and wildlife weren’t enough, mother nature repeatedly tried to hinder filming.
The lost city of Hamunaptra was constructed inside a dormant volcanic crater, which proved challenging.
The desert weather frequently interrupted production, with unpredictable dust storms sweeping through the Sahara location, shutting down filming and forcing cast and crew to seek shelter.
Kevin O’Connor, who played Beni Gabor, told EW: “You’d see one little black cloud and you’d think, ‘What is this?’
“This little black cloud would turn into a sandstorm that was blinding and threw the camera equipment around. It was insane.”