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Mummy movies. We want them—at least I do—but there aren’t too many to speak of from recent memory. Luckily, Sean Nichols Lynch (Red Snow) has arrived with his sophomore feature, The Ceremony is About to Begin, a found footage take on the classic monster that shambles more than it scares but succeeds in delivering a tale that scratches that itch for Egyptian-themed horror.
Keith (John Laird) is making a documentary about a group known as The Osiris Collective, brought on by the discovery that an ex he still cares for joined years ago. Founded by Father Osiris (Raul Delarosa), The Collective appears to be your standard cult, recruiting lost souls to a commune located in Southern California where they practice Egyptian beliefs. When Keith is invited by the current leader, Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) to film and learn more about The Collective, he sets out without a second thought, hoping to locate his ex. What he finds instead is a place far stranger than he ever could’ve imagined.
Like The Sacrament meets Creep, but with mummies, The Ceremony is About to Begin unearths an intriguing premise yet trips here and there over its loosely bandaged together structure. The docu-style film opens on a long list of talking heads, past members of The Osiris Collective that fled once Anubis took over following the mysterious disappearance of Father Osiris. Lynch, Hinds, and Laird’s script use these characters as a lengthy exposition dump to fill the audience in on the background of the cult, struggling to incorporate them organically once Keith embarks on his journey. Every so often, their use clashes with the rhythm, bringing tense conversations to a screeching halt. Bumpy as it is, the ride turns out to be worth it, though, because when all cylinders are firing, this slow-burn tale becomes an on-edge descent into the horrors of The Collective.
Keith gets his first of many red flags when he arrives at the commune—think your average cult “sanctuary” decked out in Egyptian imagery—only to discover there isn’t a single person around…except for Anubis. Channeling shades of Mark Duplass from Creep, Hinds jumps off the screen with a performance that is as energetic as it is uncomfortable. A shroom addict and co-founder of the website that made him millions, Jizztube, the tech-bro meets “born again” spiritualist practically oozes bullshit out of his pores as he obnoxiously spouts a kumbaya attitude while obviously hiding something. Keith can’t decide if he wants to strangle him or run, creating a fair amount of tension that wraps the audience in. The scares come few and far between as Keith digs deeper into the secrets Anubis is hiding, Lynch relying instead on the discomfort of the situation to instill a tomb of dread.
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The strained back and forth of Keith and Anubis creeps towards a shocking conclusion that explodes into frantic horror, yet the true terror of The Ceremony is About to Begin comes with its implications. Lynch’s film observes the susceptibility to false prophets by those who are vulnerable, and the egotistical madness that comes with power gained from blind faith. Every one of the members of The Osiris Collective finds a home in the commune because of lives that have left them aimless. Keith has recently found himself in a similar spot. Osiris offered something to believe in. And in his absence, so did Anubis.
Themes of false idols and manipulation are pushed to the forefront, expressing how some appropriate belief systems expunge nonsense to appear on a higher plane than everyone else. We don’t have to look far to see real-life resemblances of Lynch’s commentary, with one presidential candidate embracing the idea that he is a “savior” sent by God. The Ceremony is About to Begin presents a disturbing demonstration of what happens when we follow self-proclaimed leaders such as Osiris and Anubis without question.
Despite a shambling plot and some sporadic editing, Lynch ultimately delivers on the mummy mayhem that fans such as myself crave, and in the process, examines the all-too-human curse of false prophets that have plagued humanity for centuries. Sure, The Ceremony is About to Begin doesn’t un-wrap many surprises, but the filmmaker nonetheless presents an addition to the sub-genre that should leave most satisfied with this effective excavation of the creature.
Summary
Like The Sacrament meets Creep, but with mummies, The Ceremony is About to Begin unearths an intriguing premise yet trips here and there over its loosely bandaged together structure.
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