Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb was one of the first horror films ever made, but it is often forgotten as a precursor to the introduction of Ancient Egyptian mummies in the genre. When people think of horrors based on the mythology of that era, the classic The Mummy from Universal Pictures always springs to mind.
That offering has had various sequels and reboots over the years, but Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb hasn’t had the same treatment. With widespread fascination surrounding Cleopatra, this could be the perfect time to revisit the long-forgotten 1899 picture.
One of the Earliest Horror Films Ever Made
Nowadays, it would be hard to refer to Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb as a film, because it was only two minutes long. Indeed, it would be more like a YouTube Short in the modern age. However, back then, it was about as advanced as cinema got and acted as an early example of what was possible.
Georges Méliès was arguably ahead of his time, and included various jump cuts and visual tricks designed to shock audiences. There are loads of aspects that would make horror directors want to pay homage to the short film, as it introduced numerous things that are now staples of the genre. For example, the ideas of disturbing the dead and supernatural retribution have been prevalent throughout countless horror films over the years.
Various Classic Horror Reboots in Recent Years
The concept of rebooting Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb and turning it into a full-length feature film isn’t out of the question. In fact, it would be fitting with the recent trend in cinema of revisiting classic horror films and reimagining them for modern audiences. There are a few pictures that have done this recently to good effect.
A solid example of a classic horror movie being brought back for today’s audiences was The Invisible Man in 2020. The title from Leigh Whannell was a commercial success and brought in $145 million at the worldwide box office, highlighting how well remakes like this can do. The original The Invisible Man film was from 1933 and much more advanced than Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb, but the 2020 title was just a loose adaptation, showing how reboots can go in their own direction as long as they stick to the main premise.
Cleopatra’s Name Could Be a Massive Draw
It could be a wise decision for a film studio to reboot Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb, as there’s a widespread fascination with the Ancient Egyptian ruler in popular culture. There was the recent Netflix series that detailed her history, and she has appeared in numerous games such as the Civilization series and Assassin’s Creed Origins. There’s also the Cleopatra Christmas slot, which is a festive spinoff of the main Cleopatra slot game.
Although there’s no news about a new version of Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb, there have been rumours that a new film about the queen could be on the horizon. Indeed, both Zendaya and Gal Gadot have been linked with the role in recent times. For horror fans, however, a reboot of the 1899 lost film would be preferable.