The Awakening (1980)

36% of users liked it
(372 ratings)

English archaeologist Matthew Corbeck (played by the emphatically-American Charlton Heston) undertakes an expedition to find the tomb of the Egyptian princess Kara, despite his awareness of a nefarious curse that is said to befall anyone who disturbs the tomb. Eighteen years after Corbeck's… More English archaeologist Matthew Corbeck (played by the emphatically-American Charlton Heston) undertakes an expedition to find the tomb of the Egyptian princess Kara, despite his awareness of a nefarious curse that is said to befall anyone who disturbs the tomb. Eighteen years after Corbeck's discovery of the burial site, his teenage daughter (who was born at the very moment of the tomb's violation) begins to behave strangely. Turns out she's been possessed by Kara's malevolent spirit, carrying out the princess's revenge by causing several deaths and developing a less-than-healthy obsession with Daddy. Based very loosely on Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of Seven Stars (itself the inspiration for Hammer's superior Blood from the Mummy's Tomb), this is basically Warner Brothers' attempt to jump on the big-budget horror bandwagon in the wake of The Omen's staggering success. The result is a good-looking but artistically hollow film -- with elaborate sets, lush cinematography and a sweeping musical score, but little in the way of logic or suspense. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Mike Newell
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1980 Wide

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Funnier than most comedies
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Dry-as-dust "possession" fare.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

An okay movie about mummies, it kind of has an "Omen" feel to it at times, and it's pretty boring in the beginning, but it gets better in the end. Overall, it's okay.
jay n

The words claptrap, junk and hokum all spring to mind when this silly possession movie is mentioned. Produced during that unfortunate period after The Exorcist hit big and every other movie was some type of scare flick this one doesn't even have a very plausible script to start… More
The words claptrap, junk and hokum all spring to mind when this silly possession movie is mentioned. Produced during that unfortunate period after The Exorcist hit big and every other movie was some type of scare flick this one doesn't even have a very plausible script to start with. Poor Susannah York, the most talented of the actors trapped herein, spends the beginning of this turkey in one of the most unbecoming wigs ever seen. Watch this only if you want to make fun of something.
Dr Blood

This is just a remake of Hammer's "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" and is equally as slow and boring. The only moment of any merit is how beautiful the transformed Stephanie Zimbalist looks near the end.
The S

This film version of Bram Stoker's horror novel, The Jewel of the Seven Stars, is a worthy enough effort with a strong cast and impressive locations but it's all a bit too clinical and dry to be genuinely entertaining.