THE AWAKENING (1980)
Directed by Mike Newell
Starring Charlton Heston and Stephanie Zimbalist
It wasn't the first time that Heston has been miscast as a foreign national.
He was laughable as a Mexican in Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil," and he's just as ludicrous as a British archeologist bummed out by the fact that, after opening an Egyptian tomb, his baby daughter was possessed by the spirit of an evil Egyptian queen. To add insult to injury, he learns he has to kill his now teenage in a ceremonial ritual, or the girl will use her awesome occult powers to threaten all of mankind!
The film actually owes more to "The Omen" series than any of the early "Mummy" films from Universal, with plenty of people dying in gory, Omen-like freak accidents.
Dull, slow-paced and a tragic mistake for the great Charlton Heston, there's precious little to recommend here. Although it doesn't turn up on the tube much, it is still available on video.