The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

A pretty substantial ghost,at that,in the shape of Lon Chaney Jr, returning from The Mummy's Tomb.  Obviously, The Mummy's Ghost doesn't deliver on its title in the literal sense: there are no spectral bandaged Egyptians here, but rather a continuation of the Kharis' adventures from the previous installment.  Having disposed of the defilers of his beloved Princess Ananka's tomb last time out, this time he's seeking her reincarnation.  Who, conveniently, is a student in the self same New England town where he rampaged last time.  The town which also contains the museum displaying the Princess' mummy.  George Zucco returns as the High Priest, (now of Arkham rather than Karnak, for some reason), anointing a new successor in the person of John Carradine (in a fez), following the failure of his predecessor, Turhan Bey, in Tomb, and sends him off to the US to bring Kharis and the Princess back.  Inevitably, a love triangle emerges, after Carradine falls for the Princess' reincarnation, which doesn't please his other suitor, Kharis, who resolves the situation by throwing his mentor out of a window.

While a lot of Mummy's Ghost feels familiar, rehashing elements from previous entries in the series, surprisingly, it does have a few original touches.  Most notably, it doesn't come to the neat and happy conclusion one might expect: the Princess' reincarnation isn't rescued from Kharis' clutches at the end and reunited with her non-mummified and non-fanatical high priest student boyfriend.  Instead, she sinks into the swamp with Kharis after he carries her off.  Moreover, as she is carried off, her face ages to resemble that of the mummified Ananka.  (While this doesn't really make much sense, it does provide some striking imagery).  With B-movie veteran Reginald LeBorg directing, The Mummy's Ghost, like its predecessors, clocks in at around an hour of running time, although it feels longer.  Like The Mummy's Tomb, it would influence the 1959 Hammer version of The Mummy - both films climaxing with Kharis being chased by a mob into a swamp and sinking into the mud.  (Although in the Hammer version, the girl doesn't go down with the mummy, instead being rescued at the last minute.  Also, the UK mob make sure the bandaged menace won't come back by blasting him to bits with shotguns).