On the Orientalism and Imperial Gaze of Western Horror Films

The article critiques Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026), a horror film that employs actors of Middle Eastern descent but fails to authentically represent Egyptian culture or language.

The director, Lee Cronin, is an Irish filmmaker known for relying on horror tropes and excessive gore.

The film stars May Calamawy, an Egyptian-Palestinian actor, as Detective Dalia Zaki, whose Arabic dialogue is described as robotic and unintelligible, resembling a Hollywood parody rather than realistic speech.

Similarly, other Middle Eastern characters, including Hayat Kamille as the Magician, speak in a way that feels like a coded movie language, far removed from natural Arabic.

The article highlights that despite casting actors with Middle Eastern backgrounds, the film reduces them to caricatures, reinforcing stereotypes rather than portraying genuine cultural representation.