Stranger Things #2
The Mummy's Curse?
The ancient Egyptians invented the pyramids, eye-maker-up, calendars, paper and even toothpaste and their love of cats was the stuff of legends. But perhaps their biggest claim to fame was their enduring fondness of mummifying their royal family and burying the sarcophagus in an impenetrable burial tomb. Equally enduring has been the stories of ‘mummies’ coming back to life and scaring us all to death (and beyond). Quite naturally the London underground has its own spooky Egyptian legend.
Once-upon-a-time there existed a beautiful underground station called the British Museum Station (long since deserted and bricked up) which used to serve visitors wishing to visit the afore-mentioned museum. The station was originally opened in 1900 by the Central Railway Company and soon after anguished screams were reported to be emanating from the close-by tunnels.
The popular theory of the day was that this blood-curdling howl belonged to the ghost of the daughter of Pharaoh Amen-Ra. Her coffin lid or ‘mummy board’ was on display at the nearby museum. Due to the unfortunate fact that this artefact had been (wrongly) associated with a number of mysterious deaths - she had been dubbed the ‘Unlucky Mummy’.
The story of this howling presence from Egypt spread like wild fire and although the station was closed in 1933 the rumours carried on. In fact the august Times newspaper offered a reward to anyone willing to spend an entire night on the now deserted platform. No-ne brave enough could be found to spend the night with “unlucky Mummy”.
Stanger and stranger still was the film production in 1933 of Bulldog Jack, which used as its central theme the curse of Amen-Ra. The film climaxed with a dramatic chase through a secret tunnel that connected the British Museum’s Egyptian Room with the station. On the evening of the films London premier, two women were reported as having disappeared from nearby Holborn leaving only two mysterious markings on the walls behind. Victims of the Mummy’s Curse?
Ever since the release of the film the London Underground have steadfastly refused to acknowledge the existence of any hidden tunnel whilst simultaneously refusing to allow any investigation for evidence.
What do you think?
Load more triptoids