Lee Cronin, the director who turned Evil Dead Rise into one of the most brutal and acclaimed horror films of recent years, has teamed up with Blumhouse to unveil the first teaser trailer for their bold new interpretation of the classic The Mummy franchise — and it’s already dividing horror fans and leaving everyone asking the same chilling question: “What happened to Katie?”

Unlike the 1999 Brendan Fraser blockbuster or the 2017 Tom Cruise reboot, this version ditches the swashbuckling adventure and ancient curses for a modern, grounded psychological-horror approach. The story follows a journalist whose teenage daughter, Katie, vanishes into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, Katie mysteriously returns — but she is not the same girl who disappeared. The reunion quickly spirals into a living nightmare as the family realizes something dark and possibly supernatural has followed her back.

The teaser is deliberately sparse: flickering desert footage, a grainy home-video clip of a smiling Katie before the disappearance, distant screams carried on the wind, and a single, unsettling shot of a young woman standing motionless in a doorway with her back to the camera. No monsters. No bandages. No obvious supernatural spectacle. Instead, the trailer relies on atmosphere, sound design (crunching sand, distant cries, a heartbeat-like drum), and pure dread to hook viewers. The final title card simply reads: “What happened to Katie?” — leaving audiences unsettled and desperate for more.

Cronin, who proved with Evil Dead Rise that he can deliver visceral, character-driven horror, has promised a “gorier, more terrifying” take on the Mummy mythos. “This isn’t about treasure or curses in the classic sense,” he told Collider in a recent interview. “It’s about what happens when something ancient and hungry finds a way back through someone you love. It’s personal. It’s family. And it’s brutal.”

The cast is led by rising star Sophia Lillis as the returned Katie, with Oscar Isaac rumored to play the tormented journalist father (though not officially confirmed). Supporting roles include Anya Taylor-Joy as Katie’s older sister and Walton Goggins as a skeptical investigator. Production wrapped in late 2025 in Morocco and New Mexico, with heavy emphasis on practical effects and minimal CGI.

Early buzz from test screenings has been mixed. Some insiders described the film as “borderline terrible” in initial cuts, citing pacing issues and an overly bleak tone. Others, however, insist those screenings were used for tweaking — a common practice — and that Cronin’s track record suggests he can deliver a knockout final product. Evil Dead Rise faced similar early criticism before becoming a critical and commercial hit.

The teaser has already ignited debate online. Fans of the classic 1932 Boris Karloff version and the 1999 action-adventure are split: some welcome a darker, horror-focused reboot, while others worry it abandons the franchise’s sense of fun. “No Fraser, no problem — give me Cronin’s nightmare version any day,” one viewer posted. Another countered: “If it’s just grim and gory, it’s not The Mummy anymore.”

The film is scheduled for theatrical release on April 17, 2026, positioning it as Blumhouse’s big spring horror play. With Cronin’s proven ability to blend character drama with unrelenting terror, and a premise that asks “What happened to Katie?” rather than “What’s in the tomb?”, The Mummy is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated — and polarizing — horror reboots in years.

Whether it becomes a new classic or a misstep, one thing is certain: the teaser has done its job. It’s got people talking, theorizing, and — most importantly — waiting to see what really happened to Katie.