From 'Evil Dead Rise' to 'The Mummy': Lee Cronin on Evolving Horror

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, writer-director Lee Cronin joins to discuss how he approached reimagining The Mummy through the lens of family trauma, mystery, and body horror. In conversation with host GG Hawkins, Cronin breaks down the emotional architecture behind effective horror, the challenge of staging fear in broad daylight, and the way Irish storytelling, personal experience, and practical effects continue to shape his work.

He also reflects on building a long-term creative partnership, collaborating with horror powerhouses like Jason Blum and James Wan, and the discipline required to keep refining a film all the way through the edit.

In this episode, we****discuss:

• How Cronin infused The Mummy with mystery, family drama, and horror
• Why broad daylight can make horror feel even more unsettling
• The emotional groundwork required to make gore and shock land with audiences
• How themes from The Hole in the Ground evolved into The Mummy
• Why character is always the engine of fear in Cronin’s films
• How Cronin thinks about the “contract” he makes with audiences from the earliest story stage
• The practical and creative lessons he learned from years of making corporate videos and commercials
• What it was like collaborating with Jack Reynor, Jason Blum, and James Wan
• How shooting in Ireland and Spain helped shape the scale and texture of the film
• Advice for emerging filmmakers on collaborators, restraint, and cutting what does not work

Guests:

• Lee Cronin

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