The Awakening (1980 film)

The Awakening is a 1980 supernatural horror film directed by Mike Newell in his directorial debut and starring Charlton Heston, Susannah York, and Stephanie Zimbalist. The film follows an archeologist whose daughter becomes possessed by an ancient Egyptian queen. It is the third film version of Bram Stoker's 1903 novel The Jewel of Seven Stars, following the 1970 television adaptation as The Curse of the Mummy for the TV series Mystery and Imagination, and the 1971 theatrical film by Hammer, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (in which Ahmed Osman also appeared).

A co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom, the film was shot in England and Egypt in 1979. It was released by Orion Pictures, then a subsidiary of Warner Bros., premiering in the United States on Halloween 1980. The film earned $8.4 million at the U.S. box office.

Two different cuts of The Awakening exist: Newell's original cut, running approximately 105 minutes, which was released in the United Kingdom; and a shorter cut edited by Monte Hellman, running approximately 101 minutes, which was released in North America under mandate from Warner Bros.