| The Inner Sanctum Mysteries | |
| Based On: | |
| Starring: | Lon Chaney Jr. |
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Released: | 1943–1945 |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
The Inner Sanctum Mysteries film series consists of American classic-horror mystery films, based on and inspired by the works of Himan Brown, and the stories printed by Simon & Schuster.
The anthological film series as a part of the Universal Horror label, stars Lon Chaney Jr. in a number of similar roles, with plots that do not overlap though they are thematically related. David Hoffman features in each installment as a disembodied head, which floats within a crystal ball and warns the audience that someone in attendance could be a murderer.
The series was released on home video as a collection through various packagings, in 2006.[1]
See main article: Inner Sanctum Mystery.
The film series originated from the Golden Age radio dramas titled Inner Sanctum and created by Himan Brown; which were in turn based on the Simon & Schuster imprint of the same name.[2] Though the novels are generally associated with mysteries, the imprint was additionally used for drama and romance; with each genre being published in green, blue, and red colored book covers, respectively.[3] Broadcast through Blue Network Programs via radio from January 7, 1941 – October 5, 1952 the series included a total of 511 episodes.
In June 1943, Universal struck a deal with Simon & Schuster Inc. for the name "Inner Sanctum".[4] The stories in the series are not based on the narratives found in the pulp novels, nor the radio play adaptations.
Ben Pivar oversaw the production of the series. Initially, Pivar was hired to produce two Inner Sanctum Mystery films each year, with each installment starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Gale Sondergaard. Sondergaard dropped out of her role prior to principal photography commenced on the first installment. Edward Dein suggested that at Chaney Jr.'s request, the scripts incorporated lines for an audible inner "stream of consciousness" voiceovers that the audience would hear. Director Reginald LeBorg insisted that it was Pivar was just as much as a reason as Chaney for these additions.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calling Dr. Death: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | Reginald LeBorg | Edward Dein | Ben Pivar | ||
| Weird Woman: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | Reginald Le Borg | Brenda Weisberg | W. Scott Darling | Ben Pivar and Oliver Drake | |
| Dead Man's Eyes: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | Dwight V. Babcock | Ben Pivar and Will Cowan | |||
| The Frozen Ghost: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | Harold Young | Bernard Schubert & Luci Ward | Harrison Carter & Henry Sucher | Will Cowan | |
| Strange Confession: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | John Hoffman | M. Coates Webster | Jean Bart | Ben Pivar | |
| Pillow of Death: An Inner Sanctum Mystery | Wallace Fox | Dwight V. Babcock | George Bricker | ||
See main article: Calling Dr. Death.
When Dr. Mark Steele finds himself unable to recollect the last several days of his life, he's further disturbed to learn that his wife Maria has been found brutally murdered. Because of their troubled marriage including the recent occurrences of her unfaithful actions, Dr. Steele begins to wonder whether he was involved with her death as the investigation continues. Disturbed by the situation and hoping to recover his repressed memories, he requests that his nurse Stella perform hypnosis to determine whether he is a scheming murderer.[5]
See main article: Weird Woman.
Professor Norman Reed returns home from his trip to the South Seas, with an exotic native woman named Paula. The newlywed couple who are excited to begin their lives together, are surprised to find the townspeople questioning their intentions, as a series of strange occurrences inexplicably begin to happen including the murder of one of Reed's collogues. Though she was raised by a superstitious tribe who believed she was a supernatural being, the Professor is determined to solve the mystery and prove his wife's innocence; to the town, to his wife, and to himself.[6]
See main article: Dead Man's Eyes.
A talented painter named David "Dave" Stuart is blinded, when one of his models named Tanya becomes jealous of his relationship with his fiancé Heather and secretly replaces his eyewash with acid. While coping with his new way of life following the incident, the father of his fiancé named the Dr. Stanley Hayden offers to be the donor for a cornea transplant once he should pass away. Following his mysterious and premature death however, its determined that Dr. Hayden died of unnatural causes and Dave finds himself the primary suspect. Separated from the love of his life, who now questions his character, Tanya offers to care for David as he adapts to his new way of life. As the investigation begins, Stuart inherits the corneas as a result of Dr. Hayden's will. Though the initial surgery seems to fail at helping the artist regain his sight, Dave works tirelessly to try and find the true culprit to prove his own innocence, all while the true murderer may be following his every move.[7]
See main article: The Frozen Ghost.
while Alex Gregor is a successful illusionist known professionally as "Gregor the Great". One night during his stage show with his fiancé and assistant Maura Daniels, a drunken audience member begins to critique his routine. As Alex becomes angry and places the man into a trance through hypnotism, the man suddenly and inexplicably dies. Though the medical examination determines that it was caused by a heart attack, Alex is overcome with guilt and retires from his stage show believing that the incident was his fault. After his manager George Keene arranges a new job for him, working as a lecturer at Madame Valerie Monet's wax museum, Alex is overwhelmed by the female attention he has acquired from Monet, her niece Nina, and his fiancé who strives to convince him of his innocence. Following an angry confrontation with Monet however, all individuals involved are surprised by her disappearance. As he finds himself the primary suspect in accusations of murder, Alex works tirelessly with Maura determined more than ever to prove his innocence in both situations.[8]
See main article: Strange Confession.
When a scientist named Jeff Carter is pushed to complete his work on a vaccine to fight influenza, he finds himself at odds with his boss who is a pharmaceutical tycoon named Roger Graham. Believing that Graham only wants the riches and notoriety, Carter refuses to release the vaccine until more testing has been completed. Requesting more time, Jeff travels to South America for continued testing. Seeing an opportunity, Roger romantically pursues Jeff's wife Mary, and makes an executive business decision by prematurely releasing the vaccine. Returning from his trip, Jeff learns the ill-fated news about his wife, and learns that his son has died as a result of administration of the vaccine. Filled with rage, Jeff resolves to exact vengeance by any means necessary. Following the completion of his plans, Jeff approaches a renowned lawyer to confess his actions, where it is questioned whether a murder has occurred or a series of different events instead.[9]
See main article: Pillow of Death.
Wayne Fletcher, a successful attorney engages in an affair with his secretary Donna Kincaid, while the pair plan to be married once he divorces his wife. Unfortunately, his wife is found dead by suffocation however, and Wayne finds himself the primary suspect of the murder. As he seeks to prove his innocence, a questionable medium claims that she has contacted the spirit of his wife and supports the case that he is guilty. When a series of deaths in the same manner begin to occur one by one, Wayne works tirelessly to prove his own innocence. He is disturbed in the process however, when he begins to have visions of his dead wife, and begins to question his own sanity.[10]
With the exception of the final film Pillow of Death, the continuing thread throughout each film was an introductory scene with a floating head within a crystal ball portrayed by David Hoffman. It led with a warning the audience that even the most innocent man could be a potential murderer.
| Character | Film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calling Dr. Death | Weird Woman | Dead Man's Eyes | The Frozen Ghost | Strange Confession | Pillow of Death | |
| Dr. Mark Steele | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Maria Steele | Ramsay Ames | |||||
| Stella Madden | Patricia Morison | |||||
| Robert Duval | David Bruce | |||||
| Insp. Gregg | J. Carrol Naish | |||||
| Prof. Norman Reed | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Paula Clayton Reed | Anne Gwynne | |||||
| Ilona Carr | Evelyn Ankers | |||||
| Prof. Millard Sawtelle | Ralph Morgan | |||||
| Margret Mercer | Lois Collier | |||||
| Evelyn Sawtelle | Elizabeth Russell | |||||
| David Jennings | Phil Brown | |||||
| David "Dave" Stuart | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Heather "Brat" Hayden | Jean Parker | |||||
| Tanya Czoraki | Acquanetta | |||||
| Dr. Sam Welles | Jonathan Hale | |||||
| Dr. Stanley "Dad" Hayden | Edward Fielding | |||||
| Dr. Alan Bittaker | Paul Kelly | |||||
| Cpt. Det. Drury | Thomas Gomez | |||||
| Alex Gregor | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Maura Daniel | Evelyn Ankers | |||||
| Nina Coudreau | Elena Verdugo | |||||
| George Keene | Milburn Stone | |||||
| Valerie Monet | Tala Birell | |||||
| Dr. Rudi Poldan | Martin Kosleck | |||||
| Insp. Brant | Douglass Dumbrille | |||||
| the Skeptic | Arthur Hohl | |||||
| Jeff Carter | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Mary Carter | Brenda Joyce | |||||
| Dave Curtis | Lloyd Bridges | |||||
| Roger Graham | J. Carrol Naish | |||||
| Atty. Wayne Fletcher | Lon Chaney, Jr. | |||||
| Donna Kincaid | Brenda Joyce | |||||
| Vivian Fletcher | Victoria Horne | |||||
| Amelia Kincaid | Rosalind Ivan | |||||
| Belle Kincaid | Clara Blandick | |||||
| Samuel "Sam" Kincaid | George Cleveland | |||||
| Cpt. "Cap'n" McCracken | Wilton Graff | |||||
| Det. Harry | Harry Strang | |||||
| Julian Julian | J. Edward Bromberg | |||||
| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time | ||
| Calling Dr. Death | Paul Sawtell | Virgil Miller | Norman A. Cerf | Universal Pictures Corporation | 1 hr 3 mins | ||
| Weird Woman: | Milton Carruth | Universal Pictures | |||||
| Dead Man's Eyes: | Paul Ivano | 1 hr 4 mins | |||||
| The Frozen Ghost: | Richard Hageman, William Lava, Hans J. Salter, Paul Sawtell, and Frank Skinner | Fred R. Feitshans Jr. | 1 hr 1 min | ||||
| Strange Confession: | Frank Skinner | Maury Gertsman | Russell F. Schoengarth | Universal Pictures Corporation | 1 hr 2 mins | ||
| Pillow of Death: | Jerome Ash | Edward Curtiss | Universal Pictures | 1 hr 6 mins | |||
In their book Universal Horrors (2007), authors Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas as "half-dozen feeble melodramas" that has little to recommend beyond camp value. The described their overall reception to film buffs and historians as missed opportunities, comparing them unfavorably to set by Columbia's Whistler films. Ken Hanke in his book A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series (1991) said with the exception of Werid Woman, the series was not overtly horror film oriented. Hanke found the series the films as having "delusions of intellectualism". He summarized that the films are neither as strong as Universal's horror output of the 1930s but not as uninteresting as detractors often insist.
Kim Newman reviewed the series in Sight & Sound in 2021, describing it as "straddling whodunnit and horror" and that "the films vary in quality but mostly deliver as strange entertainment."
| Film | |
|---|---|
| Calling Dr. Death | (1 review)[11] |
| Weird Woman | (1 review)[12] |
| Dead Man's Eyes | [13] |
| The Frozen Ghost | (2 reviews)[14] |
| Strange Confession: The Missing Head | [15] |
| Pillow of Death | [16] |