Lon Chaney, Jr. Enters the Inner Sanctum

In the 1930s and 1940s Inner Sanctum was a print, radio and film franchise which featured tales of mystery, murder and the macabre. The Inner Sanctum imprint was initially used for a series of best-selling mystery novels from Simon & Schuster that ran from the 1930s right through to the 1960s. The title was also used for a very popular radio show that aired from 1941-1952. The show was memorable thanks to the eerie "creaking door" sound effect which opened each episode. It was inevitable that Hollywood would take advantage of the Inner Sanctum's success, and Universal Pictures signed Lon Chaney, Jr. to star in a series of films bearing the Inner Sanctum banner. Chaney had portrayed the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and most notably, The Wolf Man in various films, and he was eager to try something a bit different, while the studio wanted to capitalize on the success of one of their biggest horror stars.

The six movies in Universal's series of "Inner Sanctum Mysteries" are indeed mysteries, and not horror films, as they have often been misrepresented as, or misunderstood as, over the years. While some of the movies contain mild supernatural elements, these films should really be viewed as murder mysteries or suspense thrillers. The Inner Sanctum films were produced between 1943 and 1945, and they're a lot of fun to watch. These movies are prime examples of the kind of B pictures that were a staple of the classic Hollywood era, and they truly "don't make 'em like that anymore." Several of the films even have Chaney narrating the story or letting us in on his thoughts via an inner monologue, in the style common to classic tales of film noir.

The first film in the series, 1943's Calling Dr. Death, stars Chaney as Dr. Mark Steele, whose wife is murdered. Steele is a prime suspect because he can't remember where he was, or what he was doing, for several days, including the time the murder was committed. Has this memory loss occurred because he's blacked out the fact that he actually committed the crime? A police detective (a nice performance by character actor J. Carroll Naish) and Steele's dedicated secretary, played by Patricia Morison, try to help him remember, but they have quite different motives for doing so. The film is solidly directed by Reginald LeBorg, who'd go on to helm the next two movies in the series. LeBorg, would later direct such well-regarded "A" films such as San Diego, I Love You and Destiny, as well as a ton of additional B movies, including Voodoo Island, with Boris Karloff and Elisha Cook, Jr., and Diary of a Madman, which starred Vincent Price and Nancy Kovack.

Weird Woman (1944), the second film in the Inner Sanctum sextet, is based on Fritz Lieber's novel Conjure Wife, which was later adapted into the well-regarded 1962 British horror film Burn, Witch, Burn. This tale of love, jealousy and murder stars Chaney as a college professor who gets mixed up in witchcraft. The supporting cast features Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne and Elisabeth Russell, all of whom are familiar faces to classic horror fans. It's an entertaining thriller that's one of the best entries in the series. The third film in the Inner Sanctum oeuvre, Dead Man's Eyes, also from 1944, features Chaney as an artist who goes blind due to a terrible accident. He receives the eyes of his fiance's father in a transplant, but only after the man is murdered. The catch is, the victim recently changed his will to bequeath his eyes to....his new son-in-law! 

The fourth film in the series, directed by Harold Young, is entitled The Frozen Ghost (1945), and stars Chaney as Gregor the Great, a hypnotist with a successful night club act. When a man dies onstage during a performance, Gregor blames himself, and retires from his hypnotism gig. But he probably should have re-thought his choice of next job; working at an eerie wax museum! This time out, the supporting players include Chaney's House of Frankenstein co-star Elena Verdugo and veteran movie villain Martin Kosleck. 1945's Strange Confession, the fifth film in the series, tells a flashback-centered story of love, betrayal and murder. Chaney portrays Jeff Carter, who works for a pharmaceutical company owned by Roger Graham (J. Carroll Naish again) a duplicitous jerk with designs on Carter's wife. The final entry, Pillow of Death (1945), is a moody tale of murder and mysticism as lawyer Wayne Fletcher (Chaney) is accused of killing his wife by her ghost, via a seance conducted by spiritualist Julian Julian, portrayed by Chaney's Son of Dracula co-star J. Edward Bromberg.

The Inner Sanctum movies all run about (or just over) an hour, so they never overstay their welcome. These films were primarily designed to play as second features, and they're well-made, enjoyable mysteries. They're atmospheric, stylishly directed and crisply paced. Lon Chaney, Jr. is often given a bad rap (and is quite under-rated) as an actor, but I think these movies suit his on-screen persona and his talents very well. He's quite effective in them, often as a man caught up in circumstances he can't control. The supporting casts are filled with terrific character actors, such as Lloyd Bridges, Mary Gordon (Mrs. Hudson from the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Homes films) and Clara Blandick, best known as Auntie Em from The Wizard of Oz. Classic film fans will have a ball seeing all of those familiar faces. These movies should resonate with, and have strong appeal for, old school mystery and horror fans. There are excellent Blu-ray releases of the complete series from Mill Creek Entertainment in the US, and the Eureka label in the UK. Some of the films are also available to view on various streaming services. Here's the trailer for the Eureka films Blu-ray release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zj10Nc98k, and watch out for that crystal ball encased floating head (played by actor David Hoffman) that introduces the first five films in the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaF7VPjAM-Y.