Lost in the Inner Sanctum
Part
of my love for movies comes from a desire to see pictures that are
just downright fun to watch. They don't even need to be movies that
are all that good, and sometimes just a title and atmosphere can be
enough to make it a win for me. This is where Universal's mid 1940s
film series “Inner Sanctum Mysteries” lies for me. Based upon a
popular radio program of the day, which in turn was based upon a
series of books, the six films that comprise the series are quite fun
to think about, strictly based on titles alone.
There's
nothing all that significant about these movies, they're all B
pictures, and they all star Lon Chaney, Jr. But what is it that these
movies have that makes it worth your time? For one thing, there's the
titles. All six films, in order: Calling
Dr. Death, Weird Woman, Dead Man's Eyes, The Frozen Ghost, Strange
Confession, and
my favorite title Pillow
of Death.
Who wouldn't want to see a movie called Pillow
of Death!?!?
Another
facet to these films, is that with the exception of Pillow
of Death—really
I can't write that enough—they all open in the same manner. After
the title card all of them carry—proudly announcing this film as AN
INNER SANCTUM MYSTERY, we are greeted by a disembodied floating head
inside a crystal ball, welcoming us to “The Inner Sanctum, a place
controlled by mind, where even you can commit—murder!!! (dun dun
dun!)”
I'm not all that sure these films were all that intensely terrifying
when they first came out, but they must've been moderately successful
for the studio. They are fun to watch, especially from a film buff's
standpoint. It gives you a look at the day to day operations of a
studio during the golden age of Hollywood. Full of contract players
who worked a day on one movie, then off to another the next, and
another the day after that. Contract directors making the rounds of
the studio, and using their marquee horror star in Chaney, along with
the “Inner Sanctum” franchise name, to draw in theatergoers.
The
films are all short, the longest in the series runs only an hour and
seven minutes. Thought being B pictures, these are still Universal
titles, production quality is very good. The films all feature nice
bits of atmosphere, and fine black and white cinematography. There's
also the glimpse of a very young, up and coming, Lloyd Bridges in
Strange
Confession.
Would I recommend these to a someone looking for gripping suspense
and an engaging mystery? No, I wouldn't.
Most
of the plots are easy to figure out, and most of these films stand as
what they are—short pulp movies designed to bolster a studio's bank
account. But in there lies some of the charm of these films, fun
little excursions that make for great rainy day viewing. Movies that
feel like they're trying too hard with the titles and floating head
introduction to convince you of a “shocking” hour or so ahead.
Oddly enough, it's the film with the silliest title, Pillow
of Death,
which is the best of the group.
The
entire series is available in a two disc set from Universal for about
$20, not bad for this group of entertaining little movies. If
anything, the price of admission is worth it for the floating head
alone, and again, Pillow
of Death!
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