Inner Sanctum

Starring:Charles Russell, Mary Beth Hughes, Dale Belding, Billy House, Fritz Leiber, Nana Bryant, Lee Patrick, Roscoe Ates, Eddie Parks, Eve Miller
Director: Lew Landers
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Six with Chaney
Good reminscences
Not great cinema but fun
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection
Great collection of Lon Chaney Jr. films!

Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr. , Brenda Joyce , J. Carrol Naish , Milburn Stone , and Lloyd Bridges
Director: John Hoffman (II) , and Reginald Le Borg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FWHW90
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Amazon.com

"This is the Inner Sanctum...." And this is the world of B-movies, where Hollywood studios churned out entertaining little numbers to fill out an evening back in the Golden Age. Universal's Inner Sanctum series, released in 1943-45, was inspired by the successful radio show of the same title. They're gathered on Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection, a fun grouping of a minor cinematic achievement.

All six films star the phlegmatic Lon Chaney Jr., and most begin with a floating head in the crystal ball, welcoming us to the inner sanctum, "A strange, fantastic world, controlled by a mass of living, pulsating flesh... the mind." The vaguely supernatural promise of this grabby opening is rarely fulfilled by the movies, which tend to be acceptable murder mysteries with--despite the wacky titles--very little horror content. Chaney plays a man of some distinction (a professor in Weird Woman, famous mentalist in The Frozen Ghost, physician in Calling Dr. Death) who runs afoul of women (among them Evelyn Ankers and Patricia Morison) and murder. At some point in each movie he has some elaborate voice-over agony, making clear the connection to the radio series' interior monologue. The one-hour-and-change productions are handsome, considering their budget restrictions, and Universal's prints are well-preserved; the literacy of the writing is surprisingly high--although decent writing can't put much zip into the proceedings.

Weird Woman is probably the best of the bunch, an adaptation of Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife (later filmed as Burn, Witch, Burn!). Chaney is an expert on superstition who marries a voodoo-obsessed woman, whose spells might be responsible for his rapid professional rise. The influence of Cat People is as strong as the source novel. Calling Dr. Death, the first in the series, is duller, with a hypnotism-minded Chaney bedeviled by a wanton wife who conveniently dies under mysterious circumstances. Dead Man's Eyes and the amazingly-titled Pillow of Death are more fun, the former a variation on the old eye-transplant story and the latter a whodunit with lawyer Chaney accused of his wife's murder (the supernatural touch this time: séances).

Strange Confession has Chaney as an honest chemist battling an evil pharmaceutical tycoon (J. Carrol Naish), and The Frozen Ghost combines two horror staples, the unstable mentalist and the wax museum. It's just crazy enough to be entertaining, even if there's no ghost (and hardly any freezing). All in all, the DVD set is a good look at Universal's second-tier output of the era. And then there's Chaney, whose jowly steadfastness can become weirdly fascinating if you watch a few of these close together. Universal put him hard to work after the success of 1941's The Wolf Man, and alongside his monster-movie excursions and his singular triumph in Of Mice and Men, the Inner Sanctum pictures represent Chaney's best moment as a leading man. Despite his limitations, he'll always have his spot in the Universal galaxy. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Six with Chaney.......2007-05-14

In the days before television really took over, the rough equivalent of TV series were put out by movie studios. Churned out quickly by "B" movie units, these movies tended to be produced every few months and short (like TV shows, they would all run around the same length). For example, Universal put out a whole series of Sherlock Holmes and Abbott and Costello movies. Another example from Universal Pictures was the Inner Sanctum Mysteries, a series of six mystery movies all starring Lon Chaney, Jr. The Inner Sanctum of the title was the mind, which as the Spirit of the Inner Sanctum would warn us at the beginning of every movie (but the last one) was capable of plotting murder.

The earlier Inner Sanctum movies would provide voice-over "thoughts" from Chaney to demonstrate his inner turmoil, a gimmick which diminishes as the series goes on. In general, the movies also are plotted similarly, with Chaney accused of a murder and his attempts to vindicate himself. Even this storyline would eventually get a little more variety in the final movies.

The first disc in this two disc set features three movies: Calling Dr. Death, Weird Woman and Dead Man's Eyes. In Calling Dr. Death, Chaney is a neurologist accuses of killing his wife while having an affair with his nurse. It also features Patricia Morison, most notable in Dressed to Kill as the villainess who matches wits with Sherlock Holmes in the final Rathbone movie. (Since these movies all featured contract players, actors repeatedly show up in all sorts of Universal movies).

Weird Woman has Chaney as an anthropologist who marries a woman who believes in witchcraft. When he destroys her magic charms, bad things begin to happen. This movie also stars Evelyn Ankers, a frequent Chaney costar (including The Wolf Man and Son of Dracula). In Dead Man's Eyes, Chaney is an artist accidentally blinded; a corneal transplant provides a possible chance at sight, but he is accused of killing the donor.

Frozen Ghost (the first of three movies on the second disc) has Chaney as a hypnotist who believes he can kill with his gaze. Much of this movie takes place in a wax museum, where death and intrigue occur, and once again, Evelyn Ankers costars. The last two movies have Brenda Joyce as the female lead. Strange Confession has Chaney as a chemist developing an influenza cure, only to be derailed by his duplicitous boss. And while Pillow of Death may have the weakest title in the bunch, it offers a bit of a different plot, with Chaney - as in Calling Dr. Death - accused of murdering his wife to be with his assistant. This is also the longest of the movies, at 67 minutes.

Unlike the two actors Chaney is often associated with, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, Chaney comes off as relatively normal, which is why he is often given normal romances; relationships featuring Karloff or Lugosi tend to be either sexless or warped. As an actor, however, Chaney is just average and these movies are only passable. There are more than a few cliches in the writing and even at just an hour, the films can sometimes drag. They're not awful movies and at least they look reasonably good. On the other hand, with no extras, I can only give the set a low three stars. If you are a fan of these old movies, there will be some value to getting this set, but there are also a lot better movies available; this set should only be for either novelty value or for completists.

Good reminscences.......2007-04-06

The movies in the DVD's are really great in the drama department, and the suspense theme is rated way high despite the times' difference. Lon Chaney Jr. did terrific in all roles down to the final movie. I wish that I could see more films starring him from that post-WWII period!

Not great cinema but fun.......2007-04-04

It's about time Universal got these on DVD. These are 6 VERY low budget movies all starring Lon Chaney Jr. They're quick (most run only about an hour) move quickly and have some neat twists. There are plot loopholes and some bad acting but this is still fun. "Weird Woman" is definetely the highlight of this collection. Worth getting especially for Universal horror fans.

Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection.......2007-02-16

Little is Better. This B movie collection is the perfect medicine for staying up a little late to watch a weird little story, but not wanting to short change a reasonable night's sleep or stress out on a heavy duty of serious.
These little gems are just what was intended... escape. You can imagine the squeaking door if you need, but
for the most part it's sheer pleasure watching some of the best character actors ever in Universal's B movie business.
Lon Chaney, Jr. has the lead in all five features so I recommend the viewers put a special focus on the Hall of Fame performers that give superb support. The mixed bag of men: Milburn Stone, Thomas Gomez, J. Carrol Naish, Paul Kelly, David Bruce, Ralph Morgan, Douglas Dumbrille, J. Edward Bromberg and that creepy little guy who snakes rather than sneaks, Martin Kosleck, are genuine characters. The gals, Brenda Joyce, Jean Parker, Patricia Morison, Anne Gwynn, Ramsey Ames, and ultimate screamer, Evelyn Ankers, are all accomplished actresses with better than good looks who deserved but never got the star treatment.
I'd give the nod to Weird Woman as the best movie of the lot, but each has its own merits and memorable moments. It's a wonderful little package for the true classic B film fan.

Great collection of Lon Chaney Jr. films!.......2007-01-12

I am a huge fan of the late Lon Chaney Jr! These films were done not long after his greatest role as The Wolfman. And although some of the 6 stories on this set are not well written, and some of the actors are not equal with Lon, there are some golden moments here for a fan of Mr. Chaney, and it is important that these films are now available. My only complaint would be a lack of any additional material, but perhaps there is little left to add. If you are a fan of Lon, you NEED to see these films. They may not be as important as his roles in The Wolfman, High Noon, or Of Mice and Men, but they are essential to see as part of his work in the 1940's.

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Inner Sanctum
Starring: Suzanne Ager , Joseph Bottoms , Brett Baxter Clark , Margaux Hemingway , and Jay Richardson
Director: Fred Olen Ray
Manufacturer: Castaway Nw UK
ProductGroup: DVD
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Release Date: 2007-05-22

Product Description

Asian exclusive DVD release of 1991 erotic thriller directed by Fred Olen Ray, starring Tanya Roberts, Margaux Hemingway, Joseph Bottoms, Valerie Wildman, Brett Baxter Clark, Suzanne Ager. ALL REGION CODE / NTSC. Original ENGLISH dialogue with optional English or Chinese subtitles that can be removed. A woman attempts suicide when she suspects her husband doesn't love her and is having an affair. Now she's wheelchair-bound, and her husband, who indeed doesn't love her and is having an affair, hires a private nurse to look after his wife. The nurse begins to suspect that she was hired because of unproven allegations that she murdered someone's wife in a similar situation, that the husband wants her to murder his wife.

Seduction: Three Tales from the 'Inner Sanctum'

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Seduction: Three Tales from the 'Inner Sanctum'
Starring: Gary Beach , Michael French , Lorie Griffin , Richard Herd , and Carol Mayo Jenkins
Director: Michael Rhodes
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Product Features:

scene access
interactive menus
biographies
photo gallery
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ASIN: B000HY5G5I
Release Date: 2006-11-16

Product Description

Three gripping tales of obsessive love, portraying three different women who pay the price when passion, desire and love are all taken to the extreme. 1. Fallguy 2. Sacrifice for Love 3. The Two of Us

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"You're too bad even for me."
Taut low budget film noir
"What's the matter with you? Tired of living?"
Heed the warning:Do not get off the train!
"You're pretty awful! You're even too bad for me!"

Inner Sanctum
Starring: Charles Russell , Mary Beth Hughes , Dale Belding , Billy House , and Fritz Leiber
Director: Lew Landers
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00011D1IG
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Customer Reviews:

"You're too bad even for me.".......2006-06-27

"Inner Sanctum" is a surprisingly entertaining film noir title that begins as a story told by one passenger to another on a train journey. A saucy, bored brunette strikes up a conversation with an elderly man who decides to entertain his fellow passenger by passing the time with a cautionary tale. He tells the story of another train journey, and a passenger--Harold Dunlap--and this story is the heart of the film.

Harold Dunlap (Charles Russell) and his faithless wife squabble as he exits the train to disembark at the small sleep town of Clayburgh. The wife ends up dead, and the husband loads her body back onto the back of the train. As he turns to walk away from the station and the departing train, a local boy, Mike Bennett (Dale Belding) stops him. The boy asks a lot of guileless questions, and Dunlap grasps the notion that while Mike didn't see the murder, as a witness, he can place him at the scene of the crime.

Dunlap intends to leave town, but he's trapped by a flood that destroys the bridges out of town. The town's newspaperman McPhee (Billy House) gives Dunlap a lift and directs him to a boarding house for lodging. Coincidentally, the boarding house is the home of Mike and his over protective mother, and Dunlap realizes it's just a matter of time before Mike hears the news about the dead woman on the train, and connects the events....

At 62 minutes, "Inner Sanctum" directed by Lew Landers is a short film, but it doesn't waste a scene. The film works, mainly due to the characterizations. Dunlap finds himself stuck in the boarding house and while he's the vicious killer, he's also in a sense subject to Mike's actions. Mike--a heavily freckled youth with a gap-toothed grin--is infantilized by his neurotic mother who anticipates 'bad' things happening to the boy at any moment (for example, if he looks out of the window, she tells him not to in case he falls out). Ironically, while Mrs. Bennett agonizes about Mike's well being every moment of his existence, Harold stalks Mike with murderous intent. Another thread of humour is found in Dunlap's enforced stay at the boarding house. The lodgers are all male, but females own and run the house. The widow Bennett thinks her boy needs a father, and Dunlap begins to look like a likely candidate, but that doesn't sit well with Jean Maxwell (Mary Beth Hughes). She's got her eye on Dunlap too, and she throws herself at Dunlap every chance she gets. Full of spicy one-liners, while not exactly tense, the film manages to maintain a degree of entertainment throughout.

This Alpha print is decent--with just a few white round blotches appearing at the top left of the screen--displacedhuman

Taut low budget film noir.......2006-03-11

The Lew Landers directed "Inner Sanctum" is a brief but decent thriller filmed in the film noir style featuring a cast of veritable unknown actors.

The film is a recounting of a story told by a spooky looking clairvoyant type doctor played by Fritz Lieber to a high falooting attractive young woman aboard a train.

The main plot surrounds a gentleman named Harold Dunlap played by Charles Russell. Russell disembarks a train at a dark and deserted railway station in a small town quarreling with his girlfriend. In a violent confrontation he kills the girl and hoists her body back onto the platform of the now departing train. Little does he know that he's been observed by a young kid, Mike, played by a freckle faced, gap toothed Dale Belding who'd been hiding near the station.

Looking for a way out of town Russell is picked up by local newspaperman McFee played by aptly named and rotund Billy House. House informs Russell that due to the flooding of a nearby river, all the access roads out of town are closed. He drops him off at a local boarding house to get a room.

The boarding house is full of a host of odd characters and also an attractive Mary Beth Hughes playing Jean Maxwell, the niece of the landlady, who becomes a Russell love interest. It just so happens that the kid Mike lives there as well. At first Mike doesn't recognize Russell but little by little, he begins to realize that he was the man at the station.

Russell begins to feel the noose tightening around his neck as the flood keeps on delaying his ability to depart and he feels compelled to do harm to the kid to protect his secret. The tension and desperation is nicely built up by director Landers giving the film some definite high points.

"What's the matter with you? Tired of living?".......2006-01-16

Even at 62 minutes this cheapo noir overstayed its welcome by about 30 minutes.

Some guy mad at his girlfriend stabs her to death at a train station and dumps her body on an outgoing train. He tries to leave town but he can't because the roads washed out. With nowhere to go he stays at a boarding house but a young boy who lives there thinks the stranger looks like a man he saw at the train station earlier. Now he's gotta shut this kid up before people get wise.

It might sound good but it ain't. The acting is passable but the script feels like it was slapped together over lunch. Also the Alpha Video DVD is sorry with a sucky picture and a low humming sound.

Heed the warning:Do not get off the train!.......2005-10-23

Don't pass up this masterpiece of a classic thriller! Filled with suspense . Buy it you won't be disappointed. I also recommend "Nightmare Alley" also a wonderful movie filled with suspense and mystery!

"You're pretty awful! You're even too bad for me!".......2005-08-03

This review is for the DVD released by Alpha Video in 2004.

The story starts out on a train where an elderly eccentric man and a young woman strike up a conversation. Soon it becomes obvious that this man has an uncanny knack for predicting the future and warns the young woman not to exit the train at the next stop. What this has to do with the plot isn't obvious at first but the story suddenly switches to a man named Harold Dunlap (Charles Russell) who is being chased by a woman in front of a train station and the woman attempts to stab the him, but is thwarted by the Dunlap and she ends up getting stabbed either by accident or self-defense - its not at all obvious. Dunlap puts the dead woman on the back balcony of a passenger car as it rides away. He then realizes that a young boy saw him put something large on the back of the train. Later due to a serious flood, Dunlap is trapped in that local rural town and is forced to stay at a small hotel where the young boy happens to be living. But Dunlap also meets an attractive and worldly young woman named Jean Maxwell (Mary Beth Hughes) who immediately shows some interest in Dunlap. Of course Dunlap's goal is to avoid being recognized by the boy and being connected to the death of the woman he put on the train.

This is clearly a low budget movie with a virtually unknown cast. The acting was actually pretty good with each of the locals adding some humor to the plot but the story seemed to get bogged down until Jean and Harold start confronting each other about their lives. Even though Harold is preoccupied with his tenuous situation, Jean senses that Harold has something to hide and reassures him by saying, "All of my life I've been attracted to the wrong kind of guy". But later as things start to unravel, Harold uses some very poor judgment in handling his situation and Jean discovers this and tells him, "You're pretty awful! You're even too bad for me!" - which a zinger of a line for this movie! So to summarize, the movie has its merits, especially the chemistry between Harold and Jean, and has a nice twist at the end, and since this is a low priced DVD, I would rather recommend the movie than discourage people from viewing it, especially if you are a fan of the classic film noir.

As for the DVD quality, as is the case with many of Alpha's releases, it's essentially an un-restored, non-enhanced transfer from a film with some intermittent wear. The picture lacks sharpness and contrast one expects from a DVD and the sound is fair. But if you are a little forgiving about the picture quality, you should be able to follow the story without any problems or major distractions.

Movie: B-

DVD Quality: C

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Inner Sanctum / Inner Sanctum 2 Uncut
Director: Fred Olen Ray
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Nudity and Sexual Situations
Uncut Versions
Scene Selection
All Region Discs

ASIN: B000OPUFZQ

Product Description

INNER SANCTUM - A woman attempts suicide when she suspects her husband doesn't love her and is having an affair. Now she's wheelchair-bound, and her husband, who indeed doesn't love her and is in fact having an affair, hires a private nurse to look after his wife. The nurse soon begins to suspect hidden secrets with the couple, and may be keeping secrets of her own... INNER SANCTUM 2 - This is the story of Jennifer Reed who was forced into killing her husband in self defence. As of late, she has been plagued with nightmares of her recently deceased hubby returning from the dead to kill her. Her house is soon full of people like her husband's brother Bill and his wife Sharon who are eager to cash in on the inheritance. There is also a suspicious housekeeper and a unstable looking psychiatrist. Everyone is out for something and poor Jennifer is caught in the middle of it all and is slowly going insane...

Official Inner Sanctum Old Time Radio OTR Mp3 Collection on DVD - Offering 171 Different Shows and Appearances for a Total of 75+ Hours of Listening Enjoyment

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Official Inner Sanctum Old Time Radio OTR Mp3 Collection on DVD - Offering 171 Different Shows and Appearances for a Total of 75+ Hours of Listening Enjoyment

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

Enjoy all your favorite Inner Sanctum Old Time Radio episodes on this DVD packed with 171 different shows and appearances for a total of 75+ hours of listening enjoyment. This product is a DVD collection of Old Time Radio mp3s. It is designed to be played on your computer DVD drive with standard mp3 software - like Windows media player or its equivalent on Macintosh computers.

Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

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Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
Blue Beard;The House on Haunted Hill;British Intelligence;Slave of the Cannibal God;Inner Sanctum;Medusa;Gothic;I Bury the Living

ASIN: B000GW7WFS

Product Description

The legends of Thriller are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Thriller classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack includes: Blue Beard directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring John Carradine; The House on Haunted Hill directed by William Castle and starring Vincent Price; British Intelligence directed by Terry O'Morse and starring Boris Karloff; Slave of the Cannibal God directed by Sergio Martino and starring Ursula Andress; Inner Sanctum directed by Lew Landers and starring Mary Beth Hughes; Medusa directed by Gordon Hessler and starring George Hamilton; Gothic directed by Ken Russell and starring Julian Sands; I Bury the Living directed by Albert Band and starring Richard Boone

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