THE INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES (Calling Dr. Death / Weird Woman / Dead Man’s Eyes / The Frozen Ghost / Strange Confession / Pillow of Death) (Eureka Classics) 2x Blu-ray

The Inner Sanctum Mystery was originally a radio show, also known as Inner Sanctum. The show started in 1941 and ended in late 1952. There were based on a series of Simon and Schuster published novels. This box-set is a collection of six movies, all from the good ol' 1940s. The set includes Calling Dr. Death (1943), Weird Woman (1944), Dead Man's Eyes (1944), The Frozen Ghost (1945), Strange Confession (1945) and Pillow of Death (1945). All six movies are based on the Simon and Schuster series and features Lon Chaney Jr. in the starring role.The collection is a standard plastic case housed in a very bright slipcase. Inside there are two blu ray discs and a small booklet. Each film is presented in 1080p with a load of extras including uncompressed audio tracks, SDH subtitles, audio commentaries, documentaries on the original radio show and even episodes of the original show. It's a tidy little collection but not much to actually look at physically.The films themselves are quite fun and have that same charm as a lot of the Universal horror era films. The storylines are all pretty silly and in a way that you wouldn't get in movies today. I particularly enjoyed Dead Man's Eyes and The Frozen Ghost. They had the more unique concepts I thought and were the most cinematic of the bunch. But there wasn't a single bad film in the collection. The acting is pretty good from Lon Chaney Jr and his supporting cast range from good to quite hammy. Some people might find it hard to take seriously but in context, I bet some of these films got under the skin of people back then.What really works in the films favour is the fact that like a lot of horror films of the time, they're quite short and have been superbly remastered. Modern horror movies are all dragged out to two hours in length and it takes from the novelty, I think. These films are all around an hour in length and are paced very well. They don't feel dragged out and finish around a time that feels just right, leaving you ready for the next one. The transfers are also quite impressive, making it an easy viewing on the gigantic modern television. The picture is clear, has a lot of depth and has aged extremely well. It's a well paced visual feast and one that modern film makers could certainly learn a thing or two from this era.You're not going to have a life changing experience with this The Inner Sanctum Mystery collection but if you like that '40s era horror, it is a must buy. The films have a great leading man, some fun story concepts and are very well shot. Go for it!

A truly excellent set of transfers for all 6 films. All 4.3 ratio, all mint B/W picture. all good sound with good optional English subtitles. Eureka have also included a booklet with credits for all 6 films, and an essay. Universal presumably supplied the material, and don't they do well with vintage material. All praise to Eureka for giving us the opportunity to see the films in such pristine condition. The FILMS? Well, you have to roughly know what to expect, or you could be disapointed. They are all Cheap, almost Poverty Row films with appropriate cast (more later), but after a, for me, disapointing first film CALLING DR DEATH, the plots looked up and got pretty good. WEIRD WOMAN being particularly good (Horror fans will recognise the plot was used in NIGHT OF THE EAGLE), DEAD MAN'S Eyes is also a familiar plot (and has one of the worst performences I can remember from AQUANETTA). FROZEN GHOST is good too, but remember....they are not "A" films. One of joys I got was seeing so many actors who kept the horror thriller genre alive in tha 40's...Evelyn Ankers, Martin Kosleck, Douglass Dumbrille, Paul Kelly, J.Carroll Naish, Milburn Stone and many more. I do have my doubts as to whether Chaney is a leading man, but he is OK here even if he plays different characters in exactly the same style. It's not cheap, but if you have an idea of what to expect you should enjoy this Box Set of BLURAYS......ADDITION - When I wrote the above I hadn't seen the 6th film PILLOW of DEATH. Just to say that the plot is good as are subs but the picture is not quite up to the standard of the previous 5. They are 10/10, this is 8/10 so perfectly watchable. Just wanted to be absolutely clear!!!

The Inner Sanctum films were six mysteries made by Universal in the 1940s, the title originally referring to books published by Simon and Schuster that led on to an immensely popular radio series. Lon Chaney Jr., starred as the protagonist in each, a good guy whom fate turned against, and only in the sixth, “Pillow of Death”, gives a more villainous characterization.With the first five movies introduced by a talking head in a glass case, each mystery lasts around an hour and finds Chaney the victim of a hypnotist (Calling Dr. Death), a superstitious wife (Weird Woman), a painter who blinds himself (Dead Man’s Eyes) and fleeing from justice in a wax museum (The Frozen Ghost) among the tales in this collection. Given better budget and production values than B’s from the Poverty Row studios, each movie is tightly paced within their short running times and possibly the only weakness comes with Chaney who sometimes fails deliver his lines convincingly but always able to show emotion through facial expressions.Although not the best collection of mysteries but any shortcomings of the stories are well compensated by the sharp images created by the films’ restorations, and an insight into the Inner Sanction’s history comes with a good selection of Special Features and the accompanying 20 page booklet.

These are pretty good films, all at around an hour long. Lon Chaney, Jnr is the star of all of them and he plays a similar role in all six films; that of the decent and complex character who finds that circumstances land him in big trouble . His performances in this role do get a little annoying after a while. The supporting players are all good, with some famous names amongst them. And some or the ladies hairstyles are fantastic. One has her hair swept up to the top of her head, while another has hers arranged in many intricate curls all over the show. The picture quality of the discs is amazing, and there are some good extras, including vintage radio plays. Overall, this set is worth buying.