By the mid 40s, Universal was firmly regulating their horror films to the B reel. The Inner Sanctum series had been an interesting experiment, but by this entry they had decided to end the series.
Most of the action takes place in the run down mansion belonging to eccentric siblings Belle (Clara Blandrick) and Samuel (George Cleveland) Kincaid. Both are convinced the house is haunted by generations of Kincaid ghosts, although Belle seems to the only one of the pair to try and talk to the them. She and the family maid/cousin Amelia (Rosalind Ivan) share the same interest in the occult. Their interests attract spiritualist Julian Julian (J. Edward Bromberg), who uses his partner Vivienne Fletcher as his medium.
Vivienne's husband Wayne (Lon Chaney, Jr.), is the Kincaid's lawyer, but there is another connection. Belle's niece Donna (Brenda Joyce) is Wayne's secretary, something the older Kincaid finds utterly scandalous. Imagine, a woman working! In close quarters with a man! Why, the only thing keeping their privates from smashing into each other is their clothes and the distance of some feet!
Donna's actually is having an affair with Wayne, but she doesn't want to point that out. So when Vivienne is found dead, apparently smothered, well, Wayne is considered the first suspect. He argues that he was working late with Donna, plus he promised to have her sign the divorce papers in the morning.
All of this is ignored when he comes home and finds Captain McCracken (Wilton Graff) and Julien in his house. Julien claims to know who killed Vivienne, namely Wayne. Who told him? Why, Vivienne of course.
So, who did it? Was it Belle, who hated Wayne and claims to be the last person to see Vivienne alive? Was it Bruce Malone (Bernard Thomas), obsessive and possibly homicidally devoted to Donna? Wayne, driven to near madness, starts claiming to see Vivienne. When her crypt is opened, no body is found...
Is Wayne guilty? When the bodies start piling up, will things ever start making sense? Director Fox was more used to the cheaply cranked out material of Monogram Pictures, and honestly this feels like a Monogram, although not as fast paced or as kooky. Odd to say, but it just didn't get weird enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment