This second link in Universal's Inner Sanctum chain is my personal favorite and comes the closest to representing what these films were likely intended to be. Weird Woman is helmed by Reginald LeBorg who duplicates the ingenuity he displayed in the first Inner Sanctum film, Calling Dr. Death, by once again defying a shoestring budget. This time he is further enabled by a solid script and a quartet of stellar performances by the women in his cast. In addition to being irredeemably campy (which is part of the fun) Weird Woman invades "so bad it's good" territory with an enjoyably dreadful performance from star Lon Chaney who suffers from blatant miscasting.
Professor Norman Reed (Chaney) is one of the big intellectual wheels on the Monroe College campus and gains fame with his book "Superstition Vs. Reason and Fact"; a dissertation on the foolishness of following pagan gods in the modern age. Curiously Reed is wed to Paula (Anne Gwynne), the daughter of a South Seas missionary, who wholeheartedly believes in the power of voodoo and, unbeknownst to Norman, practices it to protect them from their enemies. While there is plenty of intrigue on the campus their main adversary is college librarian Ilona Carr (Evelyn Ankers) who has always been hopelessly infatuated with Norman and now jealous of his bride. Through devious means Ilona poisons the minds of ambitious Evelyn Sawtelle (Elizabeth Russell) and her subjugated husband Millard (Ralph Morgan) who is up for the same sociology chairmanship as Norman. She also leads student David Jennings (Phil Brown) to believe his coed girlfriend Margaret (Lois Collier) is having an illicit relationship with Norman. When Norman discovers Paula's voodoo shrine that she believes is protecting them he forces her to destroy it and immediately thereafter the negative dominoes start to fall. Millard kills himself and Evelyn blames the Reeds, Margaret's unwanted romantic overtures toward Norman are callously rebuffed and he falls under suspicion of improprieties, and Jennings goes gunning (literally) for Norman which results in the young man being fatally shot in a scuffle with him. Perhaps the Reeds were being protected by voodoo spells after all . . .
The screenplay for Weird Woman was penned by Brenda Weisberg based off the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber, Jr. The screenwriter had plenty of spooky material to work with and conjures up an engaging narrative that cleverly leaves the viewer wondering if supernatural forces are at play. Unfortunately the dialogue tends to oversell this angle as Norman is forever fretting over whether or not he's incorrect about his devotion to reason and the significance of several events are spelled out for the viewers as if they were especially slow on the uptake. Still, there are some great lines in the film and many of the characters - particularly the women - are impossibly neurotic which makes the film a treat to watch. In fact, the females thoroughly dominate their male counterparts which is a refreshing take on the sexual dynamics of the era.
Reginald LeBorg once again does a MacGuyver with the production he was handed; the director proves his previous Inner Sanctum endeavor was no fluke. While the film is largely permeated by set-bound claustrophobia he does incorporate some outdoors shots and takes the audience on a tour of the Universal graveyard. The gist of the story is psychological in nature and LeBorg plays (some might say overplays) that card frequently with plenty of closeups, weird montages depicting troubled consciousness, and the whispering voiceover by Lon Chaney. His best work is reserved for the last 10 minutes as he builds a substantial atmosphere of tension that culminates in a satisfactory payoff. While the cynical would argue this is a camp classic - and it is, for sure - LeBorg crafts a fun film that entertains.
One of the director's top achievements here is the wonderful ensemble performance he elicits from his cast. Anne Gwynne gives a fine account of herself as the superstitious Paula who truly believes in voodoo magic and uses it only to protect. Ms. Gwynne successfully transitions through a cornucopia of emotions including naïveté, devotion, desperation, and finally hysteria. On hand to push her over the edge is the magnificent Elisabeth Russell as the manipulative Evelyn who drives her timid husband to ruin and sets her sights on poor Paula before focusing on the root cause of the problems: Ilona. Ms. Russell is unparalleled in conveying menace with her eyes and is particularly unnerving in closeups. Anchoring the cast is Elisabeth Risden as the acerbic Dean of Women Grace Gunnison who delights in cutting people down to size while demonstrating a level-headedness not to be found anywhere else in Monroe College. Carving up a huge slice of camp is Lois Collier as Margaret who positively drools all over Norman and oversells every emotion. However, the undisputed queen of this lot is Evelyn Ankers as the devious Ilona Carr. Miss Ankers sheds her good girl persona and delivers arguably her finest screen rendition as the scheming librarian with the unrequited hots for Norman. She expertly spins a web of deception to ensnare her targets but is reduced to a hysterical wreck when the tables are turned on her. Miss Ankers is superb throughout; constructing an impressive characterization made all the more remarkable when contrasted to her frequent damsel-in-distress turns.
The foil for all the melodrama is the hilariously miscast Lon Chaney as Professor Norman Reed; in the realm of "so bad it's good" cinematic characterizations this ranks near the top. Norman is acclaimed as a mental giant; a brilliant intellectual with sexual charisma to burn. None of these characteristics can be found in Chaney's performance as he is manipulated and hoodwinked by all the aforementioned women while his thespian efforts are further tarnished by the droning, stream-of-consciousness narration. Furthermore he is gloomy, morose, and generally miserable throughout only coming to life when he manhandles Jennings a couple of times. Chaney was simply out of his depth portraying these cerebral characters and never is it more obvious than in this film. However, considering how enjoyably cheesy the movie is, the performance fits right in and is immensely entertaining.
Among those filling out the cast is Ralph Morgan as the henpecked Millard; he only has a few scenes and is a pitiable milquetoast for sure. Inhabiting the thankless role of Jennings who gets dumped by Lois Collier, manipulated by Evelyn Ankers, and roughed up by Lon Chaney is Phil Brown who makes you wonder how a dope like this could attract a fox like Margaret let alone get into college. Brown is best known as Uncle Owen from Star Wars although it would be nearly impossible to make that connection by watching this film. Rounding out the ensemble is 61 year old Harry Hayden as Professor Septimus Carr; in addition to the Hogwarts name he is uproariously supposed to be Evelyn Ankers brother!
In my opinion Weird Woman is easily the best and most engaging entry of the Inner Sanctum ledger. The source material no doubt contributes to its spookiness and the way it keeps you guessing about whether or not supernatural elements are at work is a slick touch. Director LeBorg makes a silk purse out of a sow's ear given his lack of resources and elicits (mostly) terrific performances from his cast. Fans of Evelyn Ankers no doubt will appreciate her performance in this atypical role, Elizabeth Russell proves she was one of the most malevolent character actresses of the 1940s, and Lon Chaney transcends his miscasting and keeps you riveted as one would enjoy a spectacular train wreck wherein no one was hurt or killed.
Professor Norman Reed (Chaney) is one of the big intellectual wheels on the Monroe College campus and gains fame with his book "Superstition Vs. Reason and Fact"; a dissertation on the foolishness of following pagan gods in the modern age. Curiously Reed is wed to Paula (Anne Gwynne), the daughter of a South Seas missionary, who wholeheartedly believes in the power of voodoo and, unbeknownst to Norman, practices it to protect them from their enemies. While there is plenty of intrigue on the campus their main adversary is college librarian Ilona Carr (Evelyn Ankers) who has always been hopelessly infatuated with Norman and now jealous of his bride. Through devious means Ilona poisons the minds of ambitious Evelyn Sawtelle (Elizabeth Russell) and her subjugated husband Millard (Ralph Morgan) who is up for the same sociology chairmanship as Norman. She also leads student David Jennings (Phil Brown) to believe his coed girlfriend Margaret (Lois Collier) is having an illicit relationship with Norman. When Norman discovers Paula's voodoo shrine that she believes is protecting them he forces her to destroy it and immediately thereafter the negative dominoes start to fall. Millard kills himself and Evelyn blames the Reeds, Margaret's unwanted romantic overtures toward Norman are callously rebuffed and he falls under suspicion of improprieties, and Jennings goes gunning (literally) for Norman which results in the young man being fatally shot in a scuffle with him. Perhaps the Reeds were being protected by voodoo spells after all . . .
The screenplay for Weird Woman was penned by Brenda Weisberg based off the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber, Jr. The screenwriter had plenty of spooky material to work with and conjures up an engaging narrative that cleverly leaves the viewer wondering if supernatural forces are at play. Unfortunately the dialogue tends to oversell this angle as Norman is forever fretting over whether or not he's incorrect about his devotion to reason and the significance of several events are spelled out for the viewers as if they were especially slow on the uptake. Still, there are some great lines in the film and many of the characters - particularly the women - are impossibly neurotic which makes the film a treat to watch. In fact, the females thoroughly dominate their male counterparts which is a refreshing take on the sexual dynamics of the era.
Reginald LeBorg once again does a MacGuyver with the production he was handed; the director proves his previous Inner Sanctum endeavor was no fluke. While the film is largely permeated by set-bound claustrophobia he does incorporate some outdoors shots and takes the audience on a tour of the Universal graveyard. The gist of the story is psychological in nature and LeBorg plays (some might say overplays) that card frequently with plenty of closeups, weird montages depicting troubled consciousness, and the whispering voiceover by Lon Chaney. His best work is reserved for the last 10 minutes as he builds a substantial atmosphere of tension that culminates in a satisfactory payoff. While the cynical would argue this is a camp classic - and it is, for sure - LeBorg crafts a fun film that entertains.
One of the director's top achievements here is the wonderful ensemble performance he elicits from his cast. Anne Gwynne gives a fine account of herself as the superstitious Paula who truly believes in voodoo magic and uses it only to protect. Ms. Gwynne successfully transitions through a cornucopia of emotions including naïveté, devotion, desperation, and finally hysteria. On hand to push her over the edge is the magnificent Elisabeth Russell as the manipulative Evelyn who drives her timid husband to ruin and sets her sights on poor Paula before focusing on the root cause of the problems: Ilona. Ms. Russell is unparalleled in conveying menace with her eyes and is particularly unnerving in closeups. Anchoring the cast is Elisabeth Risden as the acerbic Dean of Women Grace Gunnison who delights in cutting people down to size while demonstrating a level-headedness not to be found anywhere else in Monroe College. Carving up a huge slice of camp is Lois Collier as Margaret who positively drools all over Norman and oversells every emotion. However, the undisputed queen of this lot is Evelyn Ankers as the devious Ilona Carr. Miss Ankers sheds her good girl persona and delivers arguably her finest screen rendition as the scheming librarian with the unrequited hots for Norman. She expertly spins a web of deception to ensnare her targets but is reduced to a hysterical wreck when the tables are turned on her. Miss Ankers is superb throughout; constructing an impressive characterization made all the more remarkable when contrasted to her frequent damsel-in-distress turns.
The foil for all the melodrama is the hilariously miscast Lon Chaney as Professor Norman Reed; in the realm of "so bad it's good" cinematic characterizations this ranks near the top. Norman is acclaimed as a mental giant; a brilliant intellectual with sexual charisma to burn. None of these characteristics can be found in Chaney's performance as he is manipulated and hoodwinked by all the aforementioned women while his thespian efforts are further tarnished by the droning, stream-of-consciousness narration. Furthermore he is gloomy, morose, and generally miserable throughout only coming to life when he manhandles Jennings a couple of times. Chaney was simply out of his depth portraying these cerebral characters and never is it more obvious than in this film. However, considering how enjoyably cheesy the movie is, the performance fits right in and is immensely entertaining.
Among those filling out the cast is Ralph Morgan as the henpecked Millard; he only has a few scenes and is a pitiable milquetoast for sure. Inhabiting the thankless role of Jennings who gets dumped by Lois Collier, manipulated by Evelyn Ankers, and roughed up by Lon Chaney is Phil Brown who makes you wonder how a dope like this could attract a fox like Margaret let alone get into college. Brown is best known as Uncle Owen from Star Wars although it would be nearly impossible to make that connection by watching this film. Rounding out the ensemble is 61 year old Harry Hayden as Professor Septimus Carr; in addition to the Hogwarts name he is uproariously supposed to be Evelyn Ankers brother!
In my opinion Weird Woman is easily the best and most engaging entry of the Inner Sanctum ledger. The source material no doubt contributes to its spookiness and the way it keeps you guessing about whether or not supernatural elements are at work is a slick touch. Director LeBorg makes a silk purse out of a sow's ear given his lack of resources and elicits (mostly) terrific performances from his cast. Fans of Evelyn Ankers no doubt will appreciate her performance in this atypical role, Elizabeth Russell proves she was one of the most malevolent character actresses of the 1940s, and Lon Chaney transcends his miscasting and keeps you riveted as one would enjoy a spectacular train wreck wherein no one was hurt or killed.