Weird Woman (1944) User Reviews

A Woman Scorned..........

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 3 October 2006]

"Weird Woman" was the second of six "Inner Sanctum" mysteries adapted from the popular radio series of the day produced in 1943-45 by Universal and starring Lon Chaney Jr.

In this installment we begin with the young wife, Paula Reed (Anne Gwynne) of College Professor Norman Ried (Chaney), returning home in the middle of the night from an unknown destination. Reed is concerned about her irrational behavior. We then flashback to their initial meeting on an unnamed tropical island. It seems that Paula had been raised by a group that were involved in some sort of witchcraft and voodoo.

Norman and Paula marry and return to Norman's home in the US. They attend a welcome home party where Norman introduces the people to his new bride. Totally surprised is Ilona Carr (Evelyn Ankers) who thought that she had been the apple of Norman's eye. Others at the party who welcome Norman's new bride are Professor Millard Sawtelle (Ralph Morgan) and his wife Evelyn (Elizabeth Russell), the Dean of Reed's college, Septimus Carr (Harry Hayden), Ilona's brother and Norman's ally, Women's Dean, Grace Gunnison (Elisabeth Risdon).

Scorned by Reed's rejection of her, Ilona begins to lay a plan for his destruction. Meanwhile, Reed has become a successful author and scholar. Ilona meanwhile convinces the wimpish Professor Sawtelle that Reed is planning to expose him for plagiarizing a thesis in order to write his own successful book. Sawtelle becomes despondent and commits suicide. His wife blames Reed for causing her husband's suicide.

A young hero worshiping student Margaret Mercer (Lois Collier) goes to work for Reed and develops a crush on him. Her boyfriend David Jennings (Phil Brown) becomes insanely jealous and Ilona uses this to her advantage.

Reed follows his wife on one of her late night outings to find out where she is going. What he finds out changes the whole course of the story and results in further tragedy.

Chaney as always is excellent. He made even a low budget feature such as this better just by his presence. Anne Gwynne is lovely as Chaney's mysterious wife. Evelyn Ankers, Universal's Queen of the "B" horror movies stands out as the scheming Ilona. And yes you do get to hear her trademark blood curdling scream over the course of the film. Ralph Morgan has little to do and is killed off far too early in the story. The under appreciated Elizabeth Russell (who had appeared in several Val Lewton films of the same period) with her scary eye piercing stare also stands out in the supporting cast.

Pretty good little mystery.

Engaging little thriller

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 26 December 2004]

A professor (Lon Chaney Jr.) at a college returns from a visit to a South Seas island with his native wife (Anne Gwynne). His ex girlfriend (Evelyn Ankers) is not pleased. Chaney makes his wife burn all her superstitous, good luck charms. Then everything in his life goes horribly wrong.

Fun movie. It's fast-moving and very interesting. Chaney is just so-so but Gwynne is beautiful and very good as his wife. The best performance is by Ankers--she was usually playing the "good girl" in pictures--here she plays the villain and she's just great! This is one of the few times she was allowed to show her acting ability.

This was remade as "Burn Witch Burn" in the 1960s. That was a better movie but this still is a neat little film. Recommended.

Weird Woman (1944) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 22 September 2006]

One of the better films in Universal's INNER SANCTUM series of mysteries to star Lon Chaney, and based on the novel CONJURE WIFE. As a suave and calculated writer of a recent book about dispelling false superstitions, Lon is married to a lovely young girl named Paula (the adorable Anne Gwynne) whom he first met at a voodoo ritual on an island some years ago and who is still interested in the occult, magic, and strange rituals. When all sorts of odd occurrences and deaths transpire, the blame is laid at the feet of the "witchy" Paula, much to her husband's chagrin.

This installment benefits from a good cast. Anne Gwynne has always received my vote for the most attractive of the '40s Universal babes, and Evelyn Ankers (THE WOLF MAN, THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN) is a close second and earns extra points in this one for portraying a baddie this time around, much against type. Elizabeth Russell turns in a strong and compelling performance. Director Reginald LeBorg makes good use of dark, windy nights and eerie atmosphere to nice effect. The subject was tackled again later for the 1962 British film BURN WITCH BURN. *** out of ****

Better than Average Inner Sanctum Mystery

[mlefkowitz · 8 February 2002]

Weird Woman was one of several mystery films with supernatural overtones shot by Universal in the 1940's starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as part of the Inner Sanctum series (using the title of the popular radio suspense program). Chaney was always the lead. This entry is probably the second best in the series surpassed only by Calling Dr. Death (1943), the first of the Inner Sanctum pictures. Weird Woman was based on Fritz Leiber's novel The Conjure Wife, a very good read which was later done on television with Larry Blyden. Chaney is a professor of sociology who has devoted his academic life to rational thought and logic and the fight against superstition, witchcraft and magic. When he marries an exotic young women who secretly practices sorcery and brings her back to his campus home, strange events are unleashed. The film captures the tensions and jealousies of the competing faculty members and their wives and is well acted by a strong cast including Anne Gwynne, Evelyn Ankers (often Chaney's leading lady), Ralph Morgan (the brother of Frank Morgan, the Wizard of Oz), and Elizabeth Russell. Chaney gives a compelling performance as the rational professor who suddenly finds his comfortable, logical world upset by superstition and witchcraft. The film is short, moves quickly, has a nice climax, and is fine as a "B" programmer. If you want to see how good Leiber's work really can be as a film, however, compare this 1944 version with the 1962 British remake Burn, Witch, Burn with Janet Blair which is is a truly intriguing and genuinely scary film.

Do you believe in voodoo?

[AAdaSC · 6/10 · 1 March 2010]

Professor Lon Chaney Jnr (Norman) returns from the jungle with his new wife Anne Gwynne (Paula). He slips back into life at the college but his wife has brought with her a multitude of voodoo trinkets. Two other women at the college, Elizabeth Russell (Evelyn) and Evelyn Ankers (Ilona), don't take kindly to Paula and her jungle ways. Two deaths follow and the guilty party must be brought to justice. Will superstition win the day and dish out some justice?

It's a well-paced film that has good performances from all, especially Elizabeth Russell. She is both funny and scary and has a very direct, no-nonsense approach which gives her the best lines. Evelyn Ankers is also good as Ilona. We know who the guilty party is as the film unfolds but this does not take any mystery away from the proceedings as we are never quite sure what to expect next. There is something lacking with the lead female role, though.

WEIRD WOMAN (Reginald LeBorg, 1944) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 10 November 2006]

This had always been the one "Inner Sanctum" I was most interested in because it was an adaptation of Fritz Leiber's "Conjure Wife", later filmed as a superior British horror film, NIGHT OF THE EAGLE aka BURN, WITCH, BURN! (1962). This version is highly enjoyable, even if some of the fun to be had is the result of its unexpected goofiness and campiness (at least when compared to the deadly serious 'remake'). The would-be sinister native rituals consist of nothing more than harmless Tahitian dancing and risible mumbo-jumbo! Lon Chaney's irresistibility to the female sex is unconvincingly stretched to no fewer than 3 women in the film when, ultimately, he is no more than an amiable beefcake of a leading man!

Still, the female roles here are surprisingly strong: Anne Gwynne (as Chaney's superstitious native wife), Elizabeth Risdon (as the acid-tongued Dean), Elizabeth Russell (as the ambitious wife of Chaney's senior colleague) and especially Evelyn Ankers (relishing a rare villainous role as Chaney's vengeful ex). Ralph Morgan (as Russell's ill-fated husband and Chaney's direct competitor) also makes a good impression. While the film is occasionally atmospheric, it suffers in comparison with NIGHT OF THE EAGLE and that film's memorable climax is sorely missed (especially since the supernatural element is heavily toned down here). A highlight of the film is Ankers' nightmarish vision as she is haunted by her victims into confessing her crimes.

P.S. As with the previous entry in the series, CALLING DR. DEATH (1943), the Ygor theme from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) is incorporated into the music score! By the way, am I the only one bothered by the fact that Chaney is billed merely as "Lon Chaney" rather than "Lon Chaney Jr." - or, for that matter, the fact that the credits merely state that the film is based on a story by Fritz Leiber without mentioning its actual title?

Lon Chaney, Jr. - The Love God

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 15 October 2007]

While doing field research, Professor Norman Reed (Lon Chaney, Jr.) meets and falls in love with a beautiful, exotic woman. He marries her and brings her home. Things couldn't be any better for the Professor. That is, until he discovers his wife is still practicing the voodoo type ceremonies of her homeland. He forbids her from carrying on with the superstitious mumbo-jumbo. But at what price? Professor Reed's life is suddenly turned upside-down and he faces the ultimate – a charge of murder. Is it the voodoo or something more close to home but equally sinister that threatens Professor Reed's future?

Of the six Inner Sanctum mysteries, Weird Woman is one of my favorites (Pillow of Death being the other). I suppose some who've seen the movie might think I've overrated it, but these kinds of movies work for me. Weird Woman is a quick-paced mystery that, at just over 60 minutes, never outstays its welcome. The "mystery" isn't really hard to figure out, but the all the back-stabbing and other trickery is a lot of fun. The cast is a blast. Besides Chaney, Weird Woman features some of the best females working in B-films of the 40s – Anne Gwynne, Evelyn Ankers, Lois Collier, and Elizabeth Russell. Overall, I've go very few complaints.

One thing that really puzzles me every time I've seen Weird Woman is the way the script has almost every female in the cast react to Chaney. Watching beautiful women like Gwynne, Ankers, and Collier swoon after Chaney is a hoot!

Hell hath no fury...

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 5 March 2023]

B-movie beauty Evelyn Ankers, so often the likeable heroine, plays the bad girl for a change, as a jealous ex-lover who doesn't take kindly to being rejected. When Professor Norman Reed (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns from a trip to the South Seas with island hottie Paula (Anne Gwynne) as his wife, college librarian Ilona Carr (Ankers) schemes to make the married couple's lives a misery, causing Norman to be blamed for the suicide of a colleague and for the accidental death of a hot-headed student. Wicked Illona also plots to scare superstitious Paula with menacing phone calls.

Part of Universal's 'Inner Sanctum' series of thrillers based on a popular radio series, Weird Woman is a fatuous piece of melodramatic hokum -- dressed up with a little voodoo and jungle magic to try and appeal to the horror crowd -- that expects the viewer to believe that Lon Chaney Jr. Is a total fanny magnet, with hot women falling at his feet. I can barely accept Chaney as an actor, let alone as the object of desire for so many babes. Even more unbelievable than Chaney's sex appeal is the final act, in which Carr is tricked into believing that she is under a voodoo curse and will die if she doesn't confess her crimes. From cool and calculating to totally irrational and fear-stricken, it's all very silly, and ends with a fitting demise for the wicked woman that suggests that supernatural powers have been in play all along, despite Norman's affirmation that magic and voodoo are pure nonsense.

All star Universal starlet horror chiller

[jharding44 · 9/10 · 30 March 2005]

Universal's Inner Sanctum mystery series gets a lift with not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE horror queens from this genre: Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne, Lois Collier, newcomer Kay (Jackie Lou)Harding, and borrowed from Val Lewton's RKO unit, Elizabeth Russell. Ankers, Gwynne and Collier all privately joked about the script which had them all competing for Chaney's affections, when in 'real life' Chaney was not any of the girls' favorite leading man; Ankers and Gwynne, being best friends, would constantly break up laughing during filming because the script had Ankers being so mean to Gwynne. The end result of filming shows none of the comedic goings-on and the mystery-chiller is a high camp surprise that only Universal could produce. Reginald LeBorg directed and according to Gwynne was a good sport dealing with the 'break-ups' between her and Ankers during filming. Flavorful music, very familiar to Universal horror fans, and spooky autumn-like surroundings on a dark college campus add to the suspense. Definitely the BEST of the Inner Sanctum series from Universal.

A surprisingly tolerable yarn.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 6/10 · 18 May 2017]

"The Inner Sanctum" films usually failed to live up to anyone's expectations. Out of the six movies made from this series, only two are worth bothering with. "Weird Woman" is a pretty good one. Once again, Lon Chaney Jnr is the leading man as he plays a college professor who is the subject and target for petty jealousy and bigotry from his colleagues and students. As a result of this, his wife employs Witchcraft so as to protect her husband.

Evelyn Ankers is completely cast against type as the main villain of the piece. She plays her role well.

Do you believe in voodoo in a young girl's heart

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 31 January 2015]

These Inner Sanctum stories that Lon Chaney, Jr. starred in over at Universal Pictures are the only ones out there where he actually gets the girl. He usually didn't star in parts that called for him getting the girl. But not only does he get the girl in this case Anne Gwynne, but he's got women falling all over the place for him including Evelyn Ankers, Elizabeth Russell, and even the Dean of Women in the college where Chaney plays an archeology professor Elizabeth Risdon gives him the old fish eye.

Chaney tells this one in flashback as he describes bringing home a bride from the South Seas. It's Gwynne who is the daughter of a colleague, but was raised by the witch practitioner on the island and taught all the voodoo tricks of the trade. Not exactly material to be in the faculty wives club.

Anyway Chaney gives the air to Evelyn Ankers and Evelyn ain't about to take being dumped lying down.

No use in going through the rest of the film as bad things start happening to folks around the campus. It's pretty obvious who's responsible.

In a camp sort of way Weird Woman is a whole lot of fun.

Must Have Been Plenty of Weird Women Around In The 1940's If They Thought The Wolfman Was Sexy!

[oldblackandwhite · 8/10 · 27 July 2011]

Well, Lon Chaney Jr. that is. After being cast as various monsters, most famously The Wolfman, and a moron in Of Mice And Men, Chaney must have found temporary relief the Inner Sanctum series of second feature mystery potboilers, in which he was the sophisticated leading man, nattily dressed and sporting a pencil-line mustache like Errol Flynn. And he's surprisingly believable in this mode. Just goes to show you how those 1940's pinstriped, double-breasted suits with padded shoulders could spruce up any mug. Considering Chaney's bulk, just picture what an unbelievable sex symbol he would have made dressed like the average young to middle age guy now -- with a goofy tee shirt, knobby knees showing beneath baggy shorts, with a ball cap on backwards like the dumbest of the Bowery Boys! Thank God for the old black and white movies when men dressed like men instead of overgrown Beaver Cleavers! But I digress...

In Weird Woman, Chaney is a suave college professor, the love idol of not just one, but three beautiful babes -- Anne Gwynne, Evelyn Ankers, and Lois Collier. Gwynne is his wife, a pretty, young half-savage he has brought back from a sociology study in the South Seas. The orphan of another professor, she was brought up by the savages, unfortunately with all their heathen superstitions, something of a problem for the logic-minded prof. Even more of a problem is the bimbo co-ed Collier, who has a serious crush on him. Biggest problem of all is Ankers, the librarian he had been using before he brought the little brown babe home, now as the bimbo describes her, "a jealous old cat." Ankers, scheming for revenge, is behind all the mischief that occurs -- not a spoiler, this is known all along. How all this unfolds, how it affects the professor, his superstitious wife, and the rest of the campus, and the way the villainess gets her comeuppance is all very suspenseful and entertaining.

Even more entertaining is how well the authors of this story (Fritz Leiber Jr novel, Scott Darling adaptation) understand and reveal the cut-throat inner dynamic of a college faculty. Real life professors and administrators and their spouses may find their portrayal as snippy, catty, licentious, insecure, and overly competitive uncomfortably close to home! If this movie were remade today, no doubt the much adored professor would be a woman, still with the pin-stripe suit -- but the spurned librarian would still be one, too! Changing times, changing times! But it wouldn't be such good a movie in any way, even with a zillion-dollar budget and the top "talent" available today.

Weird Woman, along with the other 5 low-budget pictures in the Inner Sanctum series, is a good example of how the big studios of Old Hollywood without halfway trying could turn out entertaining, good-looking movies. All well-acted by Chaney and the other second tier actors involved, artistically filmed with lots of spooky night scenes, well directed with an intense psychological angle, scored with appropriately eerie music by Roy Web, all maintaining a fun creepy atmosphere throughout. Great little filler movies, the longest only 67 minutes. If you like the first one you watch, have a double feature!

"Ilona, there's something about your smile right now that makes me think of Jack the Ripper."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 25 March 2014]

While on a South Seas island, Professor Norman Reed (Lon Chaney, Jr.) meets and falls in love with beautiful but superstitious Paula Clayton (Anne Gwynne). The two marry and return home where Reed's career quickly flourishes. Soon, Reed discovers his wife has brought her island's voodoo practices home with her. When he makes her stop, bad things start to happen to him.

The second in Universal's fun Inner Sanctum series starring Chaney. This one has an excellent supporting cast, led by Evelyn Ankers in a rare villainous role as Chaney's witchy ex-girlfriend Ilona. Ankers seems to be having a lot of fun with the part. Wait til you see her final scene! Anne Gwynne and Lois Collier join Ankers as the movie's trio of lovely actresses. The rest of the cast includes Ralph Morgan, Elisabeth Risdon, Harry Hayden, and Val Lewton regular Elizabeth Russell. They're all great. The novel on which this is based, "Conjure Wife," would be adapted again with the sixties classic Night of the Eagle (aka Burn, Witch, Burn!). Weird Woman is another cool Inner Sanctum movie. Definitely check it out and see the whole series as they are all fun.

A.V. Boy is disappointed

[a.v. boy · 5/10 · 15 March 1999]

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, or maybe the fact that my viewing companion fell asleep colored my opinion. By all rights, this ponderously self-important "B" picture should be a side-splitter. The semi-creepy plot about primitive superstition and the power of suggestion is lame and stale and the stuff of chuckle-material. The staging, blocking, and shooting of the film are all clumsy tired techniques even for the day. Throw in the single-take look of each shot, with the actors reading their lines like they're in a hurry to get to lunch, and it should be a real howl! Maybe the problem was that I felt bad for Lon Chaney Jr, one of my favorite monster-movie greats, playing an absolutely straight part with no direction and looking a bit lost.

Liked it.

[cliff-p · 10 October 2002]

After 40-odd years of watching horror films,I finally caught up with this one. My expectations were not high and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the opening satisfyingly creepy as the movie is liberally larded with all the necessary elements of the genre e.g. howling wind, "haunted house" organ music, Lon Chaney's thoughts vouchsafed to us in the form of voice-overs etc etc. I thought the tension was maintained throughout the film, with the exception of the jungle scenes which are dopey.The ending is fantastic but appropriate. The companion feature on the video, "The Frozen Ghost", I thought was dull.

Another excellent Inner Sanctum mystery

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 August 2008]

In the 1940s, Universal Pictures made a nice series of mysteries under the umbrella of "The Inner Sanctum" films. Each starred Lon Chaney, Jr. and were nice little mystery films--especially good since they were B-movies--with a lower budget and pretensions since they were intended as a second film in a double-feature.

In this film, Chaney is a Sociology professor who meets a woman on a South Pacific island. Oddly, while everyone there looks Polynesian, she looks like Rita Hayworth's sister--with very white skin and 1940s American style hair! Despite bad casting, the film mostly has to do with Chaney and his bride's life once they return to his university in the States. It's obvious that Chaney's old girlfriend is an evil shrew and she spends most of the movie treating the newlyweds horribly. In response, the bride decides to use her island magic to protect them. However, when the scientifically minded Chaney finds out, he destroys her trinkets and immediately bad things begin to happen! How all this is worked out made me very happy--as the film didn't take a cheap or easy way out and created a very good mystery with a fitting conclusion. A very good film from a very good series.

By the way, this film is one of six that have been released on DVD--with three episodes on each DVD. This is from Disk 1 and also includes DEAD MAN'S EYES and CALLING DR. DEATH (a great title)--both of which are of comparable quality. I strongly recommend you see the series and if you like it, also try Columbia Pictures' WHISTLER series--as it's very similar in style.

Weaving her dread spell of voodoo!

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 20 May 2012]

"Weird Woman" is the second in the "Inner Sanctum" film series, an adaptation of the Fritz Leiber, Jr. story "Conjure Wife". It's good fun in the tradition of the Universal black & white thrillers, taking a psychological approach to its story of college campus politics.

Lon Chaney, Jr. is likable as always in the role of Professor Norman Reed, who meets a lovely young woman, Paula (Anne Gwynne), in an exotic setting. The young woman is extremely superstitious, and it's suspected later that she could be using black magic to help Norman, whom she marries, to get ahead. It turns out that somebody else is scheming, and scheming, to make life Hell for both Norman and Paula.

Now, anybody watching can easily figure out Whodunit, but as directed by Reginald Le Borg, this entertaining little movie moves right along, with some amusing plot twists and supporting characters. Evelyn Ankers, who'd been Chaney's co-star in the horror classic "The Wolf Man", does well here in a change of pace role as a colleague with whom Norman had been involved. It's particularly interesting to note all of the attention Chaney gets from the opposite sex here, as no less than three females, including Lois Collier as adoring student Margaret Mercer, fixate on him.

The theme is a pretty good one, of superstition vs. reason; Paula takes the former so seriously that it's devastating for her when Norman forces her to destroy her totems. She and Norman eventually have to work to clear his good name when he's implicated in both a suicide and a murder. The movie overall is no great shakes, but it's still an agreeable diversion, and like many of the genre films of the era, it has a reasonably short running time, telling and wrapping up its story in a trim 64 minutes.

The same story would again be filmed as "Burn, Witch, Burn" in the 1960s and "Witches' Brew" in the 1980s.

Seven out of 10.

Reason against superstition - and jealousy...

[binapiraeus · 7/10 · 5 April 2014]

This second entry in the "Inner Sanctum" mystery series isn't quite as hauntingly gloomy and at the same time cruelly realistic as the first one, "Calling Dr. Death" - but it's certainly filled to the brim with jealousy, Shakespeare's 'green-eyed monster', that can bring MUCH more evil to people than any other feeling...

It all starts when good-natured, popular and successful college professor Reed returns from a South Sea Island trip - with a brand new wife, a white girl that was brought up with the Polynesian superstitions; and although Reed is a strong believer in reason and has written whole books against superstition, he can't get Paula to give up her belief in those voodoo-like traditions... And his friends (most of all Ilona, his former girlfriend) see her as a dangerous intruder into the 'peaceful' world of Monroe College - and as a witch! And soon, tragic events start happening that seem to confirm everyone's suspicions about Paula - or perhaps there's ANOTHER kind of 'witch' at work here?

Although it's a little bit over the top at some points, "Weird Woman" certainly gives us a VERY clear and merciless picture about what disasters negative emotions can create - and it also gives Evelyn Ankers, Lon Chaney Jr.'s co-star once more, a chance to show a QUITE different shade of her acting range; probably one of her best performances ever, along with an overall brilliant cast. A 'weird' picture maybe - but surely a MOST suspenseful and fascinating one!

The second of the "Inner Sanctum's", or as I call it, "The Whisperer".

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 19 March 2017]

If you ever want to drive somebody temporarily crazy, try speaking to them in the loudest or deepest voice whisper, that you can muster. It's especially effective if they have a slight hangover and is more effective than nails down a chalkboard. That's the effect of Lon Chaney Jr. in the series of psychological thrillers that Universal made six of in the mid 1940's. Back then, they were considered creative in the technical achievements they helped advance, practically film noir like, but the plots are over the top, melodramatic and often silly. This entry starts off with promise but then quickly becomes a twisted example of hatred and bigotry.

One note Chaney is a college professor who marries the exotic Anne Gwynne much to the chagrin of the bitchy Evelyn Bankers. This could have been called "Voodoo Woman" (to play on a double bill with Monogram's "Voodoo Man", released the same year), for that is the subject of this entry. It's a fairly decent programmer featuring a great supporting cast (aming them Ralph Morgan, Elisabeth Risdon and Elizabeth Russell) as the uppity college faculty and their spouses who are polite on the surface towards Gwynne but consider her "weird". I find it funny that co-eds have crushes on Chaney, and some of the college kids look as if they should have graduated years before.

As the intrigue grows over Gwynne's presence on campus (including a sudden death where another character starts repeating to Chaney and Gwynne over and over, "Murderer!"), the script just melts down into silly serial like antics. Chaney discovers Gwynne with her voodoo gadgets and this leads to an apparent subterfuge against the new bride. As Chaney continues to whisper (while hitting a punching bag and visualizes jungle drums), the plot takes wilder twists, with Elizabeth Russell (the nasty aged wife in "The Corpse Vanishes") ranting and raving at Gwynne and acting quite ridiculous. This just becomes laughable by the last two reels, and from there descends quickly down. The civilized women prove themselves to be far weirder than Gwynne, completely missing the point of the title.

The woman who lied....

[simeon_flake · 9/10 · 3 March 2015]

I have to say, I'm a big fan of these Inner Sanctum mysteries. For the most part, they are better than average--I would even say they are excellent little chillers & "Weird Woman" is one of the best.

Lon Chaney--taking a respite from his monster roles--gets a rare opportunity at being a leading man. Some will debate whether Chaney had the looks or the ability to play such parts, but I think he did an excellent job with nearly all the Inner Sanctum roles he was given. Of course, I'm a big fan of Lon since my early childhood--so maybe my opinion is a little biased.

Chaney seemed to want more of these leading man type roles during this point in his career, but seemed to get mostly typecast as a "horror man" which may have attributed to some of his personal demons--not to mention the shadow of his late father. Of course, those horror roles for which he was typed led to Lon becoming immortal for generations of fans--moreso than probably a lot of the guys who were playing romantic leads during Chaney's career.

Getting back to "Weird Woman", Anne Gwynne was always one of my favorite 1940s beauties, Evelyn Ankers is as pretty as ever--not to mention diabolical--and the supporting cast for this picture may be the best assembled for any of the Inner Sanctum films (Strange Confession boasts a first rate cast as well).

Overall--if you're a Lon Chaney fan or just a fan of the old Universal classics in general--then I would say all 6 of the Inner Sanctum mysteries are required viewing.

8.5 out of 10....

"Ilona, there's something about your smile right now that makes me think of Jack the Ripper"

[boscofl · 7/10 · 4 October 2022]

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.

Superstition vs. Reason and Fact

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 17 January 2023]

This film begins with a college professor by the name of "Norman Reed" (Lon Chaney Jr.) going on vacation in the South Seas after having just written a book debunking magic and superstition. While on one of the islands, he happens to meet a young woman named "Paula" (Anne Gwynne) whose father had died several years earlier while working on the island as an anthropologist. That being said, since she had been adopted by one of the village shamans, she was steeped in the folklore and traditions and was raised to believe in magic. Be that as it may, Norman falls in love with her and, just before returning to the United States, they get married. Needless to say, when he eventually arrives back at the college, the news of his marriage--along with the success of his book--creates quite a stir with his colleagues. However, not everybody is ecstatic about his return--with his former girlfriend "Ilona Carr" (Evelyn Ankers) being especially jealous of his new wife. So, when she discovers that Paula is quite superstitious, she uses that to create all kinds of problems from that point on. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film started off quite well but, unfortunately, it went off the rails toward the end which left me somewhat disappointed. Even so, I still found the movie somewhat entertaining, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Inner Sanctum film noir. Jealousy and superstition.

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 11 April 2017]

Reginald Le Borg directs this horror and mystery film from the Inner Sanctum franchise. Professor Norman Reed (Lon Chaney, Jr.) falls in love with a beautiful woman, he meets while on vacation in the South Seas. He returns to his college community to some excitement over his new book and mixed emotions about his exotic new wife Paula (Anne Gwynne). She is given a cool reception, especially from Ilona (Evelyn Ankers), who thought Reed was returning to her. Most of the town is thinking that Paula is a voodoo princess that can conjure supernatural phenomena. Jealousy, death and strange events lend to hardship for the island beauty to adjust to life among vicious suspicions. Is she actually a superstitious witch? A very strong cast also features: Ralph Morgan, Lois Collier, Phil Brown, Harry Hayden, Elisabeth Risdon and Gertrude Astor.

Second Inner Sanctum Mystery.

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 26 October 2013]

Lon Chaney Jr. plays college professor Norman Reed, who is visiting a South Seas island researching his new book, when he chances upon meeting the daughter(played by Anne Gwynne) of a former(now deceased) colleague, who has joined a native(and superstitious) tribe. He marries her and takes her back home to his college, where he and his book are welcomed back warmly, though an old flame(played by Evelyn Ankers) is dismayed by the new wife, and begins a subtle campaign of vengeance to drive her away, though she underestimates the power of "voodoo magic" and belief... Pretty good film has fine acting(especially Ankers) and an imaginative script, leading to a most clever ending, even if it's too short to fully realize its potential.

There's something about your smile that makes me think of Jack the Ripper

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 15 February 2016]

***SPOILERS**** Where introduced to this weird movie by what looks like a talking head-David Hoffman-trapped inside a fishbowl that tells us to expect the worst in human depravity as well as murder in the tale that he, or it, is about to tell us. This has to do with Monroe Collage sociology professor "Handsome Norman" Reed, Lon Chaney Jr., who's wife Paula, Anne Gwynne, that he met married and brought back to the states from a far off south sea island has been acting strange lately on her midnight excursions in the wilds. It turns out that Paula has been practicing voodoo that if found out can have her committed as well as cost him his job.

It turns out that and old flame of Reed's his secretary Ilona Karr, Evelyn Ankers, is out to expose Paula's strange behavior to the collage board and have Reed canned from his job as an act of revenge in him dropping her for the younger and far more prettier Paula. Ilona goes so far as getting 18 year old student Margaret Murcer, Louis Collier, who's got a crush on Reed to work as his new secretary. Ilona knowing that the love sick Margaret will end up making a pass at him and by the straight as an arrow Reed not responding to it will get a heart broken Margaret to charged him with sexual harassment for turning her down. To make things even worse for Prof. Reed Ilona spreads a rumor that he planted the story that his fellow professor Millard Sawtelle, Ralph Morgan, plagiarized his PHD thesis causing him to flip out and end up killing himself.

***SPOILERS**** The last straw in this weird tale of the unhinged is Margaret's jealous boyfriend collage student David Jennings, Phil Brown, trying to get even with Reeed for stealing, and later kicking out of his office, his girlfriend who in a life and death struggle with Reed ends up getting shot and killed by his own hand with Reed, who was just defending himself, charged with David's murder! It was the supernatural that evened things out here with Ilona who felt that she was in control being cursed through Paula's voodoo rituals that ended with her not only being exposed in all the crazy things that happened in the movie but also paying for what she did with her life.