lugonian
WEIRD WOMAN (Universal, 1944), directed by Reginald LeBorg, is the second of the "Inner Sanctum" mysteries based on the radio series owned and copyrighted by Simon and Schuster Publishers to star Lon Chaney Jr. (billed as Lon Chaney). Aside from a movie title that could easily be confused with that of COBRA WOMAN (Universal, 1944), which also features Lon Chaney in support to Maria Montez and Jon Hall, it's somewhat of an awkward title for a character supposedly that of a young girl raised on the South Seas islands whose practices in voodoo rituals to be suspected of witchcraft and murder.Following the fade-in of a man's head seemingly floating inside a crystal ball introducing himself as saying, "This is the Inner Santum, the fantastic world controlled by mass of living, cult seeking flesh. The mind, it destroys, distracts, creates monsters. Yes, even you, without knowing, can commit murder," the story introduces Norman Reed, a college professor, who, late at night, receiving a telephone call from Evelyn (Elisabeth Russell) informing him that his wife, Paula (Anne Gwynne), supposedly asleep for the night, to be seen rushing home. Pretending to be in bed asleep, Norman returns to his study recalling his initial meeting with Paula on the South Seas island among the natives dancing to the music of "the dance of death" while venturing there for the thesis of his book. Learning Paula to be the daughter of his deceased friend, Professor Clayton, and raised by a priestess, the two get better acquainted, return home to the states with Paula. Coming to Monroe University where he teaches, Norman introduces his new bride to the staff, including Ilona Carr (Evelyn Ankers), a college librarian in love with Norman, who's not please by the news. With the success of his published book, "Superstition vs. Reason and Fact," a series of unforeseen circumstances occur to disrupt Norman's marriage, including the mysterious suicide of Norman's friend, Professor Millard Sawtelle (Ralph Morgan); numerous "death chant" phone calls to Paula; Norman's arrest for David Jennings (Philip Brown) death in self-defense; and poisonous thoughts through the minds of others, including Sawtelle's widow, Evelyn, who strongly suspects the "witch wife" Paula to be responsible.Possibly the best, or at least, one of the best in the "Inner Sanctum" unit, other than having the doll-faced Anne Gwynne and Evelyn Ankers on equal status under Lon Chaney, it's Ankers, Chaney's frequent co-star ("The Wolf Man" (1941), "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942), "Son of Dracula" (1943), who gets the most attention with her performance, and one of the very few to showcase her so well. Elizabeth Russell, better known for her cat-like facial features that offered frightening moments in Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE (RKO Radio, 1942), also gets an honorable mention here as well. Among others in the cast include: Elisabeth Risdon (Grace Gunnison); Harry Hayden (Professor Septimus Carr, Ilona's brother); Lois Collier (Margaret Mercer, a student with a crush on Norman working as his assistant, which has her jealous boyfriend, David Jennings, angry enough to want to kill him); and of course, the uncredited David Hoffman as the introducer as "The Inner Sanctum." Surprisingly short at 64 minutes, which could have gone a little bit longer, WEIRD WOMAN, with its eerie underscoring, Chaney's narrative train of thought, and what's to occur one minute past midnight, makes this a very well-paced mystery with some horror overtones to highly recommend.This, and the other five "Inner Sanctum" Lon Chaney mysteries, which usually played on broadcast television as part of horror fest during and prior to the 1970s, was reportedly remade years later as BURN, WITCH, BURN (American International, 1962) starring Janet Blair and Peter Wyngade. Distributed to home video in 1998 on a double bill to THE FROZEN GHOST (1945), the last of the Chaney-Ankers collaborations, WEIRD WOMAN is also available as a three film package ("Calling Doctor Death" and "Dead Man's Eyes") on DVD. Next in the "Inner Sanctum" series, DEAD MAN'S EYES (1944). (***)
Scott LeBrun
"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.
