According to cranky old goat George Cleveland, the Kincaid house is filled with ghosts, some of whom he obviously thinks are still alive. That includes his imperious sister, Clara Blandick, who acts like she runs the county and would like to see Lon Chaney Jr. to the sheriff's and make sure he's destroyed. The victim is the wife of Chaney, who has been dating Brenda Joyce (Cleveland and Blandick's niece) behind his wife's back. Having wanted a divorce, he's spared from that thanks to the wife's timely demise. All of these characters (plus a few more) become suspects, and thanks to an amusing script, this final "Inner Sanctum" film is a treat.
The set of the Kincaid home is very familiar from many other Universal films, including some of their classic horror films. Of the "Inner Sanctum" films, this is the closest to a horror film, with the ghostly element bringing along a spooky pacing, complete with strange laughter, the crackle of moving chains in the attic, and insinuations of the family's shady past. Blandick is delightfully imperious, a far cry from her strict but loving Auntie Em in "The Wizard of Oz". It's also her last extremely large part in a film, and she chews it up delightfully. Cleveland is a lovable delight, arguing with his sister as if they were still teenagers.
A reunion for Chaney and Joyce after "Strange illusion", this is one film where I didn't find Chaney ridiculously miscast as a romantic character. He's just part of the ensemble here, given as much as everybody else, and strictly part of the ensemble. J. Edward Bromberg plays an expert on matters of the spirits of the dead, while Rosalind Ivan is coldly polite but less outspoken as a distant Kincaid relative obviously mooching off the family. There's also an eerie seance, complete with ghostly voice. The "Inner Sanctum" series may not be filled wiry masterpieces but at least it ended with a fairly enjoyable finale.
The set of the Kincaid home is very familiar from many other Universal films, including some of their classic horror films. Of the "Inner Sanctum" films, this is the closest to a horror film, with the ghostly element bringing along a spooky pacing, complete with strange laughter, the crackle of moving chains in the attic, and insinuations of the family's shady past. Blandick is delightfully imperious, a far cry from her strict but loving Auntie Em in "The Wizard of Oz". It's also her last extremely large part in a film, and she chews it up delightfully. Cleveland is a lovable delight, arguing with his sister as if they were still teenagers.
A reunion for Chaney and Joyce after "Strange illusion", this is one film where I didn't find Chaney ridiculously miscast as a romantic character. He's just part of the ensemble here, given as much as everybody else, and strictly part of the ensemble. J. Edward Bromberg plays an expert on matters of the spirits of the dead, while Rosalind Ivan is coldly polite but less outspoken as a distant Kincaid relative obviously mooching off the family. There's also an eerie seance, complete with ghostly voice. The "Inner Sanctum" series may not be filled wiry masterpieces but at least it ended with a fairly enjoyable finale.