Weird Woman *** (1944, Lon Chaney Jr, Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne, Ralph Morgan, Elizabeth Risdon, Lois Collier, Kay Harding, Elizabeth Russell) – Classic Movie Review 3,767

‘DOES VOODOO DEATH STRIKE FROM HER ARMS?’ The amusing and campy 1944 Inner Sanctum series mystery thriller Weird Woman stars Lon Chaney Jr as a professor who marries an exotic woman believed to be a supernatural being.

Director Reginald Le Borg’’s 1944 Universal Pictures film noir mystery and horror thriller Weird Woman is the second Inner Sanctum series entry starring Lon Chaney Jr, this time as Professor Norman Reed, plus the welcome addition of five horror queens: Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne, Lois Collier, Kay Harding [Jackie Lou Harding] and Elizabeth Russell.

Voodoo-style dirty deeds and deaths appear to follow professor Chaney Jr’s lovely exotic native bride Paula (Anne Gwynne), whom he has brought back from a Pacific South Seas island. It turns out she was raised by superstitious natives who believe she’s a supernatural being. But is she really to blame for the dirty deeds and deaths?

This oddball Inner Sanctum radio series horror (based on Fritz Leiber Jr’s novel Conjure Wife) offers only the tamest of thrills or chills, though it is still quite atmospheric, spooky and suspenseful. And it stays amusing and good campy fun thanks to the weird script plus the entertaining turns from Chaney Jr, Gwynne and villainess Evelyn Ankers, as Prof Reed’s vengeful old flame.

Prof Norman Reed: ‘Oh honey, you’re gonna drive us both mad with these foolish superstitions of yours.’

Dean Grace Gunnison: ‘Ilona, there’s something about your smile right now that makes me think of Jack the Ripper.’

Real life best friends Ankers and Gwynne constantly broke into laughter during filming because the script made Ankers very mean to Gwynne. Ankers recalled playing a villain difficult: she would try to put on a menacing look, but she and Gwynne would start laughing. Universal refrained from asking her to play a villain again.

It was remade in Britain as Night of the Eagle (Burn, Witch, Burn!) in 1962. and again (uncredited) as Witches’ Brew (1980) with Richard Benjamin, Teri Garr, and Lana Turner.

The series of six Inner Sanctum low-budget Universal movies starring Lon Chaney Jr and based on the popular radio show that aired from January 7 1941 to October 5 1952 are: Calling Dr Death (1943), Weird Woman (1944), Dead Man’s Eyes (1944), The Frozen Ghost (1945), Strange Confession (1945) and Pillow of Death (1945).

Inner Sanctum was created by producer Himan Brown and 526 episodes were broadcast.

Le Borg recalled getting the script on a Friday and being told to begin shooting a week from Monday, while casting was done. This rushed production schedule was regular at Universal.

Inner Sanctum films cost about $150,000 and shot in 12 days.

Conjure Wife is the first novel by Fritz Leiber Jr, first published in the April 1943 edition of Unknown magazine. He is also one of the fathers of sword and sorcery, a term he coined.

Ankers had previously co-starred with Chaney in The Ghost of Frankenstein, with Chaney as the monster, and The Wolf Man, with Chaney as the Wolf Man.

The cast are Lon Chaney Jr as Prof Norman Reed, Anne Gwynne as Paula Clayton Reed, Evelyn Ankers as Ilona Carr, Ralph Morgan as Prof Millard Sawtelle, Elisabeth Risdon as Dean of Women Grace Gunnison, Lois Collier as Margret Mercer, Harry Hayden as Dean Septimus Carr, Elizabeth Russell as Evelyn Sawtelle, Phil Brown as David Jennings, and Kay Harding [Jackie Lou Harding] as Student.

Weird Woman is directed by Reginald Le Borg, runs 63 minutes, is made and distributed by Universal Pictures, is written by W Scott Darling (story) and Brenda Weisberg (screenplay), based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber Jr, is shot by Virgil Miller, is produced by Ben Pivar and Oliver Drake, and is scored by Paul Sawtell.

Release date: March 1, 1944 (US).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3,767

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com