The Frozen Ghost *** (1945, Lon Chaney Jr, Evelyn Ankers, Milburn Stone, Tala Birell, Martin Kosleck) – Classic Movie Review 3766

Director Harold Young’s chilling 1945 low-budget Inner Sanctum horror mystery again stars Lon Chaney Jr, this time as stage hypnotist/ mentalist Alex Gregor. Normally we are just metaphorically driven mad by our agents, but Gregor is literally driven mad by his agent, George Keene (Milburn Stone).

The agent lands Gregor the Great a gig in an eerie wax museum, where an enraged Gregor unfortunately causes a drunk picked out from his audience to meet an untimely death after he belittles his act.

[Spoiler alert] A guilt-ridden Gregor convinces himself that his hypnotic powers are to blame. But it turns out that the agent is in cohoots with a museum employee, who simply does not like Chaney Jr’s surprising success with the opposite sex.

This story is as bizarre as it is hard to swallow, but somehow they manage to turn that to the film’s advantage. A cheap, tatty-looking production and low-voltage direction slightly undermine a very fair idea and more than reasonable performances. But the movie is still mildly amusing for old-time mystery thriller/chiller/horror fans. And it is certainly worth a look just for Chaney Jr.

Also in the cast are Martin Kosleck as the crazy Rudi Polden, Douglass Dumbrille as the tough American detective Inspector Brant, Arthur Hohl, Tala Birell, and Elena Verdugo.

Universal’s six Inner Sanctum movies with Lon Chaney Jr based on the popular radio show 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).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3766

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