The anthological film series as a part of the Universal Horror label[failed verification], stars Lon Chaney Jr. in a number of similar roles, with plots that do not overlap though they are thematically related. David Hoffman features in each installment as a disembodied head, which floats within a crystal ball and warns the audience that someone in attendance could be a murderer.[1]
The series was released on home video as a collection through various packagings, in 2006.[2][better source needed]
In June 1943, Universal struck a deal with Simon & Schuster Inc. for the name "Inner Sanctum".[5][6] The stories in the series are not based on the narratives found in the pulp novels, nor the radio play adaptations.[6]
Ben Pivar oversaw the production of the series.[6] Initially, Pivar was hired to produce two Inner Sanctum Mystery films each year, with each installment starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Gale Sondergaard.[1] Sondergaard dropped out of her role prior to principal photography commenced on the first installment.[1] Edward Dein suggested that at Chaney Jr.'s request, the scripts incorporated lines for an audible inner "stream of consciousness" voiceovers that the audience would hear. Director Reginald LeBorg insisted that it was Pivar was just as much as a reason as Chaney for these additions.[7]
When Dr. Mark Steele finds himself unable to recollect the last several days of his life, he's further disturbed to learn that his wife Maria has been found brutally murdered. Because of their troubled marriage including the recent occurrences of her unfaithful actions, Dr. Steele begins to wonder whether he was involved with her death as the investigation continues. Disturbed by the situation and hoping to recover his repressed memories, he requests that his nurse Stella perform hypnosis to determine whether he is a scheming murderer.[8]
Professor Norman Reed returns home from his trip to the South Seas, with an exotic native woman named Paula. The newlywed couple who are excited to begin their lives together, are surprised to find the townspeople questioning their intentions, as a series of strange occurrences inexplicably begin to happen including the murder of one of Reed's collogues. Though she was raised by a superstitious tribe who believed she was a supernatural being, the Professor is determined to solve the mystery and prove his wife's innocence; to the town, to his wife, and to himself.[9]
A talented painter named David "Dave" Stuart is blinded, when one of his models named Tanya becomes jealous of his relationship with his fiancé Heather and secretly replaces his eyewash with acid. While coping with his new way of life following the incident, the father of his fiancé named the Dr. Stanley Hayden offers to be the donor for a cornea transplant once he should pass away. Following his mysterious and premature death however, its determined that Dr. Hayden died of unnatural causes and Dave finds himself the primary suspect. Separated from the love of his life, who now questions his character, Tanya offers to care for David as he adapts to his new way of life. As the investigation begins, Stuart inherits the corneas as a result of Dr. Hayden's will. Though the initial surgery seems to fail at helping the artist regain his sight, Dave works tirelessly to try and find the true culprit to prove his own innocence, all while the true murderer may be following his every move.[10][better source needed]
while Alex Gregor is a successful illusionist known professionally as "Gregor the Great". One night during his stage show with his fiancé and assistant Maura Daniels, a drunken audience member begins to critique his routine. As Alex becomes angry and places the man into a trance through hypnotism, the man suddenly and inexplicably dies. Though the medical examination determines that it was caused by a heart attack, Alex is overcome with guilt and retires from his stage show believing that the incident was his fault. After his manager George Keene arranges a new job for him, working as a lecturer at Madame Valerie Monet's wax museum, Alex is overwhelmed by the female attention he has acquired from Monet, her niece Nina, and his fiancé who strives to convince him of his innocence. Following an angry confrontation with Monet however, all individuals involved are surprised by her disappearance. As he finds himself the primary suspect in accusations of murder, Alex works tirelessly with Maura determined more than ever to prove his innocence in both situations.[11]
When a scientist named Jeff Carter is pushed to complete his work on a vaccine to fight influenza, he finds himself at odds with his boss who is a pharmaceutical tycoon named Roger Graham. Believing that Graham only wants the riches and notoriety, Carter refuses to release the vaccine until more testing has been completed. Requesting more time, Jeff travels to South America for continued testing. Seeing an opportunity, Roger romantically pursues Jeff's wife Mary, and makes an executive business decision by prematurely releasing the vaccine. Returning from his trip, Jeff learns the ill-fated news about his wife, and learns that his son has died as a result of administration of the vaccine. Filled with rage, Jeff resolves to exact vengeance by any means necessary. Following the completion of his plans, Jeff approaches a renowned lawyer to confess his actions, where it is questioned whether a murder has occurred or a series of different events instead.[12]
Wayne Fletcher, a successful attorney engages in an affair with his secretary Donna Kincaid, while the pair plan to be married once he divorces his wife. Unfortunately, his wife is found dead by suffocation however, and Wayne finds himself the primary suspect of the murder. As he seeks to prove his innocence, a questionable medium claims that she has contacted the spirit of his wife and supports the case that he is guilty. When a series of deaths in the same manner begin to occur one by one, Wayne works tirelessly to prove his own innocence. He is disturbed in the process however, when he begins to have visions of his dead wife, and begins to question his own sanity.[13]
Main cast and characters
With the exception of the final film Pillow of Death, the continuing thread throughout each film was an introductory scene with a floating head within a crystal ball portrayed by David Hoffman. It led with a warning the audience that even the most innocent man could be a potential murderer.[1][7]
For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.
In their book Universal Horrors (2007), authors Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas as "half-dozen feeble melodramas" that has little to recommend beyond camp value.[6] The described their overall reception to film buffs and historians as missed opportunities, comparing them unfavorably to set by Columbia's Whistler films. [19] Ken Hanke in his book A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series (1991) said with the exception of Werid Woman, the series was not overtly horror film oriented. Hanke found the series the films as having "delusions of intellectualism".[20] He summarized that the films are neither as strong as Universal's horror output of the 1930s but not as uninteresting as detractors often insist.[21]
Kim Newman reviewed the series in Sight & Sound in 2021, describing it as "straddling whodunnit and horror" and that "the films vary in quality but mostly deliver as strange entertainment."[22]
