I have to say, I'm a big fan of these Inner Sanctum mysteries. For the most part, they are better than average--I would even say they are excellent little chillers & "Weird Woman" is one of the best.
Lon Chaney--taking a respite from his monster roles--gets a rare opportunity at being a leading man. Some will debate whether Chaney had the looks or the ability to play such parts, but I think he did an excellent job with nearly all the Inner Sanctum roles he was given. Of course, I'm a big fan of Lon since my early childhood--so maybe my opinion is a little biased.
Chaney seemed to want more of these leading man type roles during this point in his career, but seemed to get mostly typecast as a "horror man" which may have attributed to some of his personal demons--not to mention the shadow of his late father. Of course, those horror roles for which he was typed led to Lon becoming immortal for generations of fans--moreso than probably a lot of the guys who were playing romantic leads during Chaney's career.
Getting back to "Weird Woman", Anne Gwynne was always one of my favorite 1940s beauties, Evelyn Ankers is as pretty as ever--not to mention diabolical--and the supporting cast for this picture may be the best assembled for any of the Inner Sanctum films (Strange Confession boasts a first rate cast as well).
Overall--if you're a Lon Chaney fan or just a fan of the old Universal classics in general--then I would say all 6 of the Inner Sanctum mysteries are required viewing.
8.5 out of 10....
Lon Chaney--taking a respite from his monster roles--gets a rare opportunity at being a leading man. Some will debate whether Chaney had the looks or the ability to play such parts, but I think he did an excellent job with nearly all the Inner Sanctum roles he was given. Of course, I'm a big fan of Lon since my early childhood--so maybe my opinion is a little biased.
Chaney seemed to want more of these leading man type roles during this point in his career, but seemed to get mostly typecast as a "horror man" which may have attributed to some of his personal demons--not to mention the shadow of his late father. Of course, those horror roles for which he was typed led to Lon becoming immortal for generations of fans--moreso than probably a lot of the guys who were playing romantic leads during Chaney's career.
Getting back to "Weird Woman", Anne Gwynne was always one of my favorite 1940s beauties, Evelyn Ankers is as pretty as ever--not to mention diabolical--and the supporting cast for this picture may be the best assembled for any of the Inner Sanctum films (Strange Confession boasts a first rate cast as well).
Overall--if you're a Lon Chaney fan or just a fan of the old Universal classics in general--then I would say all 6 of the Inner Sanctum mysteries are required viewing.
8.5 out of 10....