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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie
Collection [2 Blu-rays]
Calling Dr. Death (1943) Weird Woman (1944)
Dead Man's Eyes (1944)
The Frozen Ghost (1945) Strange Confession (1945)
Pillow of Death (1945)
Death, dementia, dark arts ... it's just another day in the forbidding and
fascinating world of the Inner Sanctum!
Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum
Mysteries come to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Based on the popular radio
shows of the 1940's, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic
mystery and horror fan.
You'll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives
timeless performances in these spooky feature-length films.
Calling Dr. Death – 1943 - A doctor is not sure if he murdered his wife
and has his nurse try to find the truth by hypnotizing him. Weird Woman – 1944 – While on a trip, a professor falls in love with an
exotic native woman who turns out to be a supernatural being. Dead Man's Eyes – 1944 - When an artist is blinded, an operation to
restore his sight depends on another person willing to donate their eyes. The Frozen Ghost – 1945 – A stage mentalist and a discredited plastic
surgeon are involved in mysterious goings-on in an eerie wax museum. Strange Confession – 1945 – Flashbacks reveal the events leading up to a
man's revenge on the racketeer who took advantage of his wife. Pillow of Death – 1945 - A lawyer in love with his secretary is suspected
of suffocating his wife, among others.
***
Lon Chaney, Jr. starred in these six horror yarns made for
Universal and based on the popular "Inner Sanctum" suspense radio program.
Chaney plays a respected neurologist who can't remember if he's responsible for
his unfaithful wife's murder, in "Calling Dr. Death"
(1943). Next, based on Fritz Leiber's "Conjure Wife," "Weird Woman"
(1944) stars Anne Gwynne as the island-raised new wife of professor Chaney, who
comes to believe his bride is using voodoo to get rid of his enemies. Blinded by
acid thrown by jealous model Acquanetta, artist Chaney's only chance at seeing
again is a transplant...but does he resort to murder to gain "Dead Man's Eyes"
(1944)? A stage hypnotist (Chaney) is accused of killing an audience member and
takes a job in a wax museum, in "TheFrozen Ghost" (1945). Chemist
Chaney returns from South America looking for revenge on boss J. Carrol Naish,
in "Strange Confession" (1945). And, Chaney is a murder suspect again,
accused of smothering his victims with the "Pillow of Death" (1945).
DVD Release Date: September 19th, 2006 Case:
Bookcase style - 2 disc (2-tiered digipack inside cardboard box)
Release Information:
Studio:
Mill Creek
1.
37:1 1080P Dual-layered
Blu-ray
Disc One: 49,487,882,300 bytes
Disc Two
:
48,848,972,092 bytes
Average Film size: 15,975,143,424
bytes
Video
Bitrate:
29.96
Mbps
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
•
THIS IS THE INNER SANCTUM: MAKING A UNIVERSAL MYSTERY SERIES produced by
Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures (31:47)
• THE CREAKING DOOR: ENTERING THE INNER SANCTUM - History of the Radio
Series with author/radio historian Martin Grams Jr. (17:37)
• MIND OVER MATTER: AN ARCHIVAL INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR MARTIN KOSLECK (The
Frozen Ghost) - Never Before Viewed by the Human Eye! (11:00)
3 FEATURE LENGTH COMMENTARIES:
• CALLING DR. DEATH (1943) Featuring commentary from screenwriter/film
historian C. Courtney Joyner and Regina LeBorg (daughter of director
Reginald LeBorg)
• WEIRD WOMAN (1944) Featuring commentary from author Justin Humphreys
(The Dr. Phibes Companion) and Del Howison (Dark Delicacies Horror)
• STRANGE CONFESSION (1944) Featuring commentary from screenwriter Peter
Atkins (Hellraiser II, III, & IV) and screenwriter/film historian C.
Courtney Joyner
• DIGITAL BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
DIGITAL BONUS (Standard Definition Streaming)
Lady of Burlesque (1943) - 91 minutes
Inner Sanctum (1948) - 62 minutes
Inner Sanctum Mysteries (Radio Episodes 3 x 26 minutes)
"The Tell-Tale Heart" featuring Boris Karloff
"The Black Sea Gull" featuring Peter Lorre
"Melody of Death" featuring Mary Astor
Blu-ray
Release Date:
September 22nd,
2020
Standard
Blu-ray Case inside slipcase
Chapters 5 X 6
Release Information:
Studio:
Eureka
1.
37:1 1080P Dual-layered
Blu-ray
Disc One:
48,937,179,415 bytes
Disc Two
:
48,848,972,092 bytes
Average Film size: 12,667,227,648
bytes
Video
Bitrate:
22.78
Mbps
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Calling Dr. Death Audio commentary from screenwriter/film historian C.
Courtney Joyner and Regina Le Borg (daughter of director Reginald Le
Borg)
• Weird Woman Audio commentary from author Justin Humphreys (The Dr.
Phibes Companion) and Del Howison (Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of
Terror and the Macabre)
• Strange Confession Audio commentary from screenwriter Peter Atkins (Hellraiser
II, III, & IV) and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner
• Kim Newman on The Inner Sanctum Mysteries New interview with
journalist, film critic, and fiction writer Kim Newman (26:57)
• This is the Inner Sanctum: Making a Universal Mystery Series (31:47)
• The Creaking Door: Entering The Inner Sanctum History of the Radio
Series with author/radio historian Martin Grams Jr. (17:37)
• Mind Over Matter Archival interview with actor Martin Kosleck
(The Frozen Ghost) (10:58)
• Inner Sanctum Mysteries: Radio Episodes A selection of episodes from
the original radio series (25:16 / 28:46 / 29:42 / 29:44 / 29:22 /
25:08)
PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the series by Craig
Ian Mann
Blu-ray
Release Date:
January 18th, 2021
Custom
Blu-ray Case inside slipcase
Chapters 6 X 6
Comments:
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
ADDITION: Eureka
Blu-ray
(January 2021): Eureka have, likewise, transferred the six Inner Sanctum
Mysteries
movies
to Blu-ray.
They looks basically the same as
the Mill Creek renderings except for
Pillow of Death which was taken from an inferior or compromised source.
Eureka have improved this weakness of the
Pillow of Death image on the Mill Creek (see
comments below) - the final 'Mystery' - with either another source (the
damage marks appear the same though) or have digitally tried to correct the
flaw by brightening the image slightly. It does look significantly
better and brings out more of the grain and detail. We have compared a few
captures below. This is a notable upgrade over the US 1080P set although not
reaching the stellar quality of the first 5 mysteries. The Eureka also is housed on two dual-layered Blu-rays.
Three hour+ 'mysteries', with extras, on each disc.
As for the audio - Eureka go with liner PCM (24-bit) and might support the
higher end to a better degree. There isn't s strong difference to my ears.
They also offer optional English subtitles and their
Blu-ray discs are Region 'B'-locked.
Extras seem to be a shared deal - same wonderful commentaries and same three
featurettes; The Creaking Door: Inside the Inner Sanctum, This is the Inner Sanctum: Making a Universal Mystery
Series and the Mind Over Matter archival interview. Eureka
add a 1/2 hour with the inestimable Kim Newman. Where Mill Creek added the
'Standard Definition Streaming' supplements - Eureka added on the discs six
(3 per disc) Inner Sanctum Mysteries: Radio Episodes - a selection of
episodes from the original radio series plus a collector's booklet featuring
new writing on the series by Craig Ian Mann.
Well, the Eureka is the
Blu-ray set to
own. The
Pillow of Death upgrade is notable and Kim Newman, the booklet and
on-disc radio programs. No question.
***
ADDITION: Mill Creek
Blu-ray
(November 2020): Mill Creek have transferred the six Inner Sanctum
Mysteries
movies
to Blu-ray.
Except for the final film,
Pillow of Death (see comments below), the 1080P 1.37:1 image looks excellent
for the first five films at
almost 6X the bitrate of the 15-year old DVD transfers. There are still
surface scratches but the contrast and detail rise dramatically and the
bitrates are high. It's quite a remarkable upgrade that also shows more
information in the frames - on all four edges. I'm very pleased with the new
HD appearance housed on two dual-layered Blu-rays.
Three hour+ 'mysteries', with extras, on each.
Now, Pillow of Death
has a severe problem. It looks exceptionally weak - unnaturally dark and
dirty - as if
it came from a lower grade source.
HERE is an example. This has not come from the same sources as the
other 5 films. Beware. We will, hopefully, compare to the upcoming Eureka,
but I fear it will be the same. I have added some comparison captures to the
DVD below.
NOTE: We have added 78 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
three new commentaries with C.
Courtney Joyner and Regina LeBorg (daughter of director Reginald LeBorg)
on Calling Dr. Death and he observes a comparison with The
Whistler (Richard Dix) series at Columbia, appreciated montages concocted by her
father and having a generally pleasant conversation with Regina - both
identify him as an extremely underrated director. Weird Woman has a
commentary by Justin Humphreys (author of The Dr. Phibes
Companion: The Morbidly Romantic History of the Classic Vincent Price
Horror Film Series) and Del Howison (Dark Delicacies Horror).
They bring up some interesting production and performer details. I
enjoyed it. On Strange Confession (not Dead Man's Eyes, as
advertised) we get a commentary from screenwriter Peter Atkins (Hellraiser
II, III, & IV) and, the overworked, C. Courtney
Joyner. Joyner, a veritable film encyclopedia, thankfully takes the lead as
Atkins has a poor audio connection - presumably a function of the
lockdown. I enjoyed it very much as they approach the hour-long film
from different angles and there is plenty to discuss. There are three
featurettes; This is the Inner Sanctum: Making a Universal Mystery
Series is produced by Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
and runs over 1/2 hour (not 55-minutes as advertised) and discusses the
anthology radio program bought by Universal - only retaining the logo.
Himan Brown who produced an outrageous number of radio shows is
discussed and the entire program focuses on the shift from radio to the
big screen with C. Courtney Joyner (again), Mark Jordan Legan and
Richard Heft. The Creaking Door: Inside the Inner Sanctum runs
17-minutes and shows the history of the Radio Series with author/radio
historian Martin Grams Jr. looking deeply into the history of the
series. Lastly, is Mind Over Matter: an archival interview with
actor Martin Kosleck who was prominent in The Frozen Ghost as
'Rudi Polden' who oddly speaks to the mannequin exhibits - running
11-minutes and reflecting on his recollections and his career. The
package is advertised as having a digital bonus (Standard Definition
Streaming) listed at the back of a 28-page booklet offering Lady
of Burlesque (1943) - 91 minutes, Inner Sanctum (1948) - 62
minutes, Inner Sanctum Mysteries (Radio Episodes 3 x 26 minutes),
"The Tell-Tale Heart" featuring Boris Karloff, "The Black Sea
Gull" featuring Peter Lorre and "Melody of Death" featuring
Mary Astor. The booklet has descriptions of each film and photos.
My enthusiasm for these Inner Sanctum Mysteries hasn't decreased
one iota.
The vast improvement in a/v only adds further to the incredible
nostalgic appeal, regardless of Pillow of Death's compromised
source. Climb right into these gems and totally forget the
evil 2020. The
overflowing
historically-based
extras with the three new commentaries and equal number of new featurettes
(the DVD set was totally bare bones) are icing on the cake. Very sweet. I'm so
pleased to own these on Mill Creek Blu-ray
(who have escalated a full notch
in my estimation) so much that I may get their Hammer Films -
UltimateBlu-rayCollection yet. 20 films, a half-dozen
commentaries...
ON THE DVD (2006): I
watched these DVDs ravenously. I was just in a perfect mindset to enjoy
these pulpy, sometimes cheesy, horror yarns starring Lon Chaney Jr. .
This DVD package is
about what you might expect from owning previous multi-disc efforts from
Universal. A bare bones
collection of 6 films adeptly transferred to digital with no
supplements. It's nice to see that Universal heard peoples
complaints about the double-sided DVDs and the 2 discs in the Inner
Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection are single-sided
(Disc 1 contains - Calling Dr. Death / Dead Man's Eyes /
Weird Woman , Disc 2 - Pillow of Death / Strange
Confession / The Frozen Ghost).
The 6 films look
quite good
- hardly any damage and fair to excellent shadow detail. All are progressively
transferred. Expectantly - flickering contrast is prevalent to a
small degree. Very good sharpness. Original
audio and well done optional, hard-of-hearing English subtitles (and
French).
Each film is introduced by a talking head
inside a crystal ball (how great can you get?). Director Reginald Le
Borg (Bad Blonde),
had a real knack for these limited and usually very short productions.
He was no Tourneur, but he was very good at what he did for Universal
and he directed all the films on the first disc. When LeBorg left for
other studio work, he was replaced for the final three Inner Sanctum
movies by Harold Young. Another adept, if less stylistic director.
I was
thrilled about my viewing experience of this flawed, but heavily
encrusted with nostalgia, film efforts - as they are previously unreleased titles that many crave
and we strongly recommend! Tons of fun and you can't beat the price!
Menus / Extras
Universal - Region 1 - NTSC
Mill Creek - Region 'A' -
Blu-ray
Eureka - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
Eureka - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray 2
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION