O Travesseiro da Morte

I recently purchased the Inner sanctum box set with all 6 of the Inner sanctum movies and was not disappointed at all.I really enjoyed Pillow of Death, OK its a corny title but it had everything in it if you enjoy old dark houses, whodunits,murders in the night etc.Lon chaney gave a decent enough performance in it and was supported by a good cast including the lovely Brenda joyce and the solid J.Edward bromberg i have read a few reviews which slate this film so i watched with trepidation and was pleasantly surprised it is a great little B movie which universal made in the 40's to much credit, it is atmospheric with many twists and turns moving along at a lively pace, i personally didn't find it dull or slow..if you enjoy the old black and white horrors from this period i am sure you wont be disappointed..just watch it with no great expectations and im sure you will see its not as bad as it has been painted. Without giving anything away it will keep you guessing all the way through..enjoy it for what it is.

Pillow of Death (1945)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Final installment in the Inner Sanctum series has a lawyer (Lon Chaney, Jr.) suspected of murdering his wife. After her death he gets involved with a group of psychics. This film, even at 61-minutes, dragged along and bored the hell out of me from the start. Chaney is very bland here as are the supporting characters. The story really isn't too interesting and all the spiritual stuff comes off silly.

This is certainly the worst in the series but you can now view all six films via Universal's DVD collection.

Last of the Inner Sanctum movies. It was pretty obvious these weren't making money--this doesn't even open with the floating head in the crystal ball.

Attorney Wayne Fletcher (Lon Chaney Jr.) is in love with his secretary Donna Kinkaid (Brenda Joyce), but he's married. His wife is found smothered to death and he's the prime suspect. He's released (lack of evidence) but a seance is held and his wife is heard accusing him of murder...then her body disappears from the crypt...then members of the Kinkaid family are getting murdered...

Busy little murder mystery. It's shot on big, beautiful, atmospheric sets (I'm assuming from another movie) and has good performances and keeps you guessing who's doing it, and why, till the very end. Entertaining--one of the better Inner Sanctums. I give it a 7.

Pillow of Death is the last of the six Inner Sanctum mystery / thriller films that Universal made in the 40s. And, in my opinion, it's one of the two best (Weird Woman being the other). In this one, Lon Chaney Jr is Wayne Fletcher, a lawyer in love with his secretary. The problem is, he's got a wife at home. So when she's found dead under mysterious circumstances, Fletcher is the natural suspect.

Despite what I consider to be a rather silly title, Pillow of Death is a solid little film. The writing is excellent with a surprising (at least surprising to me - even on a repeat viewing) solution that works nicely. The atmospheric "old dark house" trappings, complete with a seance, and plot twists keep things interesting. The direction is crisp as the film moves along at a good pace. And, like most of Universal's B output from this time period, the sets and cinematography look better than they have any right. It really is quite beautiful to look at. Overall, Pillow of Death is a well made movie.

As for the acting, there's very little to complain about. Chaney is fine in the lead, but I admit the "tormented soul" routine he perfected in The Wolf Man gets a bit old. Co-star Brenda Joyce, taking a break from playing Jane in the Tarzan series, is more than capable. There are a number of notable performances in the supporting cast, but none quite like George Cleveland. What a joy!

7/10.

This is super good whodunit for those who have not seen it. The film will keep you changing your mind on who you think the murderer is up until the very end. If you like trying to solve a mystery then you might like this film. It has some cute moments and leaves you in suspense for most all of the movie.

Someone killed Wayne Fletcher's (Lon Chaney Jr) wife - but who and why? Wayne is in love with Donna Kincaid (Brenda Joyce) she is in love with him. Bruce Malone (Bernard Thomas) is in love with Donna but Donna only likes him as her friend. So you have a strange love triangle going on in the film.

Donna comes from a family with money. Her family has hired a medium Julian Julian to find the ghost in their home. Ironically, Wayne's wife was talking to the same medium before her death.

Between the money, love triangle and the spirits in the home this sets up a strange but good whodunit story that is quite fun to watch.

9/10