The Frozen Ghost (1945)

Director:

Harold Young

Writers:

Harrison Carter (story)
Bernard Schubert (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Hypnotic eyes...crawling with madness!

Plot:

A stage mentalist involved in a mysterious death and a discredited plastic surgeon are among the assorted characters involved in mysterious goings-on in an eerie wax museum.

Plot Keywords:

Wax Museum | Death | Self Doubt | Murder | Series Film

Cast

Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Alex Gregor / Gregor the Great
Evelyn Ankers	...	Maura Daniel
Milburn Stone	...	George Keene
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Inspector Brant
Martin Kosleck	...	Dr. Rudi Polden
Elena Verdugo	...	Nina Coudreau
Tala Birell	...	Valerie Monet
Arthur Hohl	...	Drunk Contestant

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #10822) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

This was one of Universal's "Inner Sanctum" mysteries.

Goofs:

Continuity: When George lights a cigarette he holds it between his first two fingers; when the angle changes he's suddenly holding it cupped in his palm by his thumb and index finger.

Movie Connections:

Follows Weird Woman (1944)

Don't think, just enjoy

"The Frozen Ghost" might just be the quintessential wacky 1940s B-movie mystery, packed with enough plot to fill any six films, and uncertain of which of those six films it really wants to be. While it may not be the most serious of the "Inner Sanctum" series of low-low-budget thrillers made by Unversal between 1943 and 1945, it is likely the most entertaining. Part murder mystery, part wax museum horror film, part romance, "The Frozen Ghost" gallops along at a nonsensical pace and features a rich group of actors, all of whom are peculiarly cast. Leading the pack is Lon Chaney, who tried to escape the heavy Wolf Man and Mummy makeup with this series, and who does a pretty good job as a stage hypnotist tormented by the thought that he might have killed someone during his act. This might be Chaney's best stab at a leading man role, though it is undermined by the fact that every single female character in the film, from age 16 to 40, falls madly in love with him at sight, much in the way Roger Moore's version of James Bond was a walking aphrodisiac. While Chaney was a passable leading man, ascribing this rampant sex appeal to him is as fantastical as brain transplants. Douglas Dumbrille, a smooth British actor given to silky villains, plays the tough American detective, and Martin Kosleck, usually cast as a cold as ice Nazi, here appears as a road-company Peter Lorre lunatic. And Milburn Stone -- "Doc" on "Gunsmoke" -- shows up as Chaney's harried agent. But don't even worry about the caprices of the casting or plotting. Just sit back, try to keep up with it, and enjoy the kind of anything-goes film-making that doesn't exist anymore.