The Frozen Ghost (1945)

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.

Director:

Harold Young

Writers:

Bernard Schubert (screenplay), Luci Ward (screenplay),

Stars:

Lon Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Milburn Stone

Cast

Cast overview:
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Alex Gregor / Gregor the Great (as Lon Chaney)
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

Storyline

Stage mentalist Gregor the Great becomes enraged when a drunken audience member belittles his act. When the man dies suddenly, Gregor convinces himself that his hypnotic powers are to blame. Guilt-ridden, he retires from performing to Valerie Monet's wax museum. He becomes increasingly stressed when he is pursued romantically by Valerie, her niece, and his former stage assistant, Maura Daniel. When Valerie mysteriously disappears, it is apparent that sinister forces are at work in the museum.

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Plot Keywords:

stage | wax museum | audience | death | press | 

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Taglines:

Nameless Terror!..creeping from the walls of a Museum for Murder!

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aparição Sinistra

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fourth of the six INNER SANCTUM features, shot June 19-July 1, 1944, and released June 29, 1945, on a double bill with "The Jungle Captive, " both copyrighted 1944.

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Goofs

When Rudi throws the second knife at Nina it sticks in the pillar by her head. When she turns to run up the stairs the knife is no longer there.

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Connections

Followed by Strange Confession (1945)

User Reviews

Possibly the weakest of the Inner Sanctum films, but it's still fun to watch

From 1943 through 1945, Universal Studios made a string of six movies that starred Lon Chaney, Jr. that were all termed "The Inner Sanctum". Many of the actors were seen in several of the films, though Chaney managed to play the lead in all of them. The stories were B-films--with small budgets and running at just over 60 minutes each. In many ways, they were similar to the later "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series. In addition, Columbia Pictures apparently thought there was money in the concept and brought out The Whistler series just a year after the first Inner Sanctum film. Like the other series, the same actor was supposed to star in the films and they all had different stories about murder and mayhem. Of the two series, I think the Inner Sanctum ones were just a bit better and part of this was because Chaney was excellent in the films.

Chaney plays a stage mentalist who apparently accidentally killed an audience member using his psychic powers. Since Chaney is such a nice guy, he can't live with himself and gives up the stage. Oddly, he is offered a job working in a wax museum and things seem okay, until yet another person dies--seemingly from Chaney's power.

THE FROZEN GHOST is a fun movie to watch, though I'll also admit that the plot was a bit silly and there were a lot of plot holes. At times, characters behave irrationally due to poor writing and plot is incredibly convoluted and tough to believe. However, for lovers of the genre, it's still well worth a look.