Pillow of Death (1945)

Attorney Wayne Fletcher and his secretary are having an affair, so when Wayne's wife is found smothered to death, he becomes the prime suspect. As the police investigate the murder, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Wallace Fox

Writers:

George Bricker (screenplay), Dwight V. Babcock (original story)

Stars:

Lon Chaney Jr., Brenda Joyce, J. Edward Bromberg

Cast

Credited cast:
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Wayne Fletcher (as Lon Chaney)
Brenda Joyce	...	Donna Kincaid
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Julian Julian
Rosalind Ivan	...	Amelia Kincaid
Clara Blandick	...	Belle Kincaid
George Cleveland	...	Samuel 'Sam' Kincaid
Wilton Graff	...	Police Captain McCracken
Bernard Thomas	...	Bruce Malone (as Bernard B. Thomas)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fern Emmett	...	Mrs. Williams (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Attorney Wayne Fletcher and his secretary are having an affair, so when Wayne's wife is found smothered to death, he becomes the prime suspect. As the police investigate the murder, a psychic with questionable motives tries to contact the deceased woman. Soon, Wayne begins seeing visions of his dead wife, and other people involved with the case begin to be killed, one by one.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | attorney | series film | wisecrack humor | cantankerous old man | 

---

Taglines:

A NEW Inner Sanctum Mystery...the case of the whispering corpse!

---

Genres:

Mystery | Horror

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

I nattens skugga

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of the original SHOCK THEATER package of 52 titles released to television in 1957, followed a year later with SON OF SHOCK, which added 21 more features.

---

Quotes

Sam Kincaid: Oh, you finally came home, didya'? Do you realize it's 7:30 and I haven't had my dinner yet?
Belle Kincaid: What I've been doing is more important than eating!
Sam Kincaid: At my age nothing's more important than eating!

---

Crazy Credits

The only one of the six Inner Sanctum films to have no closing credits.

---

Connections

Follows The Frozen Ghost (1945)

User Reviews

great title, poor movie

I'm not sure why the filmmakers decided to name this little below-run-of-the-mill clap-trap Pillow of Death because, frankly, it's false advertising. Call me shallow, but finding a movie like Pillow of Death- and then finding that there are practically NO pillows- is quite a surprise. Of course, the Inner Sanctum mysteries, as they were called, were little one-hour (give or take a minute) features involving some strange murder, or a demented doctor, and always involving the thin-mustached Lon Chaney Jr. This one features a plot that is of not too much consequence, and is pretty forgettable. It involves the death of some rich guy, played by Lon Chaney, and who might have killed her. He is looked at as a prime suspect, but is he the killer? Aren't there other people about in the mansion who could have had some motive? And what about supernatural elements?

These all lead up to a payoff that is only mildly ridiculous, and not enough to save what has been otherwise a fairly dull affair...plus, where are the pillows? As a joke, though also as a test, my friends and I tried to count how many times a pillow does pop up in the film, and we counted twice- once about 41 minutes into this 67 minute film, and then during the climax. But otherwise there's no other significance for it having that title, except to lure viewers in with the astounding contradiction of pillows (soft and inviting) and death (crushing and cruel). There is some death, to be sure, and some whacked out characters including an old lady with a gas hose and a young guy who keeps on using a secret door and creeping around for no reason in a nice suit. But it all leads up to not that much, and even at such a short length it doesn't leave too memorable an impression, except as a disappointment for not living up to a title with so many possibilities.