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) |
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. Written by Norman Cook <unclescrooge@hotmail.com>
"Pillow of Death" is the last one of the six adaptations for screen of the hugely popular radio mystery show "Inner Sanctum" (which itself continued until 1952) - and it's a real shame that the movie series, made so excellently by Universal Pictures and all starring Lon Chaney Jr. in some of his best performances, ends here, because there would have been a potential for quite some more creepy, suspenseful murder mysteries in the same style...
After some really 'modern' 40s Noir-style entries, this last "Inner Sanctum" movie returns to the good old-fashioned 'dark old house mystery', with all the ingredients from a spooky old manor with 'ghosts' in the attic to secret passages to doors opening and closing by themselves - and, of course, a whole series of murders, which begins with the wife of lawyer Wayne Fletcher (Lon Chaney Jr.), who's having an affair with his secretary Donna, who happens to be the heir to the big fortune of an old aristocratic family, whose female members are very much intrigued by the dubious 'medium' Julian Julian (J. Edward Bromberg), who had also worked with Fletcher's wife...
Providing a REALLY twisted plot, with great performances, a wonderfully old-fashioned mystery atmosphere, and quite some funny moments amidst all the suspense, this last "Inner Sanctum" movie will be a BIG enjoyment for all the fans of the GENUINE 'old dark house mystery', which was almost on the verge of extinction at the time of the making of "Pillow of Death"; and it's a REAL challenge for every 'whodunit' fan to find the murderer!