STRANGE CONFESSION

STRANGE CONFESSION (1945). Director: John Hoffman.

The fifth "Inner Sanctum" mystery has a good, absorbing storyline about a chemist, Jeff Carter (Lon Chaney Jr.) who is taken advantage of by his venal boss Roger Graham (J. Carroll Naish). Graham sends Jeff down to South America so he can move in on Carter's wife, Mary (Brenda Joyce). Greedy Graham also releases an anti-influenza formula, Zymurgine, to the public before Carter has a chance to perfect it, leading to tragic consequences and a gruesome revenge. Strange Confession holds the attention, but it just isn't horrific enough and doesn't quite work. Naish is excellent as the bad guy, Chaney is mediocre, and Joyce delivers a fairly weak performance as his wife. Milburn Stone and Lloyd Bridges also have small roles and are competent.

Verdict: Okay time passer **.