Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Dead Man's Eyes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 11, 2021

Note: This film is available as part of Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Film Series.

There may be two schools of thought with regard to those who make horror films, with one group opting for graphic, on screen representations of whatever traumas characters experience, and with another group thinking that it’s best not to show every jot and tittle of various nefarious behaviors, in the belief that the audience’s imagination can make things even scarier than any overt offerings can. In that regard, it’s interesting to think about some of the old radio shows that frequently featured mystery, thriller or horror elements, since it probably goes without saying that a broadcast without a video element necessarily requires the active participation of a listener’s imagination in order to make everything “click”. There were any number of “spooky” radio programs back in the day, including such well remembered efforts as Suspense (which kind of amazingly managed to last until 1962), though Inner Sanctum owed its genesis to another medium that requires an active imagination — namely, reading. Simon and Schuster launched an imprint called Inner Sanctum in 1930 which did traffic in mystery and thriller novels, but which kind of humorously also offered other genres, including romance.

In 1941, the radio edition premiered in January and became a staple of the American broadcast landscape, with a licensing deal with Simon and Schuster that required regular advertising of whatever the latest Inner Sanctum book was. A little bit over two years later, Universal did another licensing deal with Simon and Schuster to use the Inner Sanctum title, though as the commentary on Calling Dr. Death gets into, Universal was kind of aggressively circumscribed by both the publishing house and the radio version in that the film company could not use the radio sound effect of a creaking door (which memorably opened and closed each episode), and was also prohibited from actually adapting any of the Simon and Schuster books (which may seem like a kind of odd requirement). Universal ended up making six titles under their Inner Sanctum imprint, with all of them offering Lon Chaney, Jr. a chance to do something other than grow hair (The Wolf Man), get wrapped in ragged bandages (The Mummy's Tomb) or attempt to maraud around in Boris Karloff's oversized boots (The Ghost of Frankenstein). With regard to the two "schools" of horror mentioned above, for reasons probably related as much to the production era as to any deliberate stylistic choice, things can be somewhat discursive in terms of on screen horror.

Fans of either Rod Serling, Steven Speilberg and/or Joan Crawford may remember a rather brilliantly plotted story that was part of the made for television film that helped to launch Serling's post-Twilight Zone follow up series, Night Gallery. In "Eyes", Crawford portrayed harridan heiress Claudia Menlo, who is blind but who has the bucks to pay for an (illegal) eye transplant. Her doctor warns her that she'll only have a few hours of vision in any case, and so Claudia arranges all of her most valuable possessions around her to be able to see them for the limited time she'll have available. Fate intervenes when, in taking the bandages off, the famous New York blackout of 1965 occurs, leaving her virtually "blind" in any case.

There's something at least somewhat similar at play in Dead Man's Eyes, which offers Chaney as artist Dave Stuart who accidentally blinds himself because, like any smart person, he has acid and eye wash in nearly identical bottles next to each other on a work bench. D'oh, as some wise man once said. Like the Crawford character in "Eyes", Dave manages to put together an arguably illicit deal for "new" eyes, only his donor, the father of his erstwhile fiancée Heather (Jean Parker), ends up murdered and Dave is the prime suspect.

This is another entry that, somewhat like Weird Woman, has so many subplots stuffed into its slight running time that the entire enterprise threatens to collapse on itself. Competing love interests, not necessarily limited only to focal character Dave, and some less than credible motivating factors for the villain may end up keeping this from being a 20/20 effort.

Dead Man's Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dead Man's Eyes is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. This is arguably one of the strongest looking transfers in the set. There's a relative lack of age related wear and tear, and as with several others in the collection, contrast is appealingly strong and detail levels remain secure for the most part. Fine detail is especially expressive in this film with a glut of intricately patterned fabrics in costumes and even things like the curtains in Dave's studio looking precise and accurately rendered. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

Dead Man's Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dead Man's Eyes features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that does have a baseline of background hiss, but which otherwise supports the film's dialogue, score and effects without any problems. A nice score featuring some expressive violin cues is warm sounding. There are no signs of dropouts or other damage, other than the bit of background noise. Optional English subtitles are available.

Dead Man's Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Eureka! has packaged this set on two discs, with both film specific and more generalist supplements on each disc. Here is a list of all the contents, including supplements, on both discs.

Disc One

• Films

  Calling Dr. Death

  Audio Commentary by C. Courtney Joyner and Regina Le Borg can be accessed under Calling Dr. Death on the Main Menu.

  
  

  Trailer (HD; 1:07) can be accessed under Calling Dr. Death on the Main Menu.

Weird Woman

Audio Commentary by Justin Humphreys and Del Howison can be accessed under Weird Woman on the Main Menu.




Trailer (HD; 1:22) can be accessed under Weird Woman on the Main Menu.

Dead Man's Eyes

Trailer (HD; 1:05) can be accessed under Dead Man's Eyes on the Main Menu.

• Kim Newman on the Inner Sanctum Mysteries (HD; 26:56) is another enjoyable interview with the typically affable and informative Newman.


• This is The Inner Sanctum (HD; 31:47) is another interesting overview of the series, which time spent on each film.


• Radio Episodes

  The Amazing Death of Mrs. Putnam (25:15)

  
  

  The Black Seagull (28:46)

  
  

  The Skull That Walked (29:42)

Disc Two

• Films

  The Frozen Ghost

  Trailer (HD; 1:11) can be accessed under The Frozen Ghost on the Main Menu.

Strange Confession

Audio Commentary by Peter Atkins and C. Courtney Joyner can be accessed under Strange Confession on the Main Menu.

Pillow of Death

• The Creaking Door: Inside the Inner Sanctum (HD; 17:37) focuses on the radio broadcast.


• Martin Kosleck Interview (HD; 11:00) begins with Kosleck insisting there are no small parts, or at least none that he ever took.


• Radio Episodes

  Skeleton Bay (29:44)

  
  

  The Man Who Couldn't Die (29:22)

  
  

  Death of a Doll (25:08)

Dead Man's Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The third Inner Sanctum film is arguably a bit of a letdown after the first two, but it still has its own unsettling ambience. Once again Chaney is remarkably appealing as a "victim", and the supporting cast is a lot of fun. Technical merits are solid for those who are considering a purchase.