simeon_flake Having never seen "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head"--which this film is apparently based on--I had nothing to compare it to, so the idea of the movie seemed fresh to me & as far as the Inner Sanctum Mysteries go, this was perhaps the best of the six--a compelling little drama where once again you can feel Lon Chaney's agony & torment. Chaney to me was a very gifted actor--especially when it came to playing on the audience's sympathies. Whether or not Lon could have played a leading man may be up for some debate amongst critics and fans; seemingly, Lon wanted to do more than just be a "horror man", which may have attributed to some of the man's personal demons.But, all that aside, "Strange Confession" is a great movie. J. Carrol Naish was suitably slimy in his role--a role that at first I didn't recognize him in given that I'm so used to seeing him as the hunchback Daniel from "House of Frankenstein." Brenda Joyce has good chemistry with Lon & the story flows along nicely.Perhaps the mystery of this one is what exactly is inside that bag Lon Chaney's character has with him. One can make a very educated guess after watching the movie, but I won't spoil anything.Overall--if you're a Chaney fan--then this Inner Sanctum mystery is a must see.9 stars

gridoon2018 "Strange Confession" may be a part of the "Inner Sanctum Mysteries" series, but it's really more of a tragedy than a mystery. It's well-made and polished, but also very slow and "civilized" and low-key; for most of its length any mystery or suspense elements are downplayed to the point of non-existence. And it's not that hard to guess what's inside the bag that Lon Chaney carries in the beginning which shocks the first man who sees it so much. Chaney continues to show his versatility in this series, by playing an entirely different character in each entry, much like Richard Dix in the concurrent "Whistler" series. As for Brenda Joyce, her role appears to be thankless for much of the running time, but she also has some powerful moments near the end. "Strange Confession" is worth seeing - but be forewarned about the genre it belongs to. **1/2 out of 4.

dougdoepke Mild-mannered chemist and devoted family man Jeff Carter (Chaney) is exploited by his unscrupulous employer (Naish) until tragedy results.A half-hour into this programmer and I still wasn't sure where it was going. It plays more like an ordinary melodrama than an entry in a horror series (Universal's Inner Sanctum). Nonetheless, it's the most coherently plotted of the six entries and features Chaney's best performance. He was always good at projecting pathos, unusual for such a hulking figure. Here he gets the opportunity and looks more engaged than usual for the series.It's a good thing the cast is engaged because the set-up takes some time, enough time for viewers to otherwise wander off. The premise amounts to a cynical look at the pharmaceutical industry, circa 1945. I don't know where the federal Food and Drug Administration was in those days, but the screenplay amounts to a strong case for federal regulation of the drug industry. Not exactly what you'd expect from a horror feature, although there is strong episode of implied horror near the end that works very well.Anyway, I rather liked this little oddity and enjoyed a young and vigorous Lloyd Bridges clearly on his way up the Hollywood ladder.

Michael_Elliott Strange Confession (1945) *** (out of 4) Fifth in the Inner Sanctum series once again features Lon Chaney, Jr.. This time around he plays a brilliant scientist who's trying to find a cure for influenza. His greedy boss (J. Carrol Naish) puts the stuff out on the market before it has been proved to cure and this leads to a tragedy. This is probably the best of the series as it mixes some Frank Capra like quiet moments with some rather mean spirited stuff towards the end. Chaney gives a very good performance and Naish lends a very strong supporting performance.