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Horror Cult Classic

A professor’s South Seas bride brings voodoo, suspicion, and jealousy to a stifling campus.

WEIRD WOMAN

WEAVING HER WEIRD DEAD SPELL OF VOODOO!

1944 · 1h 4m · NR · Horror / Mystery · IMDB TMDB

While on a South Seas trip, a professor falls in love with marries an exotic native woman. What he doesn't know is that she was raised by superstitious natives who believe her to be some kind of supernatural being.

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Quick Answer

What is Weird Woman about?

Weird Woman is a 1944 American horror-mystery film directed by Reginald Le Borg about a professor whose marriage to a superstitious South Seas woman sparks jealousy, suspicion, and supernatural intrigue when bizarre incidents plague their university community.

Programmer's Pick

Who knew campus life could get this tangled? With voodoo, jealous exes, and Lon Chaney Jr. trying to keep it all together, Weird Woman packs campus melodrama and supernatural suspicion into just over an hour. It's the Inner Sanctum series at its most superstitious.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

Professor Norman Reed returns from the South Seas with a new wife, Paula, whose mysterious background and beliefs in voodoo make her an outsider in his conservative university town. As their arrival stirs up jealousy—particularly from Ilona, who had her own designs on Reed—strange and unsettling events begin to unfold, including the death of a colleague. Paula's exotic origins and mystical upbringing draw suspicion and whispers, leaving her increasingly isolated while Reed must contend with growing paranoia and the pressure to clear his wife's name. Set against a backdrop of academic rivalry, superstition, and manipulation, the film weaves a web of mistrust and psychological tension.

Details & Specs

Director
Reginald Le Borg
Writers
Scott Darling, Fritz Leiber Jr., Brenda Weisberg
Release
1944
Runtime
1h 4m
Country
United States of America
Language
English
Genres
Horror, Mystery

Why This Matters

As the second entry in the Inner Sanctum Mysteries film series adapted from a popular radio show, this noir-mystery horror also stands out as one of several films based on Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife and reunites Lon Chaney Jr. and Evelyn Ankers from earlier Universal horror classics.
— SassyFlix Curator

Cast & Crew

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Director: Reginald Le Borg Writers: Scott Darling +2 more
Lon Chaney Jr. Lon Chaney Jr. Prof. Norman Reed Anne Gwynne Anne Gwynne Paula Clayton Reed Evelyn Ankers Evelyn Ankers Illona Carr Ralph Morgan Ralph Morgan Prof. Millard Sawtelle Elisabeth Risdon Elisabeth Risdon Dean Grace Gunnison Lois Collier Lois Collier Margaret Mercer Harry Hayden Harry Hayden Dean Septimus Carr Elizabeth Russell Elizabeth Russell Evelyn Sawtelle Phil Brown Phil Brown David Jennings Kay Harding Kay Harding Student Gertrude Astor Gertrude Astor Party Guest (uncredited) EM Edmund Mortimer Party Guest (uncredited) Larry Steers Larry Steers Party Guest (uncredited) Chuck Hamilton Chuck Hamilton The Carpenter (uncredited) David Hoffman David Hoffman The Spirit of the Inner Sanctum (uncredited) WH William Hudson Second Gossiping Male Student (uncredited) Milburn Stone Milburn Stone

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Why Cult

Voodoo and Mysticism

Paula’s beliefs in voodoo and rituals infuse the story with supernatural tension and suspicion.

University Intrigue

Academic rivalry and gossip set the stage for manipulation, jealousy, and psychological torment.

Inner Sanctum Series

Part of Universal’s cult Inner Sanctum series, blending horror and mystery with a psychological edge.

Chaney-Gwynne Chemistry

Lon Chaney Jr. and Anne Gwynne anchor the cast, bringing emotional heft to the mix of suspicion and superstition.

Scene Gallery

Threat File

Trigger

Paula’s arrival and her voodoo beliefs

Threat

Supernatural suspicion and psychological manipulation

Effect

Alienation, paranoia, and mysterious deaths on campus

Setting

University and hometown

Questions from the Vault

When was Weird Woman released? +

Weird Woman was released in 1944.

Who directed Weird Woman? +

Weird Woman was directed by Reginald Le Borg.

How long is Weird Woman? +

Weird Woman has a runtime of 64 minutes.

What genre is Weird Woman? +

Weird Woman is a horror and mystery film.

Trailers & Clips

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