I'm not sure why the filmmakers decided to name this little below-run-of-the-mill clap-trap Pillow of Death because, frankly, it's false advertising. Call me shallow, but finding a movie like Pillow of Death- and then finding that there are practically NO pillows- is quite a surprise. Of course, the Inner Sanctum mysteries, as they were called, were little one-hour (give or take a minute) features involving some strange murder, or a demented doctor, and always involving the thin-mustached Lon Chaney Jr. This one features a plot that is of not too much consequence, and is pretty forgettable. It involves the death of some rich guy, played by Lon Chaney, and who might have killed her. He is looked at as a prime suspect, but is he the killer? Aren't there other people about in the mansion who could have had some motive? And what about supernatural elements?
These all lead up to a payoff that is only mildly ridiculous, and not enough to save what has been otherwise a fairly dull affair...plus, where are the pillows? As a joke, though also as a test, my friends and I tried to count how many times a pillow does pop up in the film, and we counted twice- once about 41 minutes into this 67 minute film, and then during the climax. But otherwise there's no other significance for it having that title, except to lure viewers in with the astounding contradiction of pillows (soft and inviting) and death (crushing and cruel). There is some death, to be sure, and some whacked out characters including an old lady with a gas hose and a young guy who keeps on using a secret door and creeping around for no reason in a nice suit. But it all leads up to not that much, and even at such a short length it doesn't leave too memorable an impression, except as a disappointment for not living up to a title with so many possibilities.
These all lead up to a payoff that is only mildly ridiculous, and not enough to save what has been otherwise a fairly dull affair...plus, where are the pillows? As a joke, though also as a test, my friends and I tried to count how many times a pillow does pop up in the film, and we counted twice- once about 41 minutes into this 67 minute film, and then during the climax. But otherwise there's no other significance for it having that title, except to lure viewers in with the astounding contradiction of pillows (soft and inviting) and death (crushing and cruel). There is some death, to be sure, and some whacked out characters including an old lady with a gas hose and a young guy who keeps on using a secret door and creeping around for no reason in a nice suit. But it all leads up to not that much, and even at such a short length it doesn't leave too memorable an impression, except as a disappointment for not living up to a title with so many possibilities.