Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear

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acsdoug D One of the better Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes films. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Josh G A cool little film ,but a better novel this is sherlock holmes being alright but not trying anything new feels very familiar. the only risks are the story telling but the camera could put you to sleep very creative movement. The cast is good, rathbone is excellent as always carrying the film and stealing every scene. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/26/24 Full Review j. g Love this movie! One of the best of the Rathbone/Bruce collaboration. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Frances H One of the better films of this series and actually based on a Conan Doyle story. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/08/22 Full Review matthew d Perils in Scotland within a haunted house! Roy William Neill's horror mystery thriller The House of Fear (1945) is another excellently creepy Sherlock Holmes outing from master director Roy William Neill. Neill's direction is full of dark manors, dreary nights, rainstorms, hidden passageways, and brutal murder most cunning. Neill uses black silhouettes with the cold night atmosphere of Scotland's beachside setting. This is a very fun murder mystery akin to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None as members of a secret club are being picked off one by one for their life insurance policies in grisly manners. It's quite a clever story from the great writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You never see it coming, despite the warnings, and all the numerous clues. Roy Chanslor's screenplay is quite cunning with fun setups for Sherlock to deduce clues and witness the strange goings on at this infernal Scottish mansion. Basil Rathbone's performance as Sherlock Holmes is impeccable as per usual. Rathbone perfectly captures Holmes' confidence in his deductions and calm manner. He has nice chemistry with Nigel Bruce's goofy Dr. Watson in all his foolish boasting. Nigel Bruce is never not funny on screen. Between Rathbone's peerless observations and serious portrayal of Sherlock and Bruce's bumbling oaf Watson, they kill it yet again in The House of Fear. They are a fantastic leading pair for this intriguing mystery. Aubrey Mather is quite fun as the warm, optimistic, and welcoming host Alastair. Paul Cavanaugh is curious as the potentially sinister Dr. Simon Merrivale. Dennis Hoey is hilarious as the idiotic and incompetent Inspector Lestrade as always. Harry Cording is scary and intimidating as the burly Captain John Simpson. Holmes Herbert is great as the fearful and afraid Alan Cosgrave. Sally Shepherd is strange as the near silent and morbid Mrs. Monteith. I'd like to mention Florette Hillier's adorable Scottish accent and moving supporting performance as Alison MacGregor. Saul A. Goodkind's editing is very fast paced with quick cuts around the specific movements and phrasing of characters. The House of Fear is cut briskly into a breezy 69 minutes of terror and life taking. Virgil Miller's darkly atmospheric cinematography keeps you on edge as he shoots everything in still wide shots, so you never like you're missing a thing. Eugene Lourie and John B. Goodman's art direction gives us a Gothic manor, furnished ornately for a grim vibe, perfectly setting up The House of Fear for screams and laughs. For there are plenty of both herein The House of Fear. Paul Sawtell's fearsome score pounds and blasts for dramatic horror cues with a charming symphonic majesty. He is the ideal composer for Roy William Neill's film noir directorial style and Sherlock Holmes' mystery pictures. In all, The House of Fear is yet another classic mystery film from Roy William Neill. It's worth seeing alone for Nigel Bruce's hilarious Dr. John Watson shooting into the foreboding darkness of night in a fussy panic. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dustin d It was interesting to see how economical a movie can be. Sherlock Holmes in the House of Fear tells a complete story in little over an hour. Assuming correctly its audience would be familiar enough with the Holmes character and focusing only on the case at hand, this movie saves time by skipping any introductory set piece and foregoing any subplots. A good little mystery movie. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear

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