When it comes to the classic Holmes/Watson franchise of the 1940s, Universal, Roy William Neill and the two lead stars, Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (Dr. Watson) were on a definite roll by the time this installment was released: with The House of Fear, they managed four consecutive great to excellent movies over a two-year period.
Trailer to
Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear:
Taking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tale The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips, scriptwriter Roy Chanslor* (25 Aug 1899 – 16 Apr 1964), carved a tale that varies greatly from its source but does so effectively. It is tempting to say that Chanslor was heavily influenced by Rene Clair's And Then There Were None (1945 / trailer), but that classic nail-biter was released the same year — Agatha Christie's play, however, had naturally been around a lot longer, so the possibility does exist that the play was an influence. And like that well-known book cum play cum movie (and later remakes), The House of Fear has an ever so slight body-counter vibe, as there is a steady stream of deaths throughout the film's running time, with all corpses disfigured to unrecognizability. And Holmes is once again, as in many entries of the series, oddly ineffectual at preventing the body count from growing. A grand total of seven, one could say, including the village shopkeeper Alec MacGregor (David Clyde** [27 Mar 1885 – 17 May 1945]), who is killed before he can share what he knows. The twist ending, in any event, truly surprises.
* A former newspaperman expelled from the University of California, Berkeley, Chanslor, born in Liberty, Missouri, became a successful scriptwriter and minor novelist in his day; two of his books were adapted into epenomiously named and famous movies, Johnny Guitar (1954 / trailer) and The Ballad of Cat Ballou (1965 / trailer). (His earlier and forgotten novel from 1947, Hazard, was likewise adapted in its day, but the resulting film, Hazard [1948 / full film], is negligible and mostly forgotten.) Chanslor slid into obscurity after death; hell, when he died, it was hardly noticed. His first wife was the likewise unjustly forgotten illustrator and author, Marjorie Torrey, a woman who, like Chanslor, appeared to prefer discretion.
** A busy and usually uncredited character actor, Scottish-born Clyde died a few months after the release of the movie. He's found in the background of movies such as The Scarlet Claw (1944), the classic ghost story The Uninvited (1944 / trailer), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943 / trailer), and more.
In point of fact, the script would have made an excellent B-film with or without Holmes, Watson, and Scotland Yard's bumbling Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey). Lestrade is actually rather annoying in this entry of the series, an additional comic aspect unneeded due to Watson's position as head clown. In general, though, the biggest flaw in the film is the cinematography, which often veers off from being either moody or atmospheric and dives straight into dark and murky. Or at least it did in the version we watched, but seeing that the movie was released roughly three-quarters of a century ago, it is difficult to say with certainty whether the film actually suffers bad cinematography or whether the existing prints have simply aged badly. Seeing that the cinematographer, Virgil Miller (20 Dec 1886 – 5 Oct 1974), was also the cameraman on the previous, excellently shot Pearl of Death (1944), however, we would vote towards film-stock degradation.
And very much like the superior The Scarlet Claw (1944) and Pearl of Death, or the slightly inferior The Woman In Green (1945), The House of Fear very much has the feel of a Universal horror film, complete with a gloomy, cursed mansion standing high and alone on the Scottish cliffs and a series of dreadful murders. The gloomy old house, in which people wander around using candles for light despite the fact that most rooms have a lamp on the table or in the background, even features an impressive winding staircase and a hidden secret passage in the fireplace — the last being the de rigueur of interior decorating of the age, and something that no house can do without.
The plot involves a group of seven men who have retired from the world and formed The Good Comrades Club, all taking residence together in Drearcliffe House, the cursed family home of Alastair (Aubrey "Perennial Bachelor " Mather [17 Dec 1885 – 16 Jan 1958] of The Undying Monster [1942 / trailer], The Man in the Mirror [1936 / trailer] and Jane Eyre [1943 / trailer]), a rather jolly if not eccentric old man. (Nowadays one would suspect that the seven must comprise some sort of secret queer sex club, but back then the innocent public probably never had such carnal thoughts.)
Each member is heavily insured in case of death, the survivors of the club being the beneficiaries. One night at dinner, one member receives a mysterious letter empty but for six orange seeds — or pips, as they are called on that fading island across the Atlantic — and promptly dies a disfiguring death. When the exact same procedure occurs to yet another member, Mr. Chambers (Gavin Muir [8 Sept 1900 – 24 May 1972] of Night Tide [1961 / trailer], The Son of Dr Jekyll [1951 / full film] and Island of Lost Women [1959 / full film]), the suspicious insurance agent who sold the men their policies, calls upon Holmes, whose interest in the case is piqued by the fact that one of the club's members, Dr. Merivale (Paul Cavanagh [8 Dec 1888 – 15 Mar 1964], of The Sin of Nora Moran [1933 / full film] and too many other fun films to mention, in the second of the three Holmes film he made with Neill) had successfully defended himself from the charges of murdering his wife many years previously.
Hi ho, hi ho, and it's off to solve the mystery the detective and doctor do go. In no short time they are residing in the castle, but are seemingly unable to stop the men from being murdered one by one, all killed in such away that the bodies are physically unrecognizable. Finally, only Alastair is left, protesting his innocence non-stop despite the fact that all the evidence points towards him. (In truth, "all the evidence" is relatively slim: he is considered guilty because he is the lone survivor and beneficiary of the policies). Atypical to the series, Watson stumbles upon an unexpected clue, but when he goes off in search of Holmes he barely makes it through a door before he lets out a shout and disappears. Is he too going to become yet another disfigured victim of the unknown, nefarious murderer?
The tenth film of the series, if you count the first two from 20th century fox, and one of the best of the Universal productions, with The House of Fear Roy William Neill delivered yet another entry that manages to transcend its low, low budget. A good story and a lot of familiar faces make for good viewing, enough so that the poorly aged film stock becomes forgivable. Along for the ride were numerous regulars outside Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Dennis Hoey (as Lestrade). Paul Cavanagh a personal fave of a wasted life, is present (for a change) throughout most of the film. Likewise, series regular Holmes Herbert* (30 Jul 1882 – 26 Dec 1956) is a "victim" as well, while always employed and uncredited Harry Cording ([26 Apr 1891 – 1 Sept 1954] of The Black Cat [1934 / fan-made trailer] and The Strange Door [1951 / trailer], among other), who tended to usually fill out the background in most of the Universal Sherlock Holmes films, has a longer role as Capt. Simpson, whose idiocy is actually responsible for Holmes' being able to break the case.
* Forgotten character actor Herbert had a long successful career with well over 200 film appearances, including Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931 / trailer), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933 / trailer), The Invisible Man (1933 / trailer), Mark of the Vampire (1935 / trailer), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942 / trailer), Calling Dr Death (1943 / trailer), Three Strangers (1946) and so much more.
The full film –
Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear:
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