The House of Fear

Plot synopsis:
Holmes is visited by Mr. Chalmers (Gavin Muir), an insurance agent with a strange tale. Seven single men, calling themselves "The Good Comrades", live together in the remote Scottish castle of Drearcliffe House, near the village of Inverneill. Recently one of the "Good Comrades" received a strange message, an envelope containing nothing but seven orange pips. That night, he was murdered and his body horribly mutilated. A few days later, a second envelope was delivered, this time containing six pips, and the recipient also died mysteriously soon afterwards, his battered corpse being recovered from the base of the cliffs. Chalmers holds £100,000 of life insurance policies on the seven men, and suspects that one is systematically murdering the others in order to collect the money, and begs Holmes to investigate.
Holmes and Watson arrive at the scene only to find another murder has occurred. His body is burned to a crisp. Lestrade also arrives to investigate. Despite Holmes' best efforts, three more deaths occur, each time leaving the victim's body unrecognisable.
Lestrade jumps to the obvious conclusion, that the last surviving member, Bruce Alistair (Aubrey Mather), murdered all the others. However, after Watson goes missing, Holmes has deduced the truth and leads Lestrade (and Alistair) to a secret room where all the "Good Comrades" - alive and well - are hiding with Watson tied up. Holmes explains that Alistair was the victim of a plot to frame him for murder and collect the insurance money by the other six.

Tags: murder

Review:
The latter is in top form with a number of funny lines and reactions to the happenings around him.Meanwhile, this plays like the Agatha Christie story, "And Then There Were None." Instead of "10 Little Indians," there are the "orange pips" which are sent in an envelope to the members of the "The Good Comrades" club up in Drearcliff, Scotland.
Holmes, Watson and then Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, all venture up to the Scottish mansion to investigate the murders.This is good stuff with nary a lull during the 69-minute film that features a variety of suspects, from evil-looking to the nicest guy in the house.
With lots of atmospheric detail and an interesting, involved Sherlock Holmes mystery story, this is one of many enjoyable features in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series.
The supporting cast features Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade, Aubrey Mather as an interesting oddball character, and Paul Cavanagh in a good role as one of the suspects.The story takes some of the basic elements from Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Five Orange Pips", but places it in an entirely new setting that works much better on the screen.
The good cast and the effective atmosphere in a remote corner of Scotland help to keep the story interesting instead of straining plausibility.Roy William Neill does one of his many solid directing jobs in the series, keeping a good balance between entertainment and mystery, and between the original characters and the contemporary setting.
Each death is predicted by the strange delivery of Orange Pips to the next intended victim.Lets get the main fact out of the way first, although an adaptation of Conan Doyle's Holmes story, {Adventures} The Five Orange Pips, The House Of Fear bears little resemblance to that particular source.
Directed by Roy William Neill with the screenplay coming from Roy Chanslor, this tenth entry in the Rathbone/Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films is a deliciously atmospheric mystery piece holding its own.
Sherlock and Watson go to Scotland to investigate the murders of members of the "Good Comrades Club" - before they die, they receive an envelope containing orange pips (seeds); shortly afterward, they are brutally murdered beyond recognition.There is a Sherlock Holmes story called "The Five Orange Pips," but this is only very loosely the Conan Doyle plot.
Nevertheless, it has all the great mystery elements - a large, old dark house, rainstorms and things that go bump in the night.One of the faults of this series was the casting of Nigel Bruce who was then directed to act like an idiot.
Sherlock Holmes and his mumbling sidekick Dr. Watson go to Scotland to investigate the deaths of members of "The Good Comrades," a group of seven lonely men that make a pact to split the money of each dying member.
Gathered in THE HOUSE OF FEAR, the members of a strange tontine begin to meet violent & mysterious deaths.Once again, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, tackles the problems pervading an Old Dark House.
This time it's the Good Comrades Club and their rapidly dwindling membership, and Universal Studios supplies all the proper atmospherics to provide plenty of chills & suspense.Basil Rathbone, as the cerebral sleuth, and Nigel Bruce, as his amiable sidekick, have already reached perfection in their roles.
Together, their film partnership has become screen legend.Dennis Hoey returns in the role of Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, always several steps behind Holmes in his use of deductive reasoning.The seven Good Comrades are played by cherubic Aubrey Mather, gaunt Paul Cavanagh, Holmes Herbert, Harry Cording, and the unbilled Wilson Benge, Cyril Delevanti & Richard Alexander.
This is one of the best of the low-budget Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson.Seven men, the "Good Comrades" have formed a club, and they all live together in a castle on the North coast of Scotland.
Holmes is called in by the insurers when two of them die violently in quick succession.It all takes place in the castle, and more of the Comrades meet an end, so it's Ten Little Indians territory.Rathbone and Bruce, with the cheerful support of Dennis Hoey as Lestrade, do their usual number with a fairly intricate plot, and a jolly good time is had by all.The direction is pacy, and it rattles along very satisfactorily; the production values are pretty low, but we're only looking at story-telling than brilliant cinematography.Enjoyable stuff..
I disagree and this is one of the better ones and certainly one of the creepiest.In this one, Holmes and Watson are sent to Scotland to investigate a series of murders in a rather creepy and remote mansion, Drearcliff House.
The investigation then takes Holmes into a secret passage leading to the basement of Drearcliff House...This is very spooky in parts, helped by the howling wind and nighttime scenes and the location of the mansion.As usual, Basil Rathobone is joined by Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson and the rest of the cast includes Dennis Hoey, Paul Cavanagh and Holmes Herbert.This is a must for everyone Sherlock Holmes fan.
One thing that the film definitely does benefit from is that, like all other Universal Holmes films made in the 30's and 40's, it stars the great Basil Rathbone as the great detective and Nigel Bruce as the sidekick; Dr Watson.
In contrast to most of the other 'Sherlock Holmes' movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, where we know almost from the beginning who's the 'villain', "The House of Fear" is a REAL, classic whodunit; and a real complicated one, almost Agatha Christie style...
And besides that, it's also got many of the features of the good old 'dark old house' mysteries - alright, the house isn't dark, but there's no telephone, and not a soul around for miles, because it's built on top of a cliff in Northern Scotland; the IDEAL surroundings for mysterious murders...And that's just what happens: the members of the 'Good Comrades' club, consisting of seven men, are being 'reduced' one by one by horrible accidents - and every time, the next victim receives a mysterious envelope with orange pips (an old Asian symbol for death) in it, each time one less...
The case is VERY twisted, and VERY interesting to follow, and requires the full attention of our 'little gray cells' throughout the whole duration of the movie.The cast is supreme, the directing extraordinary, the settings creepy and old-fashioned, the plot is simply fascinating - and yet, there's also room for some humor in between, mainly thanks to Dr. Watson, grumpy but helpful as always, and of course Inspector Lestrade, slow-witted as always...IMO, except for the two 'classic' adaptations made at 20th Century-Fox, this is probably the very best of the Rathbone/Bruce 'Sherlock Holmes' movies - enjoy the masterful crime entertainment, but don't let the many red herrings deceit you; will you find out the solution??.
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate but fail to prevent more murders from occurring.
Being the only film in this franchise to lift a title from unrelated Holmes movie (Universal's own mystery, "The House of Fear," starring William Gargan), this entry, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of the Five Orange Pips," attempts on being different and most stylish from the previous entries, especially when formula tends to mix with that of both Doyle and famed mystery writer, Agatha Christie.Following the traditional opening titles and theme score introducing "Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes" an "Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson" through the lifting fog as the camera captures their footed shadow images walking slowly down the streets of uncertainty, the voice-over narrative reveals what's about to occur: "The events I'm about to relate began a fortnight ago in a grim old house first high on a cliff on the west coast of Scotland.
Gathered there for dinner were the seven members of the most extraordinary club called the Good Comrades ..." The story opens with the gathering of wealthy middle-aged members headed by its jolly old founder, Bruce Alastair (Aubrey Mather), Ralph King (Richard Alexander); Stanley Rayburn (Cyril Develati); Captain John Simpson (Harry Cording); Guy Davies (Wilson Benge); Doctor Simon Merrivale (Paul Cavanaugh); and Alan Cosgrove (Holmes Herbert).
Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) and assistant Sergeant Bleeker (Leslie Dennison) of Scotland Yard soon enter the scene, not long after Doctor Watson's life is threatened and soon abducted when coming close to solving the mystery himself during his frightful stay in the house, or better yet, castle of fear.With an abundance of movie mysteries produced at that time, whether individually or part of a continuing series, the best are the ones that succeed even with overly familiar plots.
Excluding one brief moment of a plunging car, THE HOUSE OF FEAR could easily pass for Doyle's original intent with story setting being the 1890s rather than the 1940s.THE HOUSE OF FEAR, distributed to home video and later DVD format, having been broadcast on numerous public television and cable channels, including Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 26, 2009), may not show preference as the best in the entire series, but certainly as enjoyable from start to finish as Holmes mysteries go.
There are Warnings to the Next Victims, and an Old Boys Club with Eccentric Characters.In this Film Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) doesn't Abuse Watson Verbally except for Cutting Him Off in Mid-Sentence a Few Times.
Rathbone is THE Holmes and this is one of the best of the Universal releases of the period.Ok, the plot can be a little thin at times, all the bodies are identified using circumstancial evidence which wouldn't hold up in court, but be honest, when you watch the film for the first time, who do you think is responsible for the deaths of The Good Comrades?
Only the main device is borrowed for the film...the foretelling of violent death by the mysterious delivery of orange pips (that's "seeds" for all us Yanks)...but the main thrust of the otherwise entirely original script is quite Holmesian, in itself, and gives the character of Sherlock Holmes plenty of room to utilize his singular gift for deductive reasoning.This cinematic reworking of Conan Doyle's tale has Holmes at the home of the Good Comrades Club, a suitable location for the mystery which unfolds.
A delightfully spooky murder mystery, this may be the best Sherlock Holmes movie yet (the best, that is, with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce).
Produced and directed by a veteran of the Holmes series, Roy William Neill, from a screenplay that Roy Chanslor adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Five Orange Pips," the engrossing film ranks among the best of the Universal series.
The script offers Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson amusing opportunities to verbally spar with Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade and to shine in several solo scenes, in one of which he identifies a critical clue that leads to Holmes solving the mystery.
From Rathbone and Bruce to the group of seven, the housekeeper, a tobacco merchant, and a group of seamen, the performers are all in fine form; the script is excellent, the direction taut, the photography atmospheric, and "The House of Fear" stands tall among the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes films..
Roy William Neil directed Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson in this loose adaptation of 'The Five Orange Pips'.
I've got the entire series of Basil Rathbone Holmes films on DVD, and I think the films were better being brought into the modern era when they were taken over by Universal, although this particular film has such a Gothic atmosphere it really could be set in either the 19th or 20th centuries.Seven well-off men in rural Scotland who enjoy each other's company have named themselves "the good comrades" and have oddly taken out life insurance policies on themselves, naming all of the others as beneficiaries.
Highly recommended for the atmosphere, for Rathbone and Bruce who wear the roles of Holmes and Watson like a perfect fitting glove, and for the sight of the housekeeper at the comrades' meeting place delivering all of the "death envelopes" as though they were routine telegrams and trudging around the castle at night wielding a hatchet when she thinks she hears a noise, like something straight out of a Universal horror film of ten years before..
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce once again give sterling performances as legendary crime fighting duo Holmes and Watson, but the real star of this particular yarn is its marvellous location, the aptly named Drearcliff House, a sprawling Scottish cliff-top mansion.
It is within the sturdy walls, shadowy corridors, magnificent oak panelled rooms and dingy secret passageways of this wonderfully atmospheric building that Holmes attempts to unravel the case of the 'The Good Comrades', the systematic murder of a group of friends who have each taken out a life insurance policy, naming the others as beneficiaries.Ceaslessly battered by the elements, windows lashed by heavy rain, the wind howling outside, lightning and thunder crashing above, Drearcliff is the archetypal 'old dark house', a labyrinthine structure offering countless hiding places and escape routes for any quick-witted felon.
holmes and watson must investigate the murders of "The Good Comrades," and after each one dies, a letter with orange pips comes, with the number of the remaining friends left.
Of the RKO Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films series, The House of Fear not quite as good as Scarlet Claw and Pearl of Death.
Holmes is called in to investigate a series of murders among a group of "good comrades" living together in a Scottish castle.
Roy William Neill's directing is monotonous but solid as always, Basil Rathbone's performance is flawless and both Nigel Bruce's and Dennis Hoey's characters provide the grippingly atmospheric story with some welcome comical moments.
The 10th of 12 movies that Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce shared the screen as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.A prime suspect and lots of bizarre deaths indicating something that only Holmes can figure out.Watson is his usual bumbling self providing much hilarity as he stumbles about and chats with owls.The feature was also directed by Roy William Neill, who did several Holmes movies.
The black and white Sherlock Holmes films have a fantastic atmosphere and Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce make a great Holmes and Watson pairing.
Thirty minutes into this film I really didn't care who the murderer was, because I didn't know enough about the suspects, to care.The film's script also contains some rather glaring plot holes, especially related to murder prevention that never seems to occur to anyone, least of all the brainy Holmes."House Of Fear" is mostly a cinematic vehicle for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in this enjoyable outing from Universal.
Except for the first two Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Holmes'films (set in the 19th Century) and THE SCARLET CLAW and SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH, THE HOUSE OF FEAR has the best plot of any of the series.
With King & Reaburn being members of the "Good Comrades Club" each of their insurance policies, being 1000,000 pound sterling, was to be split up among the surviving five club members.Chamers getting his good friend Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone, together with his constant companion Dotcor Watson, Nigel Bruce, to investigate the two mysterious deaths other members of the club began to have the same kind of deadly accidents!
What at first seem to be obvious in the "Good Comrades Club" members deaths is that one of them is staging their "accidents" so in being the sole survivor of the group he'll collect all the insurance, amounting to 700,000 pound sterling, money!It's the murder of local tobacco shop owner Alex MacGregor, David Clyde, that sets off alarms in Sherlock Holmes' head to who the real killer was.
That and also Doctor Watson suddenly or on impulse deciding to try smoking MacGregor's left over tobacco that exposed to Holmes not only the reason for the "Good Comrades" deaths but also why they died so horribly!More like a modern horror slasher flick then a 1940's Sherlock Holmes mystery movie "The House of Fear" thankfully didn't show the results of the horrible deaths, which were more like those in the recent "SAW" films, of its victims which would have been far too much for its audience back then in 1945 to watch!.
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is hired by an insurance company to investigate the grisly murders of the wealthy members of 'The Good Comrades' club in an eerie Scottish mansion.
However, Holmes and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) uncover something far more sinister...Red herrings and clues abound in this underrated entry in the popular series of wartime second features starring Basil Rathbone as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's world famous detective.
Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear starts in Drearycliff house on the West Coast of Scotland where the seven members of the Good Comrades Club meet.
The club is now down to four members, Bruce Alistair (Aubrey Mather), Dr. Simon Merivale (Paul Cavanagh), Alan Cosgrove (Holmes Herbert) & John Simpson (Harry Cording) & Holmes must piece the clues together & catch a killer before they strike again...Produced & directed by Roy William Neill Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear was the tenth Holmes film in a series that totals fourteen made between 1939 & 1946 to star the duo of Rathbone & Bruce as Holmes & Watson.
The acting is OK although some of the Scottish accents sound ridiculous & Rathbone is as good as ever while Bruce as Watson & Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade are the comic relief.Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear is a great murder mystery that is maybe a little easy to figure out but is still definitely well worth watching..
There are those who say that the Rathbone/Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films began to run out of steam as the years passed.