SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 69:00 Min.
Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story, “Adventure of the Five Orange Pips,” Universal Pictures released this film directed by Roy William Neill in 1945. It’s the tenth of fourteen Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films released from 1939-1946, as the last twelve are set in the present-day.
Residing at Drearcliff Manor, on a secluded clifftop not far from a Scottish coastal village, is an exclusive group dubbing itself the ‘Good Comrades Club.’ Each a distinguished older British gentleman bachelor, a macabre prelude of death begins targeting its members. At dinner time, upon receiving an ominous packet of orange pips signifying the remaining number in the group, the packet’s addressee soon meets a grisly fate.
Considering each ‘Good Comrade’ has vested his sizable life insurance policy in the others, the suspicious London insurer sends Sherlock Holmes from 221B Baker Street to investigate. Holmes suspects there is at least one probable killer already lurking among them. The formidable presence of Holmes & Dr. John Watson merely accelerates the culprit’s vile intentions of eliminating these ‘Good Comrades,’ one by one. Per local legend, the haunted manor’s family curse that “no man goes whole to his grave” is coming true to chilling effect.
As Holmes, Watson, and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade witness, this unseen predator has no mercy upon the desecrated victims. Yet, Holmes grimly senses all may not be what it seems.
Note: This film has been released in VHS (as half of a Rathbone-as-Sherlock Holmes double-feature), and, as part of The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection, in DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
Sherlock Holmes: Basil Rathbone
Dr. John Watson: Nigel Bruce
Inspector Lestrade: Dennis Hoey
Bruce Alastair: Aubrey Mather
Dr. Simon Merrivale: Paul Cavanaugh
Capt. John Simpson: Harry Cording
Mrs. Monteith: Sally Shepherd
Alan Cosgrave: Holmes Herbert
Alex MacGregor: David Clyde
Alison MacGregor: Florette Hillier
Ralph King: Richard Alexander
Guy Davies: Wilson Benge
Stanley Raeburn: Cyril Delevanti
Angus: Alex Craig
Sgt. Bleeker: Leslie Denison
Chalmers: Gavin Muir
REVIEW:
In essence, Fear lifts Doyle’s legendary crime-fighting duo into an ominous storyline more befitting Agatha Christie. Given the ghoulish mayhem occurring off-screen, the filmmakers resort to comedy relief at the right moments; some of which is subtly clever. Even the deliberately silly sequence of Watson alone safeguarding the manor on a clichéd dark and stormy night somehow works better than it should. The same applies to Dennis Hoey’s perpetually-befuddled Lestrade.
Mostly, it’s up to Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce anchoring a solid cast to overcome the plot’s contrivances; hence, the end result is undeniably entertaining. Just don’t try overthinking it, and The House of Fear delivers Rathbone’s likable answer to And Then There Were None released that same year.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
