Gespenster im Schloß

This is a good one. I understand it was the first of this branch of the series: producer, writer, director and Holmes set in wartime Britain.

Here's what's comparatively better than other Rathbone Holmeses: Watson is less moronic and the setup is more deliberately cheesy (a remote country house where you know the culprit is among the residents). Holmes seems to do more actual detecting than usual. The clue in this case isn't a clue about the murders, but about the treasure behind the murders. This allows the writer a chance to escape the usual formula and substitute a better one.

And it is also the most cinematic of all the Rathbone Holmes projects. The key factor in this is a human chess game, which is photographed amazingly well: Holmes on a ladder with an elevated chess board under an arch beyond which you can see the human chess pieces he "directs." Its a brief scene, but clearly the center of the film.

And there are secret passages, goofy military officers the likes of which we wouldn't see until Kubrick.

All in all, the one to prefer, I think.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate murders at Musgrave Manor, an estate being used as a convalescent home for soldiers suffering from combat fatigue during WW2. Fourth in Universal's marvelous Sherlock Holmes series is a highly enjoyable murder mystery within a gloomy old mansion. This one's just loaded with atmosphere. Great wind and lightning effects, nice use of shadows, and some cool sets. Good supporting cast includes lovely Hillary Brooke, Dennis Hoey, Halliwell Hobbes, and Milburn Stone of Gunsmoke fame, who at this point was a contract player at Universal. A very good entry in the series.

For those that know "The Musgrave Ritual," one of the better stories of the Holmes canon, this doesn't do too badly. It takes place in a convalescent home where Watson is helping veterans who suffer from a type of PTSD. The patients, sadly, provide some comic relief, and Watson's role is once again foolish and clutzy. However, once the bodies start showing up all over the place, under piles of leaves, in the rumble seats of cars, etc., Holmes must come to the rescue. There is a lot of lightning and thunder and dark and stormy night stuff going on. There is funeral service where the heroine is asked to recite the Musgrave ritual, an ancient set of cryptic statements that eventually become significant to the solving of the case. Holmes pull a few tricks from his bag of deceptions. Like the original, everyone ends up in a hidden cellar which holds a secret. It is a reasonably resonant offering in the Rathbone series and worth a watch. The atmosphere is worth the price of admission.

Sherlock Holmes films are always better when they have a horror edge to them - The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Scarlet Claw prove this best - and Sherlock Holmes Faces Death makes another nice entry in the list of Holmes films with a horror slant. The story this time round takes place in a foreboding old house where people are turning up dead. Holmes is brought in to investigate, along with his good friend Dr Watson and Scotland Yard's most inept inspector - the hilarious Lestrade - joins in the fun also. The acting from the central three is great, and they offset each other brilliantly. Rathbone gives another great performance as the brilliant detective of the title, while Nigel Bruce provides some of the more inept moments as Dr Watson; and Dennis Hoey always amuses as Inspector Lestrade. The mystery itself is a little messy at times, and can become a little slim on logic at times; but it all comes together at the end. The ending itself is great as usual for Universal's Holmes series, with the title character thwarting the villain with a combination of intelligence and skill. I would much prefer the movie if it cut off before the ending speech, however – even Watson looked like he was about to fall asleep! The title is perhaps a little over-dramatic for what the film is, and the supporting cast can be a little drab at times; and although this isn't one of the absolute best Sherlock Holmes films, it's certainly a very worthy entry in the series and comes with high recommendations.

This is a very entertaining Sherlock Holmes film with some of the best - maybe THE best - camera-work I've seen in the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce series.

The photography was better than the story, which was disappointing only in that it was too easy to spot the killer. Heck, even I found it no problem, so it must have been too easy.

The characters were interesting and all quite different. Some were mental patients who had suffered from World War II. Miburn Stone played the lone American and I didn't recognize the man who went on to play "Doc" in the long- running hit TV series "Gunsmoke." However, his voice sounded familiar.