Casa do Medo

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 plot is, to be honest, pretty far-fetched, but it makes for a very entertaining story with lots of intriguing developments. 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. It also adds many other ideas, some from Doyle, and some from other sources. 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. It might not be the most tightly-crafted of the series, but it's certainly one of the more enjoyable ones to watch.

Roy William Neil directed Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson in this loose adaptation of 'The Five Orange Pips'. Holmes & Watson are called to Scotland by an insurance company to investigate a case where seven men who belong to an exclusive club, and all of whom have taken out life insurance policies naming the others as the beneficiaries. Two have died already, and Holmes must prevent further deaths, and determine who the murderer is. Like the past two films, this is atmospheric and exciting, with a clever story and surprise ending. The series was at its peak here, but unfortunately would begin to decline afterward.

While it's not as great as earlier Holmes mysteries, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Scarlet Claw; The House of Fear is still an admirable entry in Holmes' list of triumphs. My favourite detective mysteries are always the ones that include a dash of horror, and I'm pleased to remark that this one has that. The film is directed by Roy William Neill; the same man that directed fellow horror-orientated Holmes yarn, The Scarlet Claw. For this film, Neill has succeeded in capturing a foreboding and intriguing atmosphere once again, and the story, which includes a rickety old house, benefits immensely from that. The story follows a group of men that have moved to Scotland from London after forming a club and buying a large house. After two of them are murdered subsequent to receiving strange notes, the super-sleuth and his trusty sidekick; Dr Watson are called in to get to the bottom of the mystery. Could the fact that each member of the group is a beneficiary of each of the others' life insurance policies have anything to do with it?

This film is very short at just 69 minutes, and this is part of the reason why the film doesn't work quite as well as other Holmes yarns. Despite being short, the film doesn't have many moments of real tension and there are several instances where the story slows down to walking pace, and these can be a trifle dull. The story in this movie is rather thin, but, despite it's lack of tension, it does have intrigue; which redeems the plotting somewhat. 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. These two have a great on-screen chemistry, and you can really believe that they are old friends. The climax of the film is nice and it's unlikely that you'll see it coming...but that's its main vice also; it's somewhat unlikely. I'm becoming a big fan of Sherlock Holmes movies, so I'm rating this one a little higher than many would; but in spite of my slight bias, this is still a very good film and one that Holmes fans will not want to miss

Sherlock Holmes agrees to an insurance company request to investigate the gruesome deaths of wealthy gentlemen living in a Scottish mansion. 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. So purist fans of the literary aspects are in for a let down. Or are they? 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. Set very much in the creepy mansion formula, House Of Fear, with all its off kilter camera work {beautifully realised now with the marvellous restoration job}, utilises the scope for "nothing is ever what it seems" to great effect. Thus of course giving Holmes {Rathbone impeccable as usual} license to detect with great gusto and ingenuity. This is after all what one wants from a Sherlock Holmes film me thinks? The film is also aided by some rather fine work from the sound department, winds and footsteps are sharp to the ears, again impacting on the mood to fully involve the viewer.

While the relatively short running time stops it from being a fully born out mystery, and yes if you dig deep enough you will find a couple of creaky plot holes. The House Of Fear is still one of the better entries in this marvellous series of films. Sometimes it's all about the characters and the situation they find themselves in. With that, this becomes an essential Holmes movie, regardless of grumbles from purists and plot holers alike. 7/10

I'd have to rate this as one of the best of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films. It has about everything you would want in these movies - suspense, action, a clever story and some good humor courtesy our friend Dr. Watson. 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. Whoever receives the envelope is shortly thereafter murdered in a grisly way. 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. Who is committing these murders is anyone's guess, right down to the end.