Main Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Aubrey Mather, Dennis Hoey, Paul Cavanagh
Release Year: 1945
Country: US
Run Time: 69 minutes
Plot
This excellent Sherlock Holmes adventure is based on Conan Doyle's The Five Orange Pips. Most of the action takes place in a remote Scottish mansion, home of "The Good Companions," a group of elderly eccentrics. After taking out insurance policies on one another, the club members begin dropping like flies, each death preceded by a mailed envelope containing an orange pip. Enter Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), who hope to not only solve the killings but also find out why the corpses mysteriously disappear after each death. For once, the usually ineffectual Watson takes an active part in the deductive process, uncovering the vital evidence that helps Holmes emerge triumphant once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Very loosely based on an Arthur Conan Doyle story, The House of Fear plays somewhat more like an Agatha Christie mystery -- Ten Little Indians, to be precise. There's nothing wrong with this, but it does prove a little wearying in Fear, as the ultimate outcome of the mystery may be obvious rather early for many viewers, causing impatience and restlessness as they wait for Holmes and company to catch up with them. True, it seems clear fairly early on that Holmes has also figured things out and is merely letting the game play out, but while comforting, it still doesn't erase the sense of impatience. The climactic sequence in which Watson provides the all-important clue doesn't quite work; it's forced and seems added on, and most viewers will conclude that Holmes could easily have caught the villains without this so-called vital clue. These flaws aside, Fear is an enjoyable Holmes adventure, with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in delightful form and fine assistance from a well-cast supporting ensemble. Director Roy William Neill presents a polished production, as usual, clearly enjoying the "strange old house" setting and taking advantage of it to create a number of striking visuals. Not top-notch Holmes, but quite a nice little diversion nonetheless. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
John B. Goodman - Art Director, Eugène Lourié - Art Director, Melville Shyer - First Assistant Director, Roy William Neill - Director, Saul A. Goodkind - Editor, Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Paul Sawtell - Musical Direction/Supervision, Virgil E. Miller - Cinematographer, Roy William Neill - Producer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Edward Ray Robinson - Set Designer, Bernard B. Brown - Sound/Sound Designer, Roy Chanslor - Screenwriter, Arthur Conan Doyle - Short Story Author
