The House of Fear (1945)

The House of Fear (1945)

Directed by: Roy William Neill

Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Aubrey Mather

Here’s another movie I have pretty much entirely forgotten. I can tell you that it’s one of the many Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies of yesteryear (I’m too lazy to even look up how long they made these things, damn) and that they’re all at least marginally entertaining. I think this was one of those “least”.

There’s a fancy gentleman’s club (not THAT kind of gentleman’s club) where the effete members are all fearing for their lives so much that one of them invites Sherlock Holmes and his idiot friend Dr. Watson to help them out. Apparently someone’s been sending threatening letters to them and I think a couple of them probably die off before Holmes solves the case. Unfortunately, Dr. Watson narrowly avoids being murdered half a dozen times.

Like I said, I don’t really remember much about this one. It was structured a little weird for a Sherlock Holmes story, with it seeming more like something you’d expect Vincent Price or the Ritz Brothers to be in instead. Actually, Vincent Price as Sherlock Holmes would’ve been awesome, damn.