This evening we finished up Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear (1945), based, rather loosely, off the Doyle short story “The Five Orange Pips“. Starring the traditional Rathbone and Bruce, we follow the deaths of members of the club The Good Companions at Drearcliff, a mansion by the sea.
The plot is actually rather nice, as the members are notified of their imminent demise through the delivery of envelopes full of orange pips. The deaths continue even after the arrival and efforts of Holmes and Watson, and later Lestrade. Eventually, one Good Companion is left, with all the murders pinned on this unfortunate and inoffensive man. Until Watson notices an empty tobacco container…
Speaking of Watson, he is ill-used in this picture, a posturing buffoon who cannot execute a duty competently, nor follow a chain of logic from beginning to end. In an otherwise competent, even interesting movie, his appearance (as well as Lestrade) causes more and more wincing as the movie goes on. I can only recommend this movie if Watson can be removed bodily from the movie.
