Sir Charles Baskerville dies at the entrance of his manor, and Doctor Mortimer says he died of natural causes. However, when telling Sherlock Holmes of the case, he feels Sir Charles' death was a result of a centuries old curse that runs in the Baskerville family, which Dr. Mortimer feels will strike at Sir Charles nephew, Sir Henry, who is arriving to claim the Baskerville estate. Holmes sends Dr. Watson in his place, along with Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry, to the manor and for Watson to keep an eye out for any suspicious actions. Immediately after arriving, Watson notices the queer occurrences at the estate and surrounding moors, and sends Holmes reports of what is going on concerning the life of Sir Henry. Will Holmes arrive in time to unravel the mystery, and who is responsible for Sir Charles' death and the attempted murder of Sir Henry? Is it Dr. Mortimer, neighbor Stapleton, butler Barryman, harmless old Frankland, a mysterious wild man, or is there a curse on the Baskerville family? Very good opening entry in the Rathbone-Bruce Holmes series (even though this film lacks qualities of any ongoing entries.) The film could have been a bit more darker and foreboding (the film does have a movie studio set feel) and have an ending with a little more confrontation to it, but it does provide for much fun. The romantic scenes with Greene and Barrie have little spark, but there are very good red herring performances by the cast, which is a plus for this movie. Rating, 8.
With an involved, detailed mystery and an elegant adversary played by Gale Sondergaard, this is one of the most entertaining features in the Sherlock Holmes series of movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The story gets a little far-fetched, but it is quite interesting. It is loaded with plot devices pulled from several different Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and it's interesting to see how many you can catch. It also features the usual pleasant camaraderie between Rathbone and Bruce, plus Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade.As "The Spider Woman", Sondergaard creates a memorable opponent for Holmes. The slightly exaggerated role cannot have been much of a challenge for such a fine actress, but she puts her heart into it, and looks as if she is enjoying herself - as her character certainly is. By creating such a dynamic character, she also helps make the complicated story seem more plausible, and it creates a worthy challenge for Holmes.The movie also contains the amusing bits of dialogue and detail that characterized so many of the movies in the series. The climactic sequence, in particular, is a very good combination of suspense and wit. It is a fitting way to cap off an enjoyable entry in the popular series.