The House of Fear (1945)
Directed by Roy William Neill
Genres - Mystery, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Detective Film, Whodunit |
Release Date - Mar 16, 1945 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 68 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
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.
Characteristics
Moods
Themes
Keywords
detective, mansion, club [organization], curse, insurance, murder, Scottish [nationality], death-fake