Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

“Watson” (Nigel Bruce) has offered his professional services to a wartime convalescent home where his assistant “Sexton” (Arthur Margetson) is mysteriously stabbed in the neck. Determined not to expose his war-weary patients to a formal police investigation, he secures the services of “Holmes” (Basil Rathbone) to get to the bottom of things. As soon as he arrives, he discovers that the house belongs to the “Musgrave” family and they pretty much can’t stand the sight of each other. The elder brother “Geoffrey” (Frederick Worlock) soon bites the dust and suspicion falls on his sibling “Philip” (Gavin Muir) but “Holmes” is still convinced that he isn’t the culprit, and when “Lestrade” (Dennis Hoey) arrives he hopes that might help flush out the real killer and perhaps explain just why this family appear to be cursed! This is solid and complex story with the usual cast supported well here by Halliwell Hobbes as the permanently picked butler, a collection of residents who could each be the perpetrator and a clever game of chess at the conclusion. The only slight bugbear I have with this is that Great Britain never actually had a King called Henry, but otherwise this sees the detective duo on fine form and finishes with a suitably patriot spiel from Rathbone about life and liberty that must have resounded mid-WWII.

Murky Murders at Musgrave Manor. Oh I do like this one, this is what I want from my Sherlock Holmes, a sneaky little murder mystery to be solved all set inside a rickety old manor that oozes foreboding as our protagonists walk up the path. A manor that has secret chambers, creaking floorboards, creaking servants, the mystery basement, and of course the impending glee of knowing Holmes & Watson are thrust into a dastardly murder mystery in this creepy place. The cast are up to the usual standard we have come to expect in the series, the plot is simply effective with a few delightful sequences thrown in for good measure, and the film's running time is just about perfect. Love it, now anyone for a game of human chess? 9/10