binapiraeus Just while Lord Penrose, who's a 'scientific' supporter of the supernatural, gets into an argument at a debate in Quebec with realist Sherlock Holmes about a horrible myth about a monster with a strange 'claw' killing people in a small village called 'La Morte Rouge' nearby, the news reaches him that his wife has just been found dead - with her throat cut out with something like a monster's claw...Of course, Holmes at once decides to take a closer look at that strange myth - and of course, he doesn't believe it's a myth at all. And an ordinary garden weeder, as well as the true identity of the late Lady Penrose, soon confirms his theory: she was once an actress, and a member of her group had been murdered - and the murderer escaped from jail and hasn't been seen anywhere in the past few years; so he could have assumed anyone's identity in that sleepy little village in the meantime...And he's out for revenge, as Holmes soon discovers: a retired judge is the next victim - but there still seems to be somebody else on the murderer's 'list'...This is quite a gruesome entry in the series, almost as atmospheric as "The Hound of the Baskervilles", but with an even more reckless and cunning murderer. A case for Sherlock Holmes fans with PRETTY strong nerves!

Hitchcoc This is probably my favorite Rathbone/Holmes offering. As a child I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Canadian town of Le Morte Rouge where people seem content to enjoy the supernatural. Something is killing sheep and people, ripping them to pieces with a claw. Of course, the possibility it is a kind of garden trowel is dismissed. It has to be some kind of animal/demon that is driving this. Part of it also that there is professor living there that is immersed in this and it is his wife who is the first to die. While Holmes tries to get to the bottom of this, his trusty, bumbling sidekick is given a series of tasks which he, of course, goofs up. One is a period of time he spends in a bar trying to observe and be inconspicuous. He spends his time speaking loudly and asking all kinds of questions, becoming somewhat of a celebrity in the process. Another is when Holmes want the locals to thing he has given up and will be leaving. Watson announces loudly to everyone that he and Holmes are on their way out of town. He prances around, making it obvious to anyone who will listen. No subtly whatsoever. The murders continue and Holmes takes it personally when a pretty young woman who works at the inn is ripped to death by the claw. The villain is interesting and there are enough plot twist to make this a pretty good package. I know that this is wartime and each episode ends with a plea for war bonds, but Holmes takes about two minutes speaking about the great country of Canada, the British monarchy, the great United States, etc. He becomes an insufferable boor in these things, but, then, I'm viewing them in a different time and place.

BA_Harrison With its rural location complete with treacherous, foggy marsh terrorised by a seemingly supernatural monster, The Scarlet Claw certainly has more than a bit of The Hound of the Baskervilles about it; the fact that the 'monster' is in fact an escaped murderer wearing phosphorescent clothes in order to scare the locals means that it also resembles an episode of Scooby Doo at times.This combination of the creepy and the cartoonish makes for one admittedly silly but also very entertaining adventure for Holmes, giving the super sleuth an intriguing case more than worthy of his amazing deductive skills whilst reinstating the atmospheric Gothic trappings that had sorely been missing from the series' earlier war-time efforts.Great characters; gruesome deaths; a villain able to take on a variety of disguises with ease; an ominous tolling bell; a deserted, run-down hotel; red herrings aplenty: The Scarlet Claw has what it takes to be one of the best of the Universal Sherlock Holmes films.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

kenjha Holmes investigates the mysterious death of a woman who appears to have her throat mutilated by the claw of an animal. The eighth in the popular series featuring Rathbone and Bruce as the venerable sleuths, this has the same basic premise as the first in the series, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," that of what appears to be animal attacks in remote, fog-covered marshes. It is is just as atmospheric as the earlier classic, but the story here is not quite as compelling. Like many in the series, this one is not based on an actual Conan Doyle story. Interestingly, this one is set in Canada in modern times. Of course Holmes rounds up the suspects and nabs the killer.