The House of Fear (1945)

When an insurance man calls upon Messrs. “Holmes” (Basil Rathbone) and “Watson” (Nigel Bruce) in their recently bullet-holed Baker Street lodgings, he raises some concerns about a group called the “good comrades”. They live in a remote, coastal and creepy, mansion house where each have made the others their beneficiaries in the event of their demise. Quite recently, two of them have bitten the dust and when “Holmes” hears that a certain “Dr. Merrivale” (Paul Cavanagh) is amongst them, they decide that they ought to pay these gents a visit. The whole shooting match is hosted by the dithery “Alistair” (Aubrey Mather) and the remainder of them could all be suspects too, but what could be the motive and what’s the significance of the decreasing numbers of orange pips delivered to each victim hours before they go the way of the dodo. Suspicions are duly aroused when the seafaring captain “Simpson” (Harry Cording) has a narrow escape with a needle and tensions only heighten when the hapless “Lestrade” (Dennis Hoey) shows up. With the big house creaking, the residents dwindling and a menacing black raven circling overhead, our two sleuths have their work cut out for them. This is one of the more complex stories for our detective duo, and Mather adds charmingly to the usual supporting cast that also benefits from Sally Shepherd’s housekeeper playing her cards very close to her chest. There are a few clues for us along the way, lots of misty and dingy, candle-lit, scenes and as ever, the pair deliver amiably throughout. Half a crown to deliver a letter? I should have been a postie!