The Hound of the Baskervilles

"The Most Horror-Dripping TALE EVER WRITTEN!"

1959 1h 27m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 396

MysteryThrillerHorror

Synopsis

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When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.

“The Most Horror-Dripping TALE EVER WRITTEN!”

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Cast

Peter Cushing
Sherlock Holmes
André Morell
Doctor Watson
Christopher Lee
Sir Henry Baskerville
Marla Landi
Cecile Stapleton
David Oxley
Sir Hugo Baskerville
Francis de Wolff
Dr. Richard Mortimer
Miles Malleson
Bishop Frankland
Ewen Solon
Stapleton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terence Fisher
Writers: Peter Bryan
Languages: German, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Terence Fisher, shot by Jack Asher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Bernard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alfred Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Cushing and André Morell and Christopher Lee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Most Horror-Dripping TALE EVER WRITTEN!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terence Fisher directs. Jack Asher behind the camera. James Bernard scores. Alfred Cox cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
4Directed by Terence Fisher, shot by Jack Asher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Bernard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alfred Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Peter Cushing and André Morell and Christopher Lee carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The Most Horror-Dripping TALE EVER WRITTEN!".
9IMDB entry: tt0052905 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "countryside", "based on novel or book", "detective", "rural area".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Asher
Original score: James Bernard
Editing: Alfred Cox
Production design: Bernard Robinson
Makeup / hair: Roy Ashton
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

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Terence Fisher

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-11-08
★ 5/10
There’s a reason you’ve never heard of this Hammer flick with Cushing & Lee Around the turn of the century, Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Doctor Watson (André Morell) try to protect the heir of the Baskerville estate (Christopher Lee) in southwest England after the former owner was found dead, rumored to be victim of a curse going back to the time of the English Civil War in the mid-1600s. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1959) is Hammer’s take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s oft-filmed tale. While there are some minor changes to the story, it doesn’t “wildly” deviate as some have criticized. It features the lush colors and Victorian ambiance that Hammer is known for, plus you can’t go wrong with Cushing and Lee. Meanwhile Marla Landi is sharp & spirited in the feminine department while winsome Judi Moyens is notable in a brief opening role. If you like Hammer and the principles, it’s enjoyable to some degree, but there’s good reason it’s so obscure in the Hammer canon. It’s just not that compelling; the well-done opening is the best part. The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios, which is just west of London, and two spots south of there in Surrey: Chobham Common and Frensham Ponds. GRADE: C
CinemaSerf2024-11-19
★ 7/10
André Morrell takes a more serious approach to his characterisation of "Dr. Watson" than Nigel Bruce did in his series of "Sherlock Holmes" stories with Basil Rathbone, and coupled with Peter Cushing as the fastidious super-sleuth, manages to create quite a solid drama here that mixes the scientific with the superstitious entertainingly. The detecting duo are recruited by the suspicious "Dr. Mortimer" (Francis De Wolff) following the death of the wealthy "Sir Charles Baskerville". His heir has arrived from South Africa and his new neighbour has fears for his safety. "Sir Henry" (Christopher Lee) heads to his remote Dartmoor estate where the creepy mire, dense fog, escaped convicts and lamps flashing in the distance create quite a menacing scene for the new owner of this near £1 million property. Though Lee's character proves largely peripheral, he does enough and the rest of the supporting cast - especially Miles Malleson's sherry-swilling bishop and John Le Mesurier as the butler - work well together, as does the James Bernard score, in augmenting the more traditional Hammer, slightly Gothic, look of the film. That all successfully frames a quickly paced investigation that allows Cushing and Morell to work complimentarily together as they begin to suspect that something is most definitely afoot - or is that a-paw? It's enjoyable, this film, though I wonder if it might have worked better in black and white?