The Scarlet Claw

"Holmes vs. Monster!"

1944 1h 14m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 116

MysteryCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a woman is found dead with her throat torn out, the local villagers blame a supernatural monster. But Sherlock Holmes, who gets drawn into the case from nearby Quebec, suspects a human murderer.

“Holmes vs. Monster!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Basil Rathbone
Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce
Doctor Watson
Gerald Hamer
Potts / Tanner / Ramson
Paul Cavanagh
Lord Penrose
Arthur Hohl
Emile Journet
Miles Mander
Judge Brisson
Kay Harding
Marie Journet
David Clyde
Police Sergeant Thompson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roy William Neill
Writers: Edmund L. Hartmann, Brenda Weisberg, Paul Gangelin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

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

Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

82 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by George Robinson. 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 Paul Sawtell. 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 Paul Landres shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and Gerald Hamer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Holmes vs. Monster!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roy William Neill directs. George Robinson behind the camera. Paul Sawtell scores. Paul Landres cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
282 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by George Robinson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Paul Sawtell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Paul Landres shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and Gerald Hamer carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Holmes vs. Monster!".
9IMDB entry: tt0037248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Robinson
Original score: Paul Sawtell
Editing: Paul Landres
Runtime: 74 min · 1h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Scarlet Claw (1944)

Part of

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection

A series of fourteen films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories was released between 1939 and 1946; the British actors Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. The first two films in the series were produced by 20th Century Fox and released in 1939. The studio stopped making the films after these, but Universal Pictures acquired the rights from the Doyle estate and produced a further twelve films. Although the films from 20th Century Fox had large budgets, high production values, and were set in the Victorian era, Universal updated the films to the contemporary era of the Second World War, and produced them as B pictures with lower budgets. Both Rathbone and Bruce continued their roles when the series changed studios, as did Mary Gordon, who played the recurring character, Mrs. Hudson.

Also by

Roy William Neill

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-30
★ 8/10
When “Holmes” (Basil Rathbone) and “Watson” (Nigel Bruce) visit Canada to attend a seminar hosted by “Lord Penrose” (series regular Paul Cavanagh) his scientific approach to crime solving contrasts with the more intangible one taken by their host, but that’s the least of their troubles when they are forced to travel to the misty village of “La Mort Rouge” to investigate the brutal slaying of “Lady Penrose”. The murder is shrouded in a mystery that isn’t a million miles from “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, but of course “Holmes” isn’t having any of this fantastic, glow-in-the-dark monster mumbo-jumbo - especially as the body count starts to mount up, the doctor finds himself stuck in one too many peaty bogs and this tiny community appears to have a multitude of potential culprits. Bruce gets a bigger slice of the action here, which I quite enjoyed and there is a substantial story for us to get our teeth into. Unlike in many of their other enjoyable adventures, the audience are left guessing too and there are plenty of red herrings from amidst this spooky and eery locale replete with disguises, squeaky floorboards and a great big dog to keep us intrigued. I reckon this is my favourite of this series, and on a creepy night with the rain pattering against the window, is actually quite menacing.

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