Review of The Scarlet Claw (1944) by Brad G — 17 May 2011

The Rathbone & Bruce partnership was like a well-oiled machine by the time they made this film, and in it's quieter moments one can almost hear purring. The story takes elements of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and spins a tremendous seemingly supernatural yarn which Holmes is in on from the start.

It turns out that a psychopathic actor with a talent for mimicry has been slitting throats (with a five-pronged garden weeder), not them "ghosts and monsters" whom the people of La Morte Rouge fear so much.

The scene where a luminous spectre flits across the marshes is genuinely creepy. Great photography and lighting throughout. Nigel Bruce as Watson provides excellent light relief, falling into a bog (twice) and failing spectacularly in his mission to be inconspicuous in the local pub - by the end of the evening he is totally off his face and the centre of attention.

Also there is a nice cameo from Victoria Horne, whose finest hour was playing Elwood P Dowd's sister Myrtle Mae in one of my favouritest films "Harvey". One thing about this film does puzzle me though: how has a Glaswegian ended up as a police sergeant in Quebec?!