SHERLOCK HOLMES
AND THE VOICE OF TERROR
(1942)With Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, Henry Daniell, Thomas Gomez
Directed by John Rawlins
Black and White
Reviewed by JB
By 1942, Universal Studios was basking in the success of their newly
launched series of Abbott and Costello films, as well as their
successful revival of the movie monster genre. With the
success
of 20th Century Fox's two Sherlock Holmes films as well as a popular
Holmes radio program, Universal hired Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce to
reprise their characterizations of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for a
new series of films set in modern times, in which Holmes
would work with the British government to foil Nazi
plans, at least for the first few films.
In THE VOICE OF
TERROR, Holmes is called
upon to uncover the identity of the title character, who taunts the
British public daily in radio broadcasts with news of imminent
terrorist attacks upon military targets. As in Fox's HOUND OF
THE
BASKERVILLES and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Rathbone is the
perfect Holmes, inhabiting the part he was put on this earth to play
(much to his dismay later in life). The oafishness of Nigel
Bruce's Doctor Watson, an oafishness found nowhere in the original
stories, is downplayed in this film. He may remain eternally
clueless, but he's not a bumbling fool.
On a smaller budget
than the Fox films, THE
VOICE OF TERROR nevertheless stands up to those films. One thing
Universal knew how to do was "shadowy foreboding" (see HOLD THAT GHOST
or THE WOLF MAN for proof) and THE VOICE OF TERROR is chock full of
dark alleys and poorly-lit pubs, where death and danger can easily
hide. The story itself is not so much of a mystery, but
Rathbone's performance and John Rawlins's direction make this one a
fine beginning to the Universal Holmes series. 
½
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Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee