The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) Review

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

The Hound of the Baskervilles follows Sherlock Holmes, who is hailed from London after the death of Charles Baskerville, believing his heir Henry will also fall prey to the hound's evil curse upon his family. 

In this sixth pairing of famed actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, this adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles offers up a slight reimagining of the Arthur Conan Doyle story, pitting Sherlock and Watson against the ghastly legend of the moor. Baskervilles may be the most familiar Holmes story, and is almost certainly the one that has seen the most film adaptations. This one is often considered the finest however, as it sticks very close to the Doyle’s original story, with some slight changes that adjust for the story to not be completely obvious for fans of the books. For being fairly low budget, the sets are actually done quite well and fit that aesthetic that we’ve come to expect, with a romantic, if not slightly dark aurora to them, that is balanced well with the dimly lit and often treacherous look of the moor. 

While the story can drag on in revelation-less hell at some times, one can appreciate how this adaptation goes to great lengths to stay on the tracks and never deviate too much from the issue at hand, even looping the romantic subplot between Henry and Cecile full circle to make Cecile and her father the real masterminds behind the curse to rid Henry of the land and claim their forgotten birthright. It’s a neat twist and is made all the better with Holme’s wits being used effectively in order to preemptively solve the case and save Henry of a presumably awful fate. 

We get a rock solid cast, starring Miles Malleson, Ewen Solon, Francis de Wolff, Marla Landi, André Morell, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing. I quite like Cushing’s obstinate and brooding portrayal of the immortal Holmes, with Morrel acting as a cunning and astute pairing that works rather well, especially having the great Christopher Lee to bounce off of. 

The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by Terence Fisher, is about a standard a Holmes film as it gets, following the book rather well, while implementing it’s own scares and twists to bring the hound and it’s moor alive, in this Hammer Films classic. 

7.4/10