The Spider Woman, (Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman) (1944)
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73% of users liked it
(521 ratings)
Someone in London has driven several prominent men to madness and suicide. Normally, Scotland Yard would call in Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to help solve the case, but Holmes has recently perished in an accident. Or has he? Officially declared dead, Holmes is able to move about undetected as… More Someone in London has driven several prominent men to madness and suicide. Normally, Scotland Yard would call in Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to help solve the case, but Holmes has recently perished in an accident. Or has he? Officially declared dead, Holmes is able to move about undetected as he tries to find out who's behind the rash of suicides -- and why. The culprit turns out to be the bewitching, deadly Andrea Spedding (Gale Sondergaard), and for once, Holmes seems to have met his match. The now-famous climax finds a bound-and-gagged Holmes hidden behind a shooting-gallery target, while his faithful assistant, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), unwittingly prepares to blast away at the target with live ammunition (in wartime, yet). Filled to overflowing with amusing dialogue and devilishly clever plot twists (one of them involving an autistic pygmy!), Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman is among the best of the Universal Holmes series. Best bit: told to "act inconspicuous," Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) ceremoniously rolls his eyes upward and begins whistling loudly -- whereupon Dr. Watson chides him with "Inconspicuous, Lestrade, not half-witted." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Roy William Neill
- Written By
- Bertram Millhauser, Arthur Conan Doyle
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
PG,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1944 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The seventh Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce film in the Sherlock Holmes series is an inspired one.
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Phil Hall, IdentityTheory
Gale Sondergaard brings a healthy dose of camp glamour as the eponymous villain.
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Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
This is one of the most clever reimaginings of Doyle's stories to make it into this series of films.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Basil Rathbone
as Sherlock Holmes
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Nigel Bruce
as Dr. Watson
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Gale Sondergaard
as Andrea Spedding
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Dennis Hoey
as Insp. Lestrade
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Vernon P. Downing
as Norman Locke
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Alec Craig
as Radlik
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Mary Gordon
as Mrs. Hudson
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Arthur Hohl
as Adam Gilflower
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Teddy Infur
as Boy
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Lydia Bilbrook
as Colonel's wife
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John Burton
as Announcer
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Harry Cording
as Fred Garvin
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Marie de Becker
as Charwoman
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Belle Mitchell
as Fortune teller
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John Roche
as Croupier
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John Rogers
as Clerk
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Angelo Rossitto
as Pygmy
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Gene Roth
as Taylor
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Donald Stuart
as Artie
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Stanley Logan
as Colonel
