Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) find themselves in Quebec, Canada (read as the Universal backlot) for their next adventure, The Scarlet Claw. An original story, this adventure sees the dogged duo working to solve a murder that may or may not have paranormal trappings.

While Watson is played up for humor again, Holmes is played very straight with unerring accuracy from Rathbone, and the pair remain a delight on screen.

The pair are in Canada attending a gathering of the Royal Canadian Occult Society and find themselves hearing about local boogeymen and ghosts. When Lord Penrose (Paul Cavanaugh) is called a way with the news that his wife has been murdered, the pair tail him to a small Quebecois village.

Filled with odd characters, and the story of a ghostly murderous phantom, Holmes finds himself quickly convinced that the activity here is not paranormal, but decidedly human. Now, he just needs to find the murderer, before he can strike again.

I am loving these films, they are such fun. It is a little sad that the runtime is still insanely speedy, 73 minutes this time out. And while I have gotten used to the idea of everything being shot on the backlot, and usually enjoying it, the sets are starting to look familiar, and it seems a bit of a shame that there isn’t even any real stock footage of Canada included in the film.

Holmes does say some rather nice things about our country though, quoting Churchill – which demonstrates that we are still in World War II, but the characters seem to be keeping the war strictly on the sideline.

Holmes quickly deduces what the murder weapon is, and soon goes after the ghostly apparition that stalks the nearby woods. Uncovering the truth about what is really going on in this small town, and who all of the players really are.

Watson is an absolute hoot in this episode, drinking with a lot of the locals. The bar scenes are some of my favourites in the entire film. He’s made to be a bit of a bumbler, tumbling into a couple of holes, and I don’t think that works so much for the character, but over all, I like the characterizations of both of them.

We’re eight films into the series, and that sadly means we only have six to go. I hope the characters hold up, and that the stories don’t begin to slip. These films are a lot of fun, and it’s easy to see why Rathbone with his easy charm, and sharp features embodied Holmes for so many viewers.

We’ll see what the pair get up to next time in The Pearl of Death!