Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce return in another story based on the Arthur Conan Doyle detective and sidekick. In this outing they are investigating "The Musgrave Ritual" and it's a refreshing change to see them solving a mystery without Nazi's and monsters to beat off too. While seasoned Holmes fans may spot the killer from the start, there are a few twists and turns which will cause doubt, prolonging the final reveal for a bit more fun. The photography and visuals in this film is above some of the other films I have seen with Rathbone and Bruce in, the lighting and contrasting shots really created a nice atmosphere. I enjoy watching a good Rathbone/Holmes film on a lazy Sunday and this entry into the series (6 of 14) certainly didn't disappoint. Well worth a watch! 7out of 10 :)

Murky shadows and flashes of lightning, stormy nights and wind-blown curtains, a cold hard-bitten housekeeper and sliding panels that lead to secret passages, a mysterious family verse and a clock that strikes 13 times turn an eerie old manor house into an ideal background to murder and intrigue in "Sherlock Holmes Faces Death." Doctor Watson is tending convalescing soldiers, the only allusion to World War II, at isolated Musgrave Manor, when Geoffrey Musgrave, the elder of three siblings, is found murdered. Watson goes to London and enlists the aid of his friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes, who returns to the manor with him to find the killer. The fourth film in Universal's Holmes series turns from battling the spies and Nazis that propelled the prior three wartime films to a timeless self-contained setting that differs little from the Victorian era of the initial two Twentieth Century Fox films. Director Roy William Neill, who is now also credited as producer, directs his second Holmes film with a sure and experienced hand. While Charles Van Enger's cinematography may lack some of the dramatic lighting of earlier Holmes outings, the photography is appropriately lit with deep heavy shadows and creates the necessary air of mystery that haunts Musgrave Manor.Once again, Universal assembled a fine cast of players. Of course, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are back, and, after playing the roles six times, both veterans now inhabit their iconic persona with authority. Dennis Hoey and Mary Gordon also return as Inspector Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson, respectively. Hilary Brooke makes the second of her three appearances in the series as Sally Musgrave, and her beau is played by Milburn Stone, who would go on to play Doc in the long-running "Gunsmoke" television series. Familiar faces from countless films play convalescing soldiers, and an early pub scene features Norma Varden, a Hitchcock veteran, as the bar maid and, in a brief one-line role, a pre-MGM Peter Lawford as a soldier.Based on Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual," Betram Millhauser's screenplay uses a ruse familiar from "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," and sharp viewers will identify the murderer from a slip of the tongue. But despite the over-utilized who-dunnit mechanics, the plot is thick enough to engage the intellect of Holmes and hold viewers' attention throughout the brief 68-minute running time. While Holmes does not deliver a final patriotic speech, he does conclude the film with an inspirational hope for the future of mankind, a satisfying finale to a better-than-average entry in the series.

Finally, After Three WWII Tainted Holmes Films Universal Advisedly went the Direction Fans were Hoping, with the Moody, Atmospheric, Dank Dungeons, Ghostly Mansions, and Eccentric Characters that the Doyle Enthusiasts were Waiting for, this Movie Delivered Holmes to the Creepy Environs where He seemed so at Ease.This is a Neat Little Murder Mystery with Many a Set Piece that Impress, like the Chess Board, the Cellar, the Funeral, and the Musgrave Mansion Itself, Populated with Weary War Vets and a Family Cursed by Generations of Evilness.It is One of the Better in the Series and Paved the Way for a Few More Very Good Films to Follow. Rathbone and Bruce Never Waiver in Their Character Portrayals and here are Sharply Dialoged and have Much to do. There are some Very Clever Monologues and Exchanges in and around the Mansion and the Pub.Holmes is as Cruel as Usual to His Faithful Companion...Watson: "Simple Holmes a Child could figure it out." Holmes: "Not your Child Watson."

Perpetually battered by violent storms, the impossibly creepy Musgrave Manor is an unlikely place to find a convalescent home for WWII soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress, but it's where we find Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) doing his bit for the war effort by helping the psychologically scarred recover from their battle fatigue. With the answer to a centuries-old family secret laying hidden in its dusty cellar, a prize worth millions in the wrong hands, the manor is also a prime location for murder, meaning that it isn't long before Watson is joined by his old pal Holmes (Basil Rathbone).Faces Death isn't one of the strongest of the Rathbone/Bruce Holmes series, lacking a truly challenging mystery for the great detective (the chess-based clues hidden in an ancient family rhyme being far too easy to solve for a brainiac like Holmes). The film also suffers from some irritatingly farcical antics from Scotland Yard's inept Inspector Lestrade and a somewhat out-of-place optimistic rant from Holmes designed to stir patriotism and raise wartime morale, but which these days seems depressingly poignant considering the current sad state of the country (as I type, England is licking its wounds after four days of mindless rioting in its major cities).Thankfully the film compensates for its sillier moments, less than ingenious plot, and Holmes' misguided positivity about England's future with plenty of atmosphere and lots of overtly Gothic trappings—who doesn't love tried and trusted murder/mystery elements such as a creepy manor replete with secret passageways, a pair of sinister housekeepers, a clock that strikes thirteen, and an assortment of dead bodies popping up all over?