Many people consider this to be the very best of the Universal Sherlock Holmes series, although personally I prefer others. However, there's no denying how particularly well-made and atmospheric it is, even if the studio's recreation of a Canadian village is a little far-fetched and just looks like a British location instead. This is a film where the actors and the director are at the peak of their game. By now, Rathbone and Bruce had settled comfortably into their roles and weren't displaying any of the boredom that turned up in the latter adventures. The regular supporting cast go through the paces with ease and the crisp black and white photography makes things interesting to watch.Although propaganda does pop up in it, thankfully this isn't one of the films concerning Nazi plots or the like. Instead, it's a traditional murder mystery yarn which has plenty of horror elements in it. At first a supernatural villain is blamed for the murders, even a werewolf perhaps, so Universal were obviously cashing in on the craze for THE WOLF MAN at the time. The good old dry-ice machine is utilised for a number of creepy moments set on some spooky moorland, and the film reaches its high point when a strange, glowing figure (not unlike the one in AIP's DIE, MONSTER, DIE!) appears to frighten Holmes. This is a simple special effect, yet it works due to its unexpected nature.Rathbone is fine as Holmes, athletic and quick-thinking to boot, and he brings an authority to the role here so that nobody ever questions his resources or methods. Bruce is also very good as Watson, helping the plot when necessary and also providing his exceptional comic relief when its needed (I loved the scenes where he falls into the bogs). There are all manner of eccentric characters in the village to be entertained by, from the chirpy postman to the paranoid, hermit-like judge who lives in a barred house with his gun at the ready. The locations are varied and the murders are sufficiently gruesome. There are various scenes of action, including a cool moment when a villain jumps through a window to escape and is shot falling into the river. In all, this makes THE SCARLET CLAW one of the most enjoyable of the series and a must for Holmes fans.

If it's crime, atmosphere and suspense that you want, look no further then the Scarlet Claw. For my money the best entry in the series of films starring the great Basil Rathbone. As a story I guess it resembles The Hound of The Baskervilles, in deed its even referenced. However the story is so clever, full of intrigue, and full of twists. The scenes on the marshlands look wonderfully creepy and eerie, and the accompanying music works very well. It is remarkable to realise that this is now over seventy years old, they knew how to sell a story then! Great performances as always in these films, our two lead actors are on top form, but it's Gerald Hamer, who'd appeared in a few of the films, who steals the show. The best bit for me has to be Nora's murdering the judge, its a very creepy scene. The accents are a little messy, apart from the odd 'monsieur' we could easily have been in Britain. All in all this is a fantastic film, one I truly love watching. 9/10

Roy William Neil continued to direct this series, and this is one of the best. Story is not adapted by a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tale, but instead tells an original one. Holmes & Watson are in Quebec Canada to attend a conference when they are called upon to investigate a murder of Lady Penrose, who had in fact already contacted Holmes, but was too late to save her. Locals believe it to be a supernatural creature at work, but Sherlock knows better. Atmospheric and exciting entry seems inspired by earlier "The Hound Of The Baskervilles", but is better handled here. The series was at its peak now, and in the next two entries as well.

In this, the eighth entry in the continuing Sherlock Holmes saga, the sharp-witted detective and his affable assistant Dr. Watson, who happen to be in Canada for a discussion on the occult, find themselves hired under the most peculiar circumstances by a deceased woman. A ghostlike apparition or monster has been terrorizing the inhabitants of a small village near Quebec but the sceptical Holmes is not entirely convinced the human factor is not somehow involved in a series of gruesome murders that appear to have been committed with some kind of claw.THE SCARLET CLAW is not only one of the best entries in the Holmes series with Basil Rathbone, and certainly my favourite so far, but also a terrific murder mystery that works fine on its own terms, a genuinely engaging movie that manages to transcend its low budget limitations. It maintains the darker tone of its predecessor, THE SPIDER WOMAN, but injects it with an absorbing, suspenseful plot, an interesting backstory that is revealed gradually, and a villain whose motives make sense. In that sense it is less of a cartoon strip and more of a fully fledged movie akin to Rathbone's debut for Fox (THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES) yet simultaneously carries the pulpy atmospheric stylishness of a Poverty Row noir or a Universal horror film.A couple of jumps in logic are required of the viewer but this is not a movie to be picked apart. It is a movie to be enjoyed like fine, old cognac. For its fantastic performances by Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (much maligned for his interpretation of Dr. Watson but I think he's perfect counterbalance to Rathbone's Holmes), for the beautiful black and white cinematography, for the intricate plotting, for a great SFX scene that involves a glowing man running through the woods that hasn't dated one bit 60 years later. Fans of the series are in for a treat.