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Plot: While attending a seminar on the supernatural in Canada, Sherlock Holmes learns of a grisly murder in a nearby village. And most interestingly, the death has been attributed to a local monster, a myth that Holmes wants to debunk.
Comments: Talk about irony. The 8th film in a series well known for its liberties taken when adapting Sherlock Holmes to the screen is also the most faithful to the original stories. Even if the story is original and not directly based on any of Conan Doyle's works. Even the scenes at the supernatural seminar at the beginning can be understood as a nod to Conan Doyle, who in real life was very interested in the supernatural.
Another funny thing, though, is that despite being an "original" story the film is almost a rehash of "The Hound of the Baskervilles", which was already adapted as the first film in the series. Interestingly enough, this film quite improves the 1939 adaptation. For starters, the gothic atmosphere is fantastic. The scenes in the marshes that surround the village, thick with fog and water, are damn creepy. And arguably, the film does better in this aspect than the 1939 adaptation of "Hound", despite working in what looks like a much smaller budget. Another improvement is that here practically every character plays a role in the plot, without digressions or dry spots.
Still, I wouldn't call it the best film in the series, as many people seem to do. It's true that the atmosphere is great, and that there are many other things to like. The scene where Holmes is followed and then confronts a phosphorescent human figure in the swamps is easily the best suspense scene in the series so far. And the script also has another ace in its sleeve: when we finally learn the identity of the murder, it turns out he's a professional actor... and therefore, he could be ANY of the characters we've already met. The climatic chase, again in the swamps, also uses minimum camera setups to excellent effect: the editing of separate shots of the villain trying to find an exit and Holmes and his allies advancing convey an effective sensation of claustrophobia.
But on the other hand I can't help thinking the story is too similar to "Hound", and that while may be enough for regular Holmes aficionados, I'd rather watch Holmes doing more unusual things.
I can now see the similiarity between this film and "Hound of the Baskervilles," but I must admit, this is the first time I've thought of them as similiar. And I don't think I can ever remember anybody else ever pointing out the similiarity between the two films.
I will say that for a series that is relative bloodless, it has some of the most violent deaths I've ever seen in a film. People have their throats torn out. People have their backs broken. People have a needle driven into their spinal column. etc. Violent indeed.
The phosphorescent guy in the swamp scene is terrific and I liked Holmes' continued assertions about the nature of the supernatural. That was classic Holmes.