the viking (1928)

"He has the temper of a black devil."
Viking maiden Helga (Pauline Starke) has many admirers but is taken by the slave Alwin (LeRoy Mason) whom she buys. From then on he causes nothing but trouble as Leif Ericsson (Donald Crisp) takes the crew West of Greenland to find some unpillaged and uncharted land.
Plenty of action pushes this early technicolour production along.

frankenstein meets the wolfman (1943)

"Alive!"
Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), seeking a cure for his malady, enlists the aid of a Dr. Mannering (Patric Knowles), and when they find Frankenstein's monster (Bela Lugosi) they work to revive it.
Lots of atmosphere adds to the fun let down slightly by Bela's monster act.

sherlock holmes: terror by night (1946)

"What are YOU doing on this train? Where are YOU going?"
When the Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen and its owners son murdered, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) sets out to discover which of the passengers is responsible. Is it the mysterious Vivian Vedder (Renee Godfrey), Prof. Kilbane (Frederick Worlock), Sands (Skelton Knaggs), or Dr. Watson's old army chum Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray)?
A film that quickly cuts to the chase, providing a entertaining whodunnit.

sherlock holmes faces death (1943)

"This place is positively ghoulish."
Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) is working at a convalescent home for traumatised army officers. When his assistant (Arthur Margetson) is stabbed, Watson calls on Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone), unfortunately, by the time Holmes arrives the owner of the manor house is already dead...
The forth in the Universal series forsakes Holmes fighting the Nazi's, reverting to the tried and tested murder mysteries that brought him fame. What they give us is an entertaining thriller with Gothic overtones.

the scarlet claw (1944)

aka Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Claw.
"The name of the third person is..."
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) takes up a case, where the locals believe that a monster is slashing the throats of innocent victims, but as usual there is more to this than meets the eye.
A usual Universal deliver a well made and entertaining thriller, but one that doesn't stand out as anything special.

the house of fear (1945)

aka Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear.
"Stick with us, we'll make you a detective yet!"
Holmes & Watson (Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce) investigate a case where a number of deaths are preceded by the victims receiving an envelope of orange pips.
One of the strongest of the universal Holmes films, providing a fine mystery at a rattling pace.

sherlock holmes and the secret code (1946)

aka Dressed To Kill. Prelude To Murder.
"The tune intreged me..."
When one of Dr Watson's friends is murdered Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) becomes involved in the search for three unassuming music boxes, which are the key to a counterfeiting gang, but others are also on their trail, including Colonel Cavanaugh (Frederick Worlock), and Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morison).
One of the less engaging of the series, which is a pity, as this was the last.

Sherlock Holmes: Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

aka Pursuit To Algiers.
"It may be a trap!"
Holmes and Watson (Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce) are begged to protect an Eastern European king from three assassins, as he travels from England his homeland. But immediately they meet with mishaps, and have to separate, Holmes traveling by air, whilst Watson embarks on a sea bound journey.
Enjoyable journey, though not an essential one.

sherlock holmes and the pearl of death (1944)

aka The Pearl Of Death.
"you're in love with cruelty for it's own sake."
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is pitted against the master criminal Giles Conover (Miles Mander), when Holmes inadvertently aids in Conover's stealing of the Borgia pearl. Luckily for Holmes Conover has to ditch the pearl before being caught. Thus the chase is on, can Holmes find the hidden pearl before Conover, his beautiful accomplice Naomi Drake (Evelyn Ankers), or worse the vicious Creeper (Rondo Hatton).
With the series in full flow it was by now a well oiled machine, delivering an entertaining thriller packed with interesting characters.

sherlock holmes in washington (1943)

"I am a a very busy man Mr Sherlock Holmes."
Life during wartime doesn't interrupt Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) as he journeys across the pond when a British Government courier, carrying some very important documents goes missing.
The third and possibly the weakest of the Universal Holmes outings, lacking the suspense of the others, but still proves to be an enjoyable thriller.

the woman in green (1945)

aka Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green.
"What are you looking at, Mr. Holmes?"
A serial killer is killing women and cutting off their thumbs, but with Sherlock Holmes on the case, you know that this will be anything but a run of the mill killer.
Another in the series, in which Rathbone gives a dry performance as Holmes, contrasted by the buffoonery of Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson. Otherwise this is a run of the mill outing for the duo.

the spider woman (1944)

"She won't hurt ya!"
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) comes face to face with a devilish foe, the spider woman (Gale Sondergaard), and it's a close run thing as to who will come out alive from the encounter.
A fine turn by Sondergaard, gives this thriller the lift it needs.

the pearl of death (1944)

"Lestrade couldn't even see the stripes on a zebra."
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) gets involved in a mystery, when a reputedly cursed pearl is stolen. Whilst doing so he comes up against a criminal mastermind and the sinister creeper (Rondo Hatton).
Another in the series of Holmes mysteries from Universal, and one of the most entertaining.

frankenstein meets the werewolf (1943)

aka Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
A classic Universal horror bringing together two of their great monsters. Lon Chaney Jr is cursed to become a Werewolf, and in trying to find a cure, or death! He search leads him to stumble upon Frankenstein's monster (Bela Lugosi). Chaney wants to die, but the monster wants to live. Who will come out on top in this clash, and what will the villagers do? This movie trots along nicely, even having time to stop for a musical number before the big finish.