Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)

England, at the start of World War Two. Mysterious wireless broadcasts, apparently from Nazi Germany are heard over the BBC. The warn of acts of terror in England, just before they take place. Baffled, the Defence Committee call in Holmes…

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce became global icons playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson respectively in 14 black and white films released between 1939 and 1946. On March 29, 2011, MPI Home Video will release the definitive, high-definition SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, a five-disc Blu-ray set containing all 14 films.

The 5-disc set includes these classics:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
- Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
- The Spider Woman (1944)
- The Scarlet Claw (1944)
- The Pearl of Death (1944)
- The House of Fear (1945)
- The Woman in Green (1945)
- Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
- Terror by Night (1945)
- Dressed to Kill (1946)

IMDB 6.7/10 (1,698 votes)

Basil Rathbone's third appearance as Arthur Conan Doyle's eccentric sleuth and the first in Universal's series of 12 films in which the master detective is transplanted from Victorian England to the modern era in which the films were made. "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror" was not that unusual in that, until 20th Century Fox produced "The Hound of the Baskervilles" in 1939, most previous Holmes films had also placed our hero in contemporary society. It was not until this film, however, that the contemporary aspects were given such strong emphasis. There's no Moriarty on hand this time, as Holmes and Watson (played, of course, by Nigel Bruce) join Britain in battling the Nazis. It's all a little awkward, but there is some fine atmosphere, especially in a scene in which Holmes and Watson visit a seedy pub in search of information. The cast is good, with Thomas Gomez as a very effective villain, Evelyn Ankers as the proverbial bad girl with a heart of gold, and, as a diplomat, the wickedly suave Henry Daniell who would return to play Professor Moriarty in "The Woman in Green." Best of all is Rathbone, who is razor sharp despite a very peculiar hairstyle that looks like it belongs in a gladiator flick. The series improved considerably once Roy William Neill took over as director with the second film, and later entries that did not emphasize the "modern" concept, like "Spider Woman" and, most particularly, "The Scarlet Claw," are far superior, but "Voice of Terror" is still an entertaining show, perfect viewing on a rainy, fog shrouded night.

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