This is possibly the best film in Universal Studios' series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Here, the Baker Street sleuth and his bumbling companion investigate a series of murders that have been plaguing a Canadian village. Underrated director Roy William Neill produces some memorably uneasy images - a dead woman's hand clutching a bell-rope, a luminous "monster" stalking Holmes across a marsh - and makes good use of the foggy, supernatural atmosphere. There's even time to remind contemporary audiences of the "friendly intimacy" between Britain, Canada and the US, with a flag-waving speech from Rathbone.

When a woman is found dead with her throat torn out, the local villagers blame a supernatural monster. But Sherlock Holmes, who gets drawn into the case from nearby Quebec, suspects a human murderer.