Period piece thrillers!

[Abby Normal]

Im a fanatic movie guy and one of my favorite genres is the period piece thriller. My favorites:

From Hell
The Raven (recent one)
Gothic
Crimson Peak
The Other
The Illusionist
Bram Stokers Dracula
Angel Heart

I think these are all mini masterpieces-please let me know your favorites.

Also, I recently saw A Study in Terror and loved it. Whats the best Sherlock Holmes movie?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Im a fanatic movie guy and one of my favorite genres is the period piece thriller. My favorites:

From Hell
The Raven (recent one)
Gothic
Crimson Peak
The Other
The Illusionist
Bram Stokers Dracula
Angel Heart

I think these are all mini masterpieces-please let me know your favorites.

Also, I recently saw A Study in Terror and loved it. Whats the best Sherlock Holmes movie?

hi Abby,

A Study In Terror is a great movie. Others that I’d recommend are:

The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes - This is a Billy Wilder movie starring Robert Stephens as Holmes. It was originally 3+ hours long but was cut down. You can now get it on Blu-ray with a lot of the bits that were left out. It’s a great film with some great humour in it.

Murder By Decree - Which you’ve probably already seen Abby. It stars Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson and is a working of the Stephen Knight theory with the names changed. Sir William Gull becomes Sir Thomas Spivey for example. Well worth a watch if you haven’t already.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles - A classic and the best version of the story imo. Starting Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles - I’d also recommend the 1959 Hammer version starring Peter Cushing as Holmes and Andre Morell as Watson. Christopher Lee plays a rather stern Sir Henry Baskerville. It’s in technicolour. I love it.

The Seven Percent Solution - This is worth a watch too imo. It stars Nicol Williamson as a Holmes trying to rid himself of his drug habit. Watson and Mycroft trick him into going to Austria where he thinks he’ll find Professor Moriarty but they just want him to see Sigmund Freud.

One final recommendation to you and anyone that hasn’t seen it Abby is a tv series available on dvd called Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes. It stars Ian Richardson as Dr Joseph Bell who was Doyle’s inspiration for Holmes. There was a pilot episode then three further ones. Absolutely brilliant. Bell takes the Holmes role whilst Doyle assists him (like Watson.) Dr Neil Cream even makes an appearance in the pilot episode and he ends up killing Doyle’s first girlfriend. Go for it if you haven’t already Abby. Richardson also played Holmes twice and was very good imo.

If you watch any of these and you like them then great. If you don’t like them then someone must have hacked my account to recommend them.

[Herlock Sholmes]

By the way, has anyone seen the adaptation of The Alienist? Great book but any good on screen?

[Robert]

The Private Life....isn't that the one where James Mason has his pea squashed? Also very funny ballet sequence featuring Watson.

I loved Cushing's line "I hope you enjoy their rabbit pie."

[Abby Normal]

hi Abby,

A Study In Terror is a great movie. Others that I’d recommend are:

The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes - This is a Billy Wilder movie starring Robert Stephens as Holmes. It was originally 3+ hours long but was cut down. You can now get it on Blu-ray with a lot of the bits that were left out. It’s a great film with some great humour in it.

Murder By Decree - Which you’ve probably already seen Abby. It stars Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson and is a working of the Stephen Knight theory with the names changed. Sir William Gull becomes Sir Thomas Spivey for example. Well worth a watch if you haven’t already.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles - A classic and the best version of the story imo. Starting Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles - I’d also recommend the 1959 Hammer version starring Peter Cushing as Holmes and Andre Morell as Watson. Christopher Lee plays a rather stern Sir Henry Baskerville. It’s in technicolour. I love it.

The Seven Percent Solution - This is worth a watch too imo. It stars Nicol Williamson as a Holmes trying to rid himself of his drug habit. Watson and Mycroft trick him into going to Austria where he thinks he’ll find Professor Moriarty but they just want him to see Sigmund Freud.

One final recommendation to you and anyone that hasn’t seen it Abby is a tv series available on dvd called Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes. It stars Ian Richardson as Dr Joseph Bell who was Doyle’s inspiration for Holmes. There was a pilot episode then three further ones. Absolutely brilliant. Bell takes the Holmes role whilst Doyle assists him (like Watson.) Dr Neil Cream even makes an appearance in the pilot episode and he ends up killing Doyle’s first girlfriend. Go for it if you haven’t already Abby. Richardson also played Holmes twice and was very good imo.

If you watch any of these and you like them then great. If you don’t like them then someone must have hacked my account to recommend them.

Thanks HS!
yes I own Murder by Decree-I liked it but thought the ending was lame. Yes original Hound is a classic. I haven't seen the Hammer version-didn't know Lee was in it too-Im ordering now!!!

the rest look interesting -need to check them out!

[Abby Normal]

By the way, has anyone seen the adaptation of The Alienist? Great book but any good on screen?

I loved that book and at the time thought this would make a great movie! I was wondering what was taking so long. A TV series came out a few years ago and I saw some of it but thought it sucked. Not really into TV series anyway. It needs a proper movie treatment!

[Robert]

I must say, Cushing shouldn't have had to cogitate over checkmate in one. And he seems to have been playing with the board the wrong way round (dark square in bottom right/top left corners instead of white).

[Herlock Sholmes]

I must say, Cushing shouldn't have had to cogitate over checkmate in one. And he seems to have been playing with the board the wrong way round (dark square in bottom right/top left corners instead of white).

Excellent observation Robert. I hadn’t spotted the set up of the board.

[Abby Normal]

Excellent observation Robert. I hadn’t spotted the set up of the board.

well now you've ruined it for me!

[Herlock Sholmes]

well now you've ruined it for me!

Don't worry Abby. It’s not important to the plot in any way. It’s a bit like those actors you see in movies about Ancient Rome that are spotted wearing a wristwatch.

[etenguy]

A tester for you Herlock, or anyone who might know. I have a vague memory of a Sherlock Holmes film which I enjoyed. I do not remember Watson being a character in this film. The plot, as best I remember it, was centred around a woman badly treated by her husband and/or family. They lived in a large house/stately home and the family were well connected with a good reputation. She fears for her life as things escalate and wants to get away. I cannot remember the reason she could not just leave. She lures Sherlock Holmes into helping her. After Sherlock has 'saved' her he confronts her with her deception and tells her he knows she has concocted the whole story. The important clue to discovering her deception has to do with perfume or a perfume bottle. He tells her he helped because of the feelings he has for her, but she rebuffs him and leaves.

I do not remember any useful details, such as character names, and have never come across this plotline in any synopsis of a Sherlock Holmes film I have seen on the internet. It may have been a TV film (or even a dream as i have never found it since seeing it a number of years ago).

Does it ring any bells? To make matters worse, I'm not even sure if i have really remembered the plot very accurately.

[Wickerman]

Murder By Decree - Which you’ve probably already seen Abby. It stars Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson and is a working of the Stephen Knight theory with the names changed. Sir William Gull becomes Sir Thomas Spivey for example. Well worth a watch if you haven’t already.


One final recommendation to you and anyone that hasn’t seen it Abby is a tv series available on dvd called Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes. It stars Ian Richardson as Dr Joseph Bell who was Doyle’s inspiration for Holmes. There was a pilot episode then three further ones. Absolutely brilliant. Bell takes the Holmes role whilst Doyle assists him (like Watson.) Dr Neil Cream even makes an appearance in the pilot episode and he ends up killing Doyle’s first girlfriend. Go for it if you haven’t already Abby. Richardson also played Holmes twice and was very good imo.

If you watch any of these and you like them then great. If you don’t like them then someone must have hacked my account to recommend them.

Great choices, I also liked The Illusionist and the other similar movie with Michael Cain, The Prestige.

I agree with Abby, Murder by Decree was good but the ending was a let down.

I don't know if you remember Jack Palance as Jekyll & Hyde, it's probably dated now. There was one scene with Palance running through a narrow passage towards the camera, top hat & cape swaying in the wind - very Jack the Ripper'ish.

Have you seen The Nine Gates, or The Ninth Gate (something like that). Johnny Depp is an archivist on the hunt for rare books. Black Magic, Witchcraft, etc. Great movie, I watch it every time it comes on.

[Abby Normal]

Great choices, I also liked The Illusionist and the other similar movie with Michael Cain, The Prestige.

I agree with Abby, Murder by Decree was good but the ending was a let down.

I don't know if you remember Jack Palance as Jekyll & Hyde, it's probably dated now. There was one scene with Palance running through a narrow passage towards the camera, top hat & cape swaying in the wind - very Jack the Ripper'ish.

Have you seen The Nine Gates, or The Ninth Gate (something like that). Johnny Depp is an archivist on the hunt for rare books. Black Magic, Witchcraft, etc. Great movie, I watch it every time it comes on.

Hi wick
the ninth gate. It’s ok. I own it. It’s starts out great , but loses steam and gets kind of silly by the end.

[Abby Normal]

Great choices, I also liked The Illusionist and the other similar movie with Michael Cain, The Prestige.

I agree with Abby, Murder by Decree was good but the ending was a let down.

I don't know if you remember Jack Palance as Jekyll & Hyde, it's probably dated now. There was one scene with Palance running through a narrow passage towards the camera, top hat & cape swaying in the wind - very Jack the Ripper'ish.

Have you seen The Nine Gates, or The Ninth Gate (something like that). Johnny Depp is an archivist on the hunt for rare books. Black Magic, Witchcraft, etc. Great movie, I watch it every time it comes on.

Yes, I remember that scene! Question..
Was Jekyll and Hyde really playing in London during the autumn of terror?

[Wickerman]

Yes, I remember that scene! Question..
Was Jekyll and Hyde really playing in London during the autumn of terror?

Yes, newspapers in mid September 1888 report that Jekyll and Hyde continue to draw large audiences at the Lyceum.
At some point I remember reading the Richard Mansfield play was cancelled, but in other reports I read various theatres began their own smaller productions of the play.