The second teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson (and their last for Fox before the series moved to Universal) is one of the master detective's best screen cases. Borrowing from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle and the stage play by William Gillette, the film superbly re-creates the atmosphere of 221B Baker Street and Victorian London, and Holmes never had a more devilish adversary than George Zucco as Moriarty. The highlight has to be the disguised Rathbone singing Oh, I Do Like to Be beside the Seaside.

Having once again avoided criminal conviction, Professor Moriarity develops a murderous plan to “finish off” his last major nemesis, Sherlock Holmes, by making him fail to prevent the perfect crime. Does it involve a family curse, the crown jewels of England, or something else…