The Spider Woman (1944)

"Feline, not canine.", 7 July 2006

The Spider Woman is another fun and enjoyable outing for Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson. In this one, Holmes investigates a series of murders that the police have labeled suicides. He quickly determines the connection the men have with one another and surmises the murders are being committed by an unknown woman that he calls a Female Moriarty. But she's ready for Holmes and has a number of tricks up her sleeve. Can Holmes escape her multitude of traps and bring this feminine menace to justice?

It's always a joy to watch Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce do their thing. They seemed to work off of each other so effortlessly and do so in The Spider Woman. Gale Sondergaard is excellent as the film's title character. She proves to be quite the match for Holmes. The verbal sparring match the pair has in a couple of scenes as each line and look has a double and deep meaning is perfect. The dialogue in these scenes is as well written as any I've yet run across in a Sherlock Holmes film. Bruce gets a chance to shine as well in a couple of scenes in The Spider Woman. Watching Watson pull on the beard of a postman while calling him names because he thinks its Holmes in disguise is very funny and very well done. But the best may be the scene where Watson very nearly kills Holmes with a rifle at a carnival game. It's a moment that stands out to me as a highlight of the entire series.

Overall, The Spider Woman is a nice entry in the Sherlock Holmes' series. I'm glad I finally had the chance to check it out.

7/10