A Study In Terror (1965)

The renowned detective Sherlock Holmes (John Neville) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Donald Houston) become involved in the Whitechapel murders of street prostitutes committed by the serial killer known as Jack The Ripper. Directed by James Hill (BORN FREE), this is not based on any of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories but is an original screenplay utilizing Conan Doyle's characters. The movie is not an accurate rendition of the Ripper killings but taken on its own and as a Sherlock Holmes mystery, it's an above average effort. Neville makes for a decent no nonsense Holmes and as played by Houston, Dr. Watson is less addled than Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson. The film's solution to the identity of the Ripper comes as no surprise but the execution of the finale is disappointing. John Scott's underscore is slightly anachronistic but the production values are quite respectable. In 1978, another Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack The Ripper film MURDER BY DECREE was made. The large cast includes a very young Judi Dench, Anthony Quayle, Robert Morley, Frank Finlay, Adrienne Corri, Cecil Parker, John Fraser, Barbara Windsor, Georgia Brown, Barry Jones and Kay Walsh.