The House of Fear

Year: 1945

Runtime: 69 mins

Language: English

Director: Roy William Neill

MysteryCrimeHorror

At the foreboding Drearcliff House, the reclusive Good Comrades—an eclectic group of gentlemen—enjoy a tranquil solitude. Their peace shatters when members start dying in gruesome ways. Suspecting foul play, their insurance agent enlists the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John Watson to uncover the sinister truth.

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The House of Fear (1945) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of The House of Fear (1945), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Sherlock Holmes [Basil Rathbone] is visited by Mr. Chalmers [Gavin Muir], an insurance agent with a strange tale. Seven single men, calling themselves the “Good Comrades,” live together in the remote Scottish castle of Drearcliffe House, near the village of Inverneill. Recently one of the “Good Comrades” received a mysterious envelope containing seven orange pips (seeds). That night, he is murdered and his body is horribly mutilated. A few days later, a second envelope arrives, this time containing six pips, and the recipient also dies mysteriously soon afterwards, his battered corpse recovered from the base of the cliffs. Chalmers holds £100,000 of life insurance policies on the seven men, and suspects that one is systematically murdering the others in order to collect the money, and begs Holmes to investigate.

Holmes [Basil Rathbone] and Dr. Watson [Nigel Bruce] arrive at the scene only to find another murder has occurred, its body burned to a crisp. Inspector Lestrade [Dennis Hoey] also arrives to investigate. Despite Holmes’ best efforts three more deaths occur, each time leaving the victim’s body unrecognizable. Meanwhile, the local tobacconist Alec MacGregor [David Clyde] writes a message to Lestrade, which already had been opened and resealed before it arrived in the inspector’s possession. Holmes and Lestrade go to MacGregor’s shop to investigate, only to learn the tobacconist was shot in the back before they got there.

Lestrade jumps to the obvious conclusion that the last surviving member, Alastair [Aubrey Mather], murdered all the others. However, after Dr. Watson [Nigel Bruce] goes missing, Holmes deduces the plot behind it all and leads Lestrade and Alastair to a secret room where all the “Good Comrades” are hiding and Watson is tied up. Holmes explains that Alastair was the victim of a plot to frame him for murder and collect the insurance money by the other six. MacGregor had been murdered because he had spotted one of them alive on the beach.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:31

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Methodical detective mysteries like The House of Fear

Intellectual puzzles where a brilliant detective unravels a confined mystery.If you enjoyed the clever deduction and isolated setting of The House of Fear, you'll find similar satisfaction in these methodical detective stories. This collection features movies like The House of Fear where a logical investigator uncovers the truth in a confined, suspenseful environment, perfect for fans of intricate whodunits.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread follow a linear, problem-solving structure. A detective figure enters a closed community or isolated location, where a crime has occurred. The narrative unfolds through systematic investigation, interview scenes, and the discovery of clues, leading to a final reveal that logically explains the mystery and provides a satisfying resolution.

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Chilling tales where a foreboding setting is as central as the crime itself.Fans of the foreboding Drearcliff House in The House of Fear will appreciate these atmospheric gothic mysteries. Discover movies similar to The House of Fear that blend classic whodunit structures with a heavy, suspenseful mood, set in locations rich with shadowy history and ominous presence.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a group of people trapped in an imposing, atmospheric location as a killer picks them off one by one. The story leverages the setting's history and architecture to create fear and misdirection. While the solution is ultimately grounded and logical, the journey is filled with gothic tropes like suspicion, hidden passages, and a general sense of ancient evil or tragedy.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The House of Fear

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