| A Study in Terror | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Hill |
| Produced by | Herman Cohen Michael Klinger Henry E. Lester |
| Written by | Arthur Conan Doyle Derek Ford Donald Ford |
| Starring | John Neville Donald Houston John Fraser Anthony Quayle Robert Morley Barbara Windsor Adrienne Corri Judi Dench |
| Music by | John Scott |
| Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
| Editing by | Henry Richardson |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | Jan. 1966 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A Study in Terror is a 1965 British thriller film directed by James Hill and starring John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Houston as Dr. Watson. It was filmed at Shepperton Studios, London, with some location work at Osterley House in Middlesex.
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Although it is based on Conan Doyle's characters, the story is an original one, which has the famous detective on the trail of Jack the Ripper. In the dark alleys of nineteenth century London, the notorious Jack the Ripper committed a series of gruesome murders. The story of A Study in Terror challenges Sherlock Holmes to solve these horrific crimes. This leads Holmes through a trail of aristocracy, blackmail, and family insanity. Unlike Scotland Yard, and the real-life story, Holmes exposes the identity of the Ripper.
In 1966, the film was novelized by Ellery Queen and Paul W. Fairman. The novelization is unusual in that it adds a framing story wherein Ellery Queen reads a manuscript that re-tells the actions of the film. The framing story was written by Ellery Queen and the novelization of the film itself by Fairman. Several plot points, including most notably the identity of the murderer, were altered for the novelization.
The Holmes-Ripper idea was later taken up in Murder by Decree (1978), in which Frank Finlay reprised his role as Lestrade and Anthony Quayle once again had an important part (though this time as Sir Charles Warren of Scotland Yard).
The film inspired the writing of Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds, blending the story of Sherlock Holmes and the world of H.G Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds.
A Study in Terror (1965) composed by John Scott conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (HSO 333)