As usual, Fisher's direction is tight and the cinematography is rich, complimented by beautiful shots of the foggy moors and detailed interiors. Perhaps the only thing that hampers the film is the disappearance of Holmes during the middle (when he sends a solo Watson to Devonshire, only to make a big entrance later) and the appearance of the rather (by todays standards) modest hound during the climax. Reportedly, footage of children playing the parts of Cushing, Morell and Lee interacting with the animal were shot in order to make it appear large and intimidating, but the effect proved to be embarrassing and was scrapped.
It should be noted that the now released DVD version has a short piece by Christopher Lee on the making of the hound of the Baskervilles. His comments about Peter Cushing (to which the DVD is dedicated) are especially heartfelt and once again shows the great fondness and respect he had for him. In terms of its relevance to British Cinema and the contribution Hammer made The Hound of the Baskervilles is up there with the other two great hammer movies ‘The devil rides out’ (1968) and Dracula (1958). Terrifying in 1959 with its atmosphere and ahead of its time in terms of genre this was one of Fishers and Cushings masterpieces.
