MovieChat Forums > The Last Vampyre (1994) Discussion > Atmosphere and menace

Atmosphere and menace

posted 4 years ago by greenbudgie (2355)
1 reply | jump to latest

This is a TV Movie in it's own right as opposed to being an episode in one of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes series.

The setting is very Hammeresque with coach and horses being driven at speed through wooded scenery. So Hammer fans should like this. But it is not clear whether the person who is suspected of vampirism is actually as he seems here. The superstitious villagers are convinced that he is. This forces their reverend to approach Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. Holmes goes to the village in order to calm the hysteria that is running through the community. His main concern is that the villagers may destroy an innocent man.

Watching this during the Covid19 lock-down was kind of appropriate. The deaths and illnesses in the village may be due to a virulent influenza epidemic.

There is plenty of atmosphere and menace that will please mystery fans. For once Holmes actually gives credence to the supernatural instead of dismissing it completely as he usually does. There are some good performances from English character actors. My favorite is the Reverend Merrydew played by Maurice Denham. Roy Marsden is really creepy as the mysterious stranger who is accused of vampirism.

I recommend this. So if you want to sample a good Jeremy Brett Holmes mystery try this one.

[–] Stratego (30495) 4 years ago

"For once Holmes actually gives credence to the supernatural instead of dismissing it completely as he usually does."

I don't consider that a good thing, that's not who Sherlock Holmes is.

I did not like this movie at all, it was silly and boring and the idea of the original story was much more interesting. The feature length episodes were really the weakest in the series, especially the ones based on short stories.