FAQ

A series of Sherlock Holmes movies was planned by the studio with Peter Cushing in the starring role, but because The Hound of the Baskervilles made a much poorer showing at the box office than Hammer's monster movies and vampire films, the series idea was scrapped.

A search brings up quite a few, but in those projects that technically qualify as movies - approximately 25. Many of those were films where both actors received top billing but may have shared few (if any) scenes together, e.g., Scream and Scream Again (1970) (1970), in which Cushing, Lee, and Vincent Price starred, but the three of them never appeared together in any scenes. Many of their collaborations were in "horror" films including various films by Hammer such as Horror of Dracula (1958) (1958). Contrary to popular belief however Cushing and Lee only appeared together in one of the original gothic series of Dracula films. They also both starred twice more in the Hammer produced up-dated Dracula series of the early 70s.

In broad strokes, the plot of the movie is very similar to the plot of the novel. Dr. Mortimer arrives in London to meet with Holmes concerning the Baskerville family, especially concerning the recent death of Sir Charles Baskerville and the imminent arrival of Sir Henry Baskerville to take possession of the estate. After consulting with Holmes in London, Watson accompanies Sir Henry alone to the Baskerville estate. There, after a subplot involving an escaped convict and the reveal that Holmes has been camping on the moor, Sir Henry is attacked by a large dog which has been disguised as the hell hound and survives by the intervention of Holmes and Watson.

The major differences occur with the many subplots and false trails laid out by Doyle which were foregone by the movie. Most of these are concerned with the death of Sir Charles, the prior owner of Baskerville Hall, and Watson's separate investigation on the Devon moor. For example, the novel deals extensively with a town named Coombe Tracey and a Mrs. Laura Lyons who resides there, as well as expanding upon the escaped convict subplot. Also, Holmes makes many other discoveries regarding the activities of the Stapletons, both in London at the beginning of the novel and their prior history elsewhere. Certain other minor details differ as well, such as Sir Henry being from Canada in the novel instead of South Africa, and Cecile Stapleton being of South American instead of Spanish descent. Small details such as the circumstances of Sir Charles' death, descriptions of some of the characters (such as Dr. Mortimer), and the history of the curse (Sir Hugo lived in the 1600s according to the novel) also differ, although not in any way that materially affects the plot.

Instead of these other plots, scenes such as the mine exploration and the tarantula were added. The character of the senile clergyman was another addition for the movie. In the novel, Stapleton himself is an entomologist, a clue discovered by Watson and which Holmes uses to trace his past. Most significantly for the plot surrounding Sir Henry, the character of Stapleton's daughter in the movie is quite different. She is much more sympathetic in the novel. Instead of being an active participant in the plot, she is an unwilling accomplice, even attempting to warn Sir Henry of the plot against him. Furthermore, she is merely posing as a relation, and is instead his wife. In the novel, Mrs. Stapleton's name was Beryl and she had posed as his sister, not his daughter, since old Sir Charles Baskerville's arrival at the Hall three years before.