The tyranist's thoughts
I spend more time watching PBS than anyone I know except for my grandmother, but even I rarely tune in for Masterpiece Theatre. Since they usually have uninteresting, overly melodramatic period pieces, it just doesn't seem worth it. Fortunately, I did tune in for a BBC version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was very young, and I've loved the stories. Rarely, though, have I found them to be Horror in nature. The clinical, logical nature of Holmes's analysis often steals the edge from anything that could be frightening. Just this once, though, Doyle added enough of the supernatural and a very panicky Watson to make this one horror.
A man has died of unnatural causes that are ruled natural until the good doctor who served the Lord Baskerville enlists Holmes and Watson to protect the next in line. Of course, when it is cold out on the moor and the wind is howling, nothing is as it seems.
This was very well put together with a nice script and a great location. The acting was superior and the pacing very nice for this kind of story. The effects for the hound aren't always the best, but good enough for TV. Of course, when the dog does hold still long enough to be a puppet, it is a hideous beast indeed.
I really enjoyed this one and since it is out there on DVD, I'll go ahead and recommend it. I wouldn't want you to have to lower your standards and watch Masterpiece Theatre like I did.