Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A way to say we are sorry...

Holidays are finally over. So it’s time we all went back to our lives as before. I know that there was a big promise breaking from our part so this is me trying to make up for it.

We had promised a top ten list about scary Christmas stories that were never posted. Our sincere apologies for that, I just hope that the following piece can make up for it. Since the post was promised to satisfy readers and not watchers I thought that a classic gothic tale by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would do the trick. It can of course be no other than “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.

When one listens to the name Sir Arthur Conan Doyle one usually thinks about Sherlock Holmes and detective stories. That is actually true so what is a detective story doing in this kind of a blog?

Well, when the supernatural and old tales of curses and hellhounds are incorporated to the story how can we not be tempted to write about it?

The story takes place in the English country; at “Baskerville Hall”. A vast estate surrounded by moors swamps and the aura of mysterious ghostly presence. Found dead with a horrified look on his face somewhere in the haunted woods of his land Sir Charles Baskerville, terrifies his heirs reminding them of an old curse.

Sherlock Holmes is called upon to investigate the circumstances of his demise and is made aware of a tale long forgotten. One of Baskerville’s ancestors enslaved by lust and madness sells his soul to have what he cannot. His life ended hunting what he desired and one of his hounds was the collector of the price paid. And so the curse begins for all male heirs of the Baskerville estate.

Footprints found at the crime scene suggested that Sir Charles was desperately running away from something that could only be described as a ‘gigantic hound’, while Holmes receives threatening letters telling him to avoid the moors...

Has the Hellhound been unleashed once again claiming the souls of the Baskervilles?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s impeccable writing takes the reader to a place filled with fear and agony. Highly recommended “The Hound of the Baskervilles” can and will satisfy even the most demanding of readers. You can read it -for free- right here.

And for those who prefer watching to reading there are at least two dozen attempts to capture the feeling of the story in film, but if you ask me the ones that actually do are the black and white ones. There is something unearthly about the absence of color that makes those films even darker…

5 comments:

  1. An amazing book. I used to be a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan when I was a kid. Also, Russian Sherlock Holmes movies are universally recognized as the best adaptations of the book (and have the best casting as well). The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the best movies as well.

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  2. Aha. As soon as I find the time I'll teach myself Russian, then. Before that, guess I should trust common wisdom and go read The Hound.

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  3. Istill am a great fan! Can you recommend one of the films? I surely would like to take a look, it sounds very interesting!

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  4. Huge fan of Sherlock Holmes.
    @morella: The Rathbone and Bruce series is fantastic.
    But Anatoly is right the Russian is supposed to be the best from what I have heard and their are subtitles available.

    If I had to pick one I would easily pick Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) {AKA Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear}. because it is still moderately modern, with colour and all the other advantages, but I found the main actor to still retain the essence of Sherlock Holmes. But their are tons of Sherlock films going all the way back to silent, many I have not seen.

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  5. Haven't read The Rathbone and Bruce!!
    Glad to see there are more funs out there.
    The links are perfect, thank you Jonathon. As far as the Pyramid goes I have seen it and you are right, but I think I will have to see it again since it's been along time.
    Suggestions, suggestions people I want to know what you all like!

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