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SynopsisOne Way Ticket To Death!
Perhaps inspired by the success of Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, Terror By Night limited its action to the claustrophobic confines of a speeding train.The shortest Holmes film released by Universal (and undoubtedly the least expensive to make, since the exterior train shots were taken from Universal's library), Terror By Night marked the last appearance of Dennis Hoey in the series.Almost as a gift, his Lestrade role is substantially bigger than in previous Holmes films.With Moriarty gone, a new prince of criminal evil was introduced, Colonel Sebastian Moran."The most sinister, ruthless and diabolically clever henchman of our late and unlamented friend, Professor Moriarty," states Holmes.Moran was played with mocking and sinister amusement by Alan Mowbray, a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.Frank Gruber's first script for the series gave director Neill the opportunity to piston a brisk, yet intimate pace that kept up with the express train ride itself, headed to Edinburgh (a possible "in-joke," as Edinburgh was Conan Doyle's birthplace).Even famed New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, no real fan of the series, had to admit the film was "told in a tight continuity and with flavorsome atmosphere."
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