The Hound of the Baskervilles(1939)
1939 · Sidney Lanfield · 80 min
When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.
Mystery · Crime · Horror · Thriller
7.1237 votes
TMDB score
1/5
Intensity
0/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How The Hound of the Baskervilles scares
Watching this feels more like settling into a foggy old mystery than being scared outright, with a moody, atmospheric chill instead of shocks. The pace is slow and talky, built around clues, suspects, and eerie legends rather than sudden scares. Its fear comes from spooky moor settings, howling in the dark, and rumors of a monstrous hound, but the story stays gentle and is really a detective tale in a spooky coat. It's a good pick if you want old-fashioned atmosphere and a classic Sherlock Holmes puzzle rather than anything genuinely frightening.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Hound of the Baskervilles rates psychological 2/5, visceral 1/5, gore 0/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 1/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 1 of 5
- Gore: 0 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 1 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 15 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 85 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 15 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A classic detective mystery with a slow, atmospheric build and scattered eerie jolts that peak in intensity near the end.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 4, 3.
How scary is The Hound of the Baskervilles?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Hound of the Baskervilles rates 1/5 — gentle by horror standards, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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