NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Severin Films Blu-ray (July 2024): Severin Films have transferred Terence Fisher's Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace to Blu-ray. This was the fourth of nine Blu-rays in Severin's The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Boxset. It is cited as being "scanned in 2K from the German negative". It looks quite good if having less grain than I would have hoped. The 1080P is very clean, sharp and exhibits some depth. I don't discount minor digitization manipulation. Without pulling out the magnifying glass it can look surprisingly impressive.  

NOTE: We have added 38 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Severin Films use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original German language with an optional English DUB (the entire cast including Christopher Lee were DUB'ed - yecch - recorded post-production by different actors.) Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace has few aggressive moments sneaking around the sewers but nothing particularly impactful in regards to bass response. There is a jazzy score by Martin Slavin (Danger on My Side, Murder Can Be Deadly, Pit of Darkness) that adds some nice flavor in the lossless transfer. Severin Films offer optional English (German translated) or English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Severin Films Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula, Barry Forshaw, author of Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to British Crime Fiction, Film & TV. They are always full of tidbits of gossip, historical cinema references, back stories and quotes from the cast/crew. It is up to their usual fun, informative, standard. We also get a dozen minutes of Tony Dalton interviewing Terence Fisher - audio only - to the backdrop of scenes from some of his vampiric films. There is also 27-minutes of Dalton talking about Terence Fisher's career and proclivities. Lastly is a lengthy trailer. 

Terence Fisher's Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace is a bit of an oddball Euro-production with Brit director and lead. Christopher Lee is quite a dashing but intolerant and impatient Sherlock while donning a false nose. This would be the first of three times he would play the great detective - reprising the roll twice on TV; in Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) and the following year's Incident at Victoria Falls. He did play Sir Henry Baskerville in the 1959 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles and brother Mycroft Holmes in Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Considering the price on this you'd be better off nabbing Severin's entire The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Blu-ray Boxset while you still can. As well as Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace it has The Castle of the Living Dead (1964), Challenge the Devil aka Katarsis (1963), Crypt of the Vampire (1964), Theatre Macabre (1971-1972), The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967) and a Castle of the Living Dead soundtrack CD. A lot of schlock but some positives. Lee's insolent version of Sherlock would be a key reason to watch - and the dastardly Moriarty. I found it refreshing. Otherwise the film is a bit of a mish-mash. Severin Films Blu-ray will appeal to a select niche; Fisher, Lee and Sherlock completists only should consider.

Gary Tooze