Jeremy Brett didn't like this feature-length episode/TV Movie because he couldn't bone up on Conan-Doyle's original story at rehearsal. Conan Doyle's 'Sussex Vampire' is switched to the Cotswolds and the suspicion of vampirism falls elsewhere from the original. In this hash Reverend Merrydew (Maurice Denham) is afraid that his superstitious parishioners will kill a strange outsider when it's not actually clear that Stockton (Roy Marsden) is actually a vampire. So the worried reverend takes his problems to Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Watson travel to the village that has had a spate of sudden deaths which the villagers blame on Stockton. Brett himself has the look of a vampire in this production due to his pallor and he had put on weight. So he insisted on wearing black to try and disguise the fat he had piled on which only helps to further give him a sinister appearance in this. I like the Hammeresque setting with coach and horses being driven at speed through wooded scenery. Holmes almost gives credence to the supernatural in this production which will go against those who like the Holmes character done strictly by the book. I actually enjoyed this for the atmosphere and Hammer fans may like to try this one for the reasons already given. Some Holmes fans find this production boring but I was OK with it's slow sinister feel.
Review of The Last Vampyre
