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What's After the Movie?
Mystery thriller

The Spider Woman (1943): Cast & Plot

The Spider Woman (1943) movie poster

The Spider Woman is a 1943 mystery thriller directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Bruce and Gale Sondergaard. It runs 1 hour 3 minutes.

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The Spider Woman (1943) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 3m (63 min)
Genres
Thriller , Mystery , Crime
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Spider Woman About?

The premise of The Spider Woman without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A thrilling mystery keeps viewers on edge as Sherlock Holmes probes a string of bizarre “pajama suicides.” He discovers the mastermind is a female adversary, as cunning as Moriarty and as poisonous as a spider. The plot weaves elements from “The Sign of Four” and the short stories “The Dying Detective,” “The Final Problem,” “The Speckled Band,” and “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot.”

The Spider Woman Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • sherlock holmes character
  • dr. john watson character
  • the spider woman character
  • three word title
  • character name as title
  • psychotronic film
  • reference to hirohito
  • camp
  • male police officer
  • villain
  • death
  • suicide
+38 more
  • pajamas
  • spider
  • trap
  • newspaper
  • murder
  • life insurance
  • footprint
  • casino
  • bad check
  • disguise
  • carnival
  • shooting gallery
  • seventh part
  • housefly
  • trout
  • black widow spider
  • passenger train
  • running out of ammo
  • playing tuba
  • knocked down
  • punched in the face
  • fly fishing
  • rooftop chase
  • corpse
  • dead man
  • car
  • escape by car
  • terrarium
  • steam
  • held at gunpoint
  • train travel
  • breaking a window
  • insect
  • mute
  • posing as sheik
  • insurance policy
  • cigarette smoking
  • cigarette case
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Cast & crew

The Spider Woman Cast & Characters

Basil Rathbone leads the cast as Sherlock Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as Dr. John H. Watson and Gale Sondergaard as Adrea Spedding. Directed by Roy William Neill; 33 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in The Spider Woman

· 29 more
Show all 33 cast members
From the director

More from Roy William Neill

More films directed by Roy William Neill: Black Angel, Dressed to Kill, Terror by Night and Pursuit to Algiers.

Full filmography
Plot

The Spider Woman Plot Summary

What happens in The Spider Woman from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Consulting detective Holmes fakes his own death in Scotland to probe a string of bizarre apparent suicides, convinced they are part of an elaborate plot by a “female Moriarty.” Returning to his assistant Watson in secret, he notes that all the victims are wealthy gamblers and begins tailing London’s gaming clubs, where wealth and risk mingle in the shadows.

Full summary

The whole story of The Spider Woman, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

The Spider Woman Trailers & Videos

The trailer of The Spider Woman.

Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (1943) TRAILER
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Spider Woman?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What alias does Holmes assume while investigating the gaming clubs?

Cars

Cars in The Spider Woman

2 cars on screen: the Ford Model A and the 1937 Wolseley 14/56.

  • Ford Model A in The Spider Woman Ford Model A Important role
  • 1937 Wolseley 14/56 in The Spider Woman 1937 Wolseley 14/56 Important role
Details

The Spider Woman Also Known As

17 alternative titles, including “Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman” and “Sherlock Holmes und das Spinnennest”.

Also known as
  • Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman
  • Sherlock Holmes und das Spinnennest
  • Sherlock Holmes y la mujer araña
  • La mujer araña
  • Sherlock Holmes in The Spider Woman
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Spider Woman
  • La femme aux araignées
  • Sherlock Holmes - Das Spinnennest
  • ベイジル・ラスボーン版 シャーロック・ホームズ 蜘蛛女
  • Das Spinnennest
  • Sherlock Holmes e la donna ragno
  • Sherlock holmes et la femme aux araignées
+5 more
  • Шерлок Холмс: Паучиха
  • 福尔摩斯和蜘蛛女
  • Sherlock Holmes e a Mulher Aranha
  • Sherlock Holmes og edderkoppemysteriet
  • Sherlock Holmes och spindelmysteriet

Seen The Spider Woman?

FAQ

The Spider Woman FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Spider Woman, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Spider Woman?

The Spider Woman runs 1 hour 3 minutes (63 minutes).

When was The Spider Woman released?

The Spider Woman was released on December 10, 1943.

Who directed The Spider Woman?

The Spider Woman was directed by Roy William Neill.

More films by Roy William Neill

Who is in the cast of The Spider Woman?

The Spider Woman stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Bruce as Dr. John H. Watson and Gale Sondergaard as Adrea Spedding, among 33 credited actors.

Does The Spider Woman have a post-credit scene?

No. The Spider Woman has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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