When I was a kid, I spent an exuberant amount of time watching movies. The year was 1999. I had just moved into a new foster family’s home in Chicago, and suddenly I found myself exposed to two full bookcases of VHS tapes. I was ten years old. My cinematic experiences were slim, but when I did watch something, it was extreme.

For example, the first movie I ever saw in my life was Hellraiser. I  also have distinct memories of being five or six years old, sitting in the basement of my grandmother’s house in Old Portage Park, watching A Nightmare on Elm Street on VHS. So you can imagine that what lay before me in this new home was an absolute feast for my little brain.

These foster parents were movie junkies. Without a doubt, they shaped my entire taste in film. They had everything from Terminator 2, Highlander, Clear and Present Danger, The Fugitive, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and more. As you can tell, they had excellent taste.

But there’s one VHS I want to focus on this Halloween: Young Sherlock Holmes.

When my foster parents, who are Sherlock Holmes lit fans, showed me that movie, I watched it a dozen times. It made such an impression that I asked my teacher at St. William’s School in Chicago if I could bring it to class. I wish I remembered why she agreed. Maybe it was a show-and-tell thing, or a “movie Friday” situation, but whatever the case, I was thrilled to share it. I wanted my classmates to go on the adventure with me.

Recently, I stumbled across Young Sherlock Holmes on Pluto TV. Being recently laid off, I have had more free time than usual, so at around 5 a.m., I clicked play.

As the title credits rolled and that wintry Victorian London atmosphere filled the screen, I was instantly transported back to my ten-year-old self in that TV room, watching Holmes and Watson chase down a mysterious Egyptian cult. A tingle ran from my elbows up to my neck. It was almost emotional. The movie reminded me of a time when life was less complicated and more freeing. Rediscovering Young Sherlock Holmes felt like uncovering a missing cornerstone of who I am, something I had never even talked about, not even on the horror podcast I once co-hosted with an old friend.

Watching it now through adult eyes, I realized something. Young Sherlock Holmes is unequivocally an adventure horror movie, and a perfect one for Halloween.

It features an ancient death cult, zombies, creepy creatures, diabolical villains, a moody atmosphere, and a downright sinister plot device—a poisoned, psychedelic blow dart that sends the story spiraling into nightmare territory.

Early in the film, there is an unforgettable scene in a restaurant. A portly man, after being struck by a poisoned dart, sits down to eat, unaware that his meal is about to turn against him. The food on his plate begins to totally freak out. A roast pheasant comes alive, revealing a grotesque face that lets out a shriek. The entire feast becomes a living nightmare of meat, flapping, and crawling until it is impossible to tell what is real and what is not. Eventually, the man goes to his house, and the hallucinations continue. He takes a trip out the window and SPLAT – he’s gone!

After we meet Holmes, Watson, and Elizabeth we gracefully enter the mystery. They stumble upon the Egyptian cult. Hidden beneath the city, in a vast stone chamber lit by torches, hooded figures chant around a golden idol as they perform an ancient ritual. It’s so Temple of Doom I nearly cried with delight. 

Later, there is an excellent graveyard sequence, wrapped in fog and cold moonlight. Holmes, Watson, and Elizabeth are chased by the evil cult. They are all struck by a poison, and the hallucinations begin. Figures emerge from the graves, arms reach up through the soil, statues come alive, and Watson encounters sinister Pastries. It’s simply freaking brilliant. 

For the first time, I realized what makes Young Sherlock Holmes a classic is not just the story, but the people behind it. Look at the talent responsible for this film. You had Chris Columbus writing the story, who later brought Harry Potter to life. You had Steven Spielberg, who championed the project and helped shape it into a true Amblin classic. Mark Johnson produced it, and he would later helm The Chronicles of Narnia films. Behind the camera was Barry Levinson, whose distinct sense of warmth and rhythm found in flicks like Rain Man, Toys, and The Natural.

What is also fascinating is that Young Sherlock Holmes feels like a total Steven Spielberg picture. The sequence with the Egyptian cult could have come straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The resemblance is uncanny, the torchlight, the chanting, the danger beneath the surface. Strangely, the two films were released only a year apart, but they were filmed fairly close to each other. Principal photography for Temple of Doom began in 1983, with pickup shots in 1984, right around the same time Young Sherlock Holmes went into production. You can almost feel the energy of that era, the adventurous, slightly dark Amblin vibe flowing through both films.

Another huge highlight is the fact this movie features the technical first CGI sequence by none other than an early Pixar and ILM!

So, dear reader, as I always say, if you have not seen Young Sherlock Holmes, I implore you to watch it with your family. I would say it is perfectly safe for ages seven and up. It is a charming film about friendship, determination, and never stepping away from who you are. It is about holding true to your duties as a person on this Earth. It is a beautiful story of boys being boys, of living up to a code, and discovering what it means to become a young man. It is also about purity, in curiosity, in loyalty, in the way life unfolds when you are still figuring out who you are.

But for me, most of all, it is about the beginnings of a friendship that spans centuries.

I craved those things as a child, the sense of adventure, the belonging, the magic of discovery. Now, as a recently laid-off adult, I crave… well, a job. (I am kidding, but not really kidding.) The point is, Young Sherlock Holmes is a story that lives in all of us. It is a reminder of what it feels like to dream, to search, to believe, and to never stop being curious about the world.

For your convenience, you can find the movie below: