THE SPIDER WOMAN

Consulting detective Sherlock Holmes fakes his own death in Scotland in order to investigate a number of bizarre apparent suicides that he is convinced are part of an elaborate plot by "a female Moriarty". Returning to his assistant Dr. Watson in secret, Holmes notes that all the victims were wealthy gamblers, so disguised as "Rajni Singh", a distinguished Indian officer, he stalks London's gaming clubs.

It is not long before he encounters the archvillain, Adrea Spedding. Holmes discovers that she seeks out men short of money, persuades them to pawn their life insurance policies with her accomplices, then kills them. Holmes sets himself up as her next victim, discovering that she uses the deadly spider, Lycosa carnivora, whose venom causes such excruciating pain that the victims kill themselves. Holmes also finds the footprint of a child nearby.

Searching for evidence Holmes and Watson visit eminent arachnologist Matthew Ordway, who may have supplied the deadly creatures. Holmes soon realizes that the man he is speaking to is an impostor, but the man makes his escape. Searching the premises, Holmes finds the corpse of the real Ordway, as well as his journals, which allude to something or someone from Central Africa immune to the spider venom. This baffles Holmes until he finds the model skeleton of a child. However, Dr. Watson points out that the relation of the skull and the circumference of the chest prove it is not a child, and Holmes deduces that the Central African thing described in the journal is a pygmy.

Holmes and Watson continue their investigations at a nearby fairground, where Holmes allows himself to fall into the clutches of Spedding and her gang. Bound and gagged, Holmes is tied behind a moving target in a shooting gallery, at which Inspector Lestrade and Watson take pot shots with a .22 rifle. However Holmes manages to escape, and Lestrade and the police arrest Spedding, her gang, and the pygmy. As an indication of respect for her intellect, Holmes tells Lestrade to spare Spedding the indignity of handcuffs, saying "she'll go quietly." Spedding appreciatively smiles and thanks Holmes as she is taken away.

Holmes escapes from Spedding's deadly trap, and with the help of Inspector Lestrade and Watson, sees Spedding and her gang arrested. Spedding is spared handcuffs at Holmes’s request and acknowledges his respect.

The ending sees Holmes not only outsmart a criminal rival but also extend a rare mark of respect to his adversary, underlining the battle of intellects at the film’s core. The capture of Spedding resolves the film’s central mystery while the mutual recognition between detective and villain lends a note of sophistication to their rivalry. Holmes's gesture reflects his appreciation for Spedding’s formidable mind, setting her apart from mere henchmen and echoing the theme of intellectual parity.