In his third outing as the mustachioed master detective, director and star Kenneth Branagh adds spooky fun to a new Agatha Christie-based whodunnit, A Haunting in Venice.
Based on Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party, we find the world’s preeminent sleuth enjoying a quiet retirement in a palazzo in Venice. But his tranquility is disrupted when an old friend, the mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) asks him to attend a Halloween party and séance at the home of opera star Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). Ariadne insists the medium Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) might be the real deal. That night, when Joyce Reynolds channels the spirit of Rowena’s recently deceased daughter, the party-goers find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.
(L-R): Riccardo Scamarcio as Vitale Portfoglio, Camille Cottin as Olga Seminoff, Jude Hill as Leopold Ferrier, Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake, Emma Laird as Desdemona Holland, Ali Khan as Nicholas Holland, and Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard in 20th Century Studios’ A HAUNTING IN VENICE. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
A Haunting in Venice is a significant departure from the novel, and for good reason. Where Christie’s novel told a dark and disturbing tale of child murder during a Halloween party, Branagh’s film — penned by Michael Green — uses the party to uncover the truth about a previous death. The setting, during a violent storm, adds to the ambience and spookiness of the scene and strands the revelers overnight in the most haunted palazzo in Venice.
In altering the story for the film, Branagh’s new outing also turns this murder mystery into a chilling haunted house horror story. There are disembodied voices, ghostly apparitions, phone calls from no one. It is delightfully frightful while staying true to the world of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot.
This is accomplished through a perfect combination of great characters and exceptional artistry. Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill reunite as father and son Leslie and Leopold Ferrier. The young Leopold cares for his tormented father, a doctor suffering the lingering effects of war trauma. Camille Cottin is Rowena’s loyal housekeeper Olga Seminoff, a woman who seems to be harboring secrets of her own. So does Richard Scamarcio as Vitale Portfoglio, a retired police inspector who is now Poirot’s bodyguard. And then there is Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard, the ex-fiancé of dearly departed Alicia Drake. Together with Rowena, Ariadne, and Mrs. Reynolds, the party is complete and trapped inside for the night.
The house itself, with a terrible history we learn early on, becomes a character in the story. It moans and breathes, creaks and sighs. Even within the safe and comfortable confines of a darkened movie theater, one can almost smell the mildewy dampness of a centuries-old house built on a canal. The unsteadiness as waves crash against the boathouse doors down below. The encroaching darkness from unused rooms above.
To further enhance the experience, cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos heightens our senses of fear and foreboding through disorienting camera angles and candlelight. At times, the palazzo seems to stretch out into vast loneliness. At others, it is almost claustrophobic with tight spaces and closeups. Zambarloukos’s work also shows off the beautiful production design and set decoration, highlighting frescoes and crumbling antiques.
All of this serves a story that is perfect for the Halloween season. Is the house haunted? Or is there some other nefarious plot underway? The unbelieving Poirot refuses to accept the possibility of supernatural forces, even when there is evidence to support it. Even his friend Ariadne proclaims herself a skeptic until she starts to verbally doubt herself. But whether there are supernatural forces at play, his unwillingness to believe is exactly what makes Poirot the detective that he is. He does not rest, he cannot rest until he has reached an answer. Three films in, Branagh understands the character well and always stays true to who he is.
In the new age of star-studded whodunnits, A Haunting in Venice stands out for its mood and atmosphere. It’s perfect to watch with a crowd. Perhaps at your next Halloween party. Stay through the credits, not for additional scenes but to enjoy composer Hildur Guønadøttir’s haunting, beautiful cello. It’s like an extra treat at the end of a movie that is already the best of the Branagh Poirots.
