“A Haunting is Venice” scares its way through the charts
“A Haunting in Venice” is a mystery-lover’s perfect Halloween movie. It premiered on Sept. 15, 2023 and acts as the third installment of Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movie series. In 2017, the first film of the movie remakes, “Murder on the Orient Express,” was generally well-regarded, and many had some strong criticisms. In 2022, the sequel, “Death on the Nile” was released and attracted even more criticism. I enjoyed both, but understood the criticisms, but feel they’re quite harsh. The movies are both highly enjoyable.
The other movies were more or less average murder mysteries, with a hunt for the killer and whatnot, which this movie shares but, there is an added difference. “A Haunting in Venice” has a noticeably different air about it along with it having horror movie characteristics with a few jumpscares and loud noises. It is set in Venice in 1947, on Halloween Night. In retirement, Poirot (Played by the director Kenneth Branagh) is hiding himself from his old world of mysteries, trying to live the quiet life. But an old friend Ariadne Oliver, played by Tina Fey, calls on him to attend a seance in order to make contact with the deceased daughter of the party host, Rowena Drake played by Kelly Reilly, in an old haunted Palazzo following the Halloween Party. During which, she wants him to meet the medium, the “Unholy Mrs. Reynolds,” (played by Michelle Yeoh) to see the con that she cannot.
As stated in an interview that played prior to the film, each of the three movies had a central theme or question in each of the movies. In “A Haunting in Venice” the question is surrounding the main character, the detective Hercule Poirot grappling with his relationship with spirituality, having Poirot wrestle with the belief in the rational mind or faith there is otherwise, ultimately resulting in a quite different-toned movie experience.
The movie series is a new film rendition of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot books, written from 1920-1975, with 33 books, two plays, and 50+ short stories as a part of the series. This is based on the book; “A Halloween Party” of a generally similar plot with some minor character, plot, and setting differences.
In addition to the cast already mentioned, there is also Dr. Leslie Ferrier, played by Jamie Dornan, Olga Seminoff as the housekeeper played by Camille Cottin, the ex-finance of the deceased daughter Alicia Drake named Maxime Gerard played by Kyle Allen, Jude Hill plays Leopold Ferrier the young son Dr. Ferrier, Emma Laird plays Desdemona Holland an assistant of Joyce Reynolds, Ali Khan plays Nicholas Holland plays the other assistant of Joyce Reynolds and then there is also Poirot’s bodyguard named Vitale Portfoglio played by Riccardo Scamarcio. The actors could not have been more perfectly casted.
The movie is extremely entertaining and exciting, with an excellent plot with a good final twist, and an air of unpredictability. The film is consistently enjoyable and with the added horror elements, it only serves to become more enjoyable.
