Celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot, now retired and living in self-imposed exile in Venice, reluctantly attends a Halloween séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered,...
In the third installment of his Hercule Poirot series, director Kenneth Branagh brings famed author Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party” to the screen in “A Haunting in Venice,” a much darker (and spookier) whodunnit. It’s one of the best of the three films, elevated with a terrific ensemble cast, striking camerawork, a heart-pounding score from Hildur Guðnadóttir, and richly polished production design.
Set in 1947 on Halloween night in post-World War II Venice, the story features the return of master detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh). The celebrated sleuth has been retired for a while, living alone among the canals in Italy’s most beautiful city. At the behest of old friend and mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a skeptical Poirot reluctantly agrees to attend a séance at the home of a grieving mother (Kelly Reilly). Several guests who knew the deceased (Jamie Dornan, Camille Cottin, Fernando Piloni, Riccardo Scamarcio, Kyle Allen, and Jude Hill) are invited to partake in contacting the departed, but Poirot quickly dismisses the medium (Michelle Yeoh) and her bag of tricks. But when one of the guests is murdered, the reluctant detective must spring into action.
It’s an excellent adaptation of Christie’s story that’s made even creepier by keeping a menagerie of suspicious characters trapped in a haunted Venetian palazzo during a wicked storm. As the wind howls and waves crash below, everyone is forced to face the ghosts of their past. Poirot in particular is given a lot of depth, with the story immersed in his inner psyche. It’s haunting on so many levels.
The film is more brooding than flat-out terrifying, utilizing the macabre with a bit of horror elements thrown in the mix. The jump scares feel out of place, perhaps used as a method to woo younger audiences expecting never-ending chills and frights (and will probably be bored by this movie anyway). This is a classic mystery with plenty of clues and suspects and misdirection, but with a few supernatural elements. You have to pay attention if you want to solve the crime, and the eventual reveal is satisfying.
The film is well cast, and there’s no Hollywood superstar barging in to steal the limelight. Everyone works on equal footing, from the name actors to the supporting cast. This keeps the performances understated and effective, which in turn elevates the entire project.
“A Haunting in Venice” is an old fashioned murder mystery that’s an excellent representative of the genre. It may not excite modern horror and thriller fans, but this is refined storytelling that will delight those seeking a classic, literary-minded adaptation.
