Review: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ Imperfect, but Offers Genuine Frights and More Poirot

Kenneth Branagh once again teams up with a star-studded cast to bring another of Agatha Christie’s iconic novels to the big screen. However, this series has been indecisive with “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile;” they provided synthetic fakery on-screen and proved that big ensemble cast’s don’t help your film but hinder it, as most are only watching the film for the star power on-screen. Now “A Haunting In Venice” — while imperfect — turns Branagh’s series into a trilogy. It also turns up the horror element of Christie’s stories, showcasing Branagh as not only a fine director, but hints his next film should be horror given the genuine frights produced in this film. 

The story is based on one of Christie’s lesser known novels, “Hallowe’en Party,” but the story has been revised by Screenwriter Michael Green. Instead of the backdrop of quaint England, “Venice” swaps it for the titular city with a crumbling palazzo with ‘death’ in its walls. After retiring, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is sought to look into another mystery by his friend and author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey); she says she has found someone who can ‘finally stump the great detective’ — Ms. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). Reynolds’ presence has been requested by a local vet whose daughter died by suicide, drawing in the canal after a fall from her bedroom balcony. The au pair, Olga Seminoff (Camille Cotton) speaks of ghosts. This is why Reynolds is brought in, as this is all a mystery to Poirot. And thus a mysterious and genuinely scary story begins. 

Poirot is a Great Addition to Branagh’s Career

Unlike Branagh’s other films, the cast has fewer A-Listers. However, within the cast there is a “Belfast” reunion with Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill teaming up again. But the rest of the cast is relatively unknown apart from Cotton, Fey, and Yeoh — in her first film since winning a ‘Best Actress’ Oscar last year. Branagh playing Poirot continues to be a great addition to the actor’s esteemed and varied career. And in this film there is a different side to the iconic detective as “Venice” deals with obsession with trauma, Poriot plagued himself with feelings of death. 

Overall, even though “A Haunting in Venice” is only loosely based on Christie’s work, it still proves her adaptations  provide an intense and interesting viewing experience. However, “A Haunting in Venice” is probably the least satisfying of the three films in terms of the story not a direct adaptation of her novels. However, the film does display some typical frights of the horror genre, such as disembodied lullabies, mysterious patterns that make the audience feel strange and disorientated, and figures in reflections that are not really there.

A Good Time to Retire Poirot

All of this makes for a good mystery film; but in regards to the Poirot series continuing… it is probably a good idea for Branagh to stop now, but to continue directing as “Belfast” was the best film he’d done in years. 

 

 

 

 

“A Haunting in Venice” is now playing in theaters.