‘A Haunting in Venice’ proves good things come in threes

Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice is the third film in the director’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot murder mystery novels. Despite the film’s attempt to dip into the horror genre, it remains a well-crafted crime film with much to enjoy, whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer to Hercule’s unlikely investigations.

The casting of A Haunting in Venice is one of its main strengths, and each performance brings the characters to life in an engaging manner. Tina Fey adds much depth and charm to the character of Ariadne Oliver, a writer and new character playing the role of “Poirot”s friend”. Her quips, while sometimes mistimed, enrich the slower moments of this film. Joyce Reynolds’ role in the film is pivotal to the story and without Michelle Yeoh’s skilled work with her character, it is highly doubtful that the film would have retained its eerie, mysterious subtext. Just like a seance relies on an experienced medium, Yeoh’s line deliveries and frightful presence are what make this film’s hook truly drag the audience in.

Branagh’s Poirot has always stood out for his expressivity and unparalleled charisma, and this film follows in the footsteps of its
predecessors in combining the detective’s astuteness and his witty and eccentric personality

The film’s protagonist is also not one to be overlooked – Hercule Poirot, despite being the only returning character from the franchise, maintains his unmistakable characterization that allows this story to feel familiar and grounded. Branagh’s Poirot has always stood out
for his expressivity and unparalleled charisma, and this film follows in the footsteps of its predecessors in combining the detective’s astuteness and his witty and eccentric personality. One moment he’s investigating wildflowers and home-grown vegetables, and in the next he’s untangling an impossible murder with imperfect but precise methodologies – at its core, the duality of Poirot’s professional life and personality create a character that is appealing for his sharpness, but charming because of his quirks, and the way he tackles questions which, according to everyone else, simply do not have an answer.

An interesting aspect that is central to all the films of Branagh’s Poirot Trilogy are the secondary themes that underline each story’s characters, conflicts, and resolutions. Murder on the Orient Express commented on the complicated morality of good and bad,
while Death on the Nile was instead focused on the sacrifices and choices that are made in pursuit of love. In this film, Poirot tackles an equally complex and multifaceted problem, as he grapples with the fragility of life and the idea of the afterlife. In a story that utilizes
ghosts, visions and haunting as enhancing tools to the already macabre setting and transpiring events, the famously sceptical protagonist of Christie’s novels is faced with intriguing dilemmas, which also engage the audience in interesting ways. As the crimes
ensue within the film’s confined location, the viewers are frequently teetering over the line of the supernatural, as they grapple with the possibility of whether what they are seeing is real, or the result of something darker, more sinister, and perhaps even vengeful.

The decadent buildings of Venice build on the “haunted” feeling that the film seeks to deliver, and coupling that with the water-based scenery creates the film’s raging stormy backdrops, eerie dripping noises and the unsettling precognitions of what is to come

The horror of this film also helps complement its themes and takes the story into previously unexplored territory. The decadent buildings of Venice build on the “haunted” feeling that the film seeks to deliver, and coupling that with the water-based scenery creates the film’s raging stormy backdrops, eerie dripping noises and the unsettling precognitions of what is to come. A horror fan will likely enjoy all of these aspects – but fans of the past films might feel that it takes a bit too much away from the genre of mystery that usually dominated Poirot’s stories.

It’s also important to underline the fact that A Haunting in Venice, while inspired by Christie’s 1969 Hallowe’en Party, is far from an adaptation of the novel’s original story. The movie tastefully borrows names, set pieces and story beats, but also replaces convoluted characters, lacking representation and slower-paced scenes with the notorious gleam of Branagh’s adaptations. Notably, the original setting of London was changed to Venice, drastically improving its environmental storytelling and historically supernatural presence. The character of Joyce Reynolds, in the 2023 interpretation, takes on the role of a mysterious medium who claims she can hear the voices of a dead girl. This is a stark change from the role of the same character in the novel, who was a 13-year-old girl who claimed to have seen a 20-year-old murder happen with her own eyes. These changes help give this film its own identity outside of Christie’s novels, but without staining Poirot’s character or demeaning the original story. Additionally, this means that if one didn’t enjoy the film’s horror-oriented direction, the original novel could still prove to be an engaging, yet somewhat alluringly familiar read.

However, like with both its predecessors this film is not without its flaws. The horror, despite its interesting utilizations, is almost painfully predictable, and won’t do much to scare its audience if they’ve already consumed multiple media projects in this genre. Additionally, while the film starts at a much quicker pace than Death on the Nile, it drops the ball in the second and especially third act, and one would be excused for subtly dozing off during the film’s few slower-paced, lower-stakes scenes that are woven into its murder mystery narrative.

A Haunting in Venice is an overall enjoyable Halloween film, filled with charming characters, spooky set pieces, a gorgeous historical backdrop, and a touch of Christie’s classic murder mystery formula. While it might not be Branagh’s best film in this trilogy, it will entertain its audience for its fair hour-and-a-half duration, and leave them with some more thematic thinking points to perhaps reflect upon. Whether the villain is obvious to you or not, one thing is for sure: you’ll be left wanting to see more of Poirot’s adventures in the years to come.