A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey

In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Kenneth Branagh returns once again as both actor and director for another Hercule Poirot adventure. While there are subtle humour throughout the film, ‘A Haunting in Venice’ is his darkest adventure yet.

Best-selling mystery author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) convinces Hercule to join her to a séance on Halloween night. She wants Hercule to prove wether medium Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) is a fake or real. The séance is held in the home of Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly), whose daughter Alicia tragically died a short while ago.

During the séance it is revealed Alicia was murdered. Shortly after the séance a murder takes place, and now it becomes a case for Hercule to solve – forcing himself out of retirement. I enjoyed the characters, and the film has a very good production design. Unlike previous Hercule Poirot films, ‘A Haunting in Venice’ has a constant foreboding atmosphere and there are a few very effective jump scares.

Generally, younger audiences tend to find whodunit murder mysterious tedious to watch, but thanks to this modernized effort I believe it would appeal to a wider audience. It has a hint of horror and creepy elements in the vein of popular films like ‘Sinister’, ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Conjuring’ universe. Off course the A-list actors are an added bonus. And who could possibly portray Hercule Poirot better than Kenneth Branagh!

As with most mystery thrillers there are twists along the way. Thanks to a clever script, the film held my attention from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the setting in the big house in Venice.

At the box office ‘A Haunting in Venice’ earned nearly $121 million on a $60 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Yes.