A Haunting in Venice

I think this is Branagh's best Poirot (so far?). The bet on a lesser-known case paid off, putting him in Venice was a great idea. And the best thing is the way Branagh the director enjoys the cramped setting of the old dank house falling apart, how strangely unsettling the shots from different angles are, how beautifully suspenseful and at times pure horror. The unravelling of the mystery may come as no surprise to those unfamiliar with the subject source material, but again, that's not really the point. It's about what the case leads Poirot himself to do and that, in turn, is absolutely brilliantly written and acted. (10/03/2023)

Kenneth Branagh continues with the same, generic whodunit that is a carbon copy of the previous one. Only instead of the sunny Nile Delta with its often overly digital Pyramids, we have mysterious Venice, specifically a gothic house full of strange sounds and untold secrets. Not a single moment is remarkable, not a single shot or sequence of events unpredictable. At least it is briskly told and with a few wannabe horror moments and a decent production design, and it also has a decent (meaning short) running time. (02/15/2024)

For me, this was quite a big disappointment. No, I haven’t seen Death on the Nile yet. However, I can compare this film to Murder on the Orient Express, and that one wins by a long shot. The idea of combining a classic detective story with horror elements seemed interesting on paper, but the result felt rather jarring. One wants to enjoy the intricate relationships and the murder investigation, but that’s hard to do when the film tries to scare you (and does so in a rather cheap way, even by horror standards). I also agree with the criticism that setting it in Venice was completely unnecessary. Why choose such a picturesque city when 90% of the plot takes place indoors? I don’t understand...On the other hand, Kenneth Branagh was excellent. I enjoy his eccentric take on Poirot (a similar example would be Craig’s Benoit Blanc from the Knives Out series). It’s extravagant but effective. As for the story with supernatural elements, I expected a more ingenious explanation. For a blockbuster, the ending felt rather lazy and poorly executed. What a shame. I give it a 5.5/10. (09/19/2023)

Kenneth Branagh's first Poirot installment, which isn't an adaptation of a well-known novel, tested the strength of his era for the first time. While Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile sparked various debates because these cases always had multiple versions, "Hallowe'en Party" never belonged among notoriously famous novels. So far, there have only been two television adaptations - Hallowe'en Party (2010) and Meurtre à la kermesse (2014). The concept of a Halloween horror in the confined space of a Venetian palace is exquisite. Likewise, Poirot's interaction with the famous Ariadne Oliver is excellent. It's a great affair that practically instantly becomes an autumn classic. If Branagh continues with this, it would be ideal to choose another lesser-known case. However, it's potentially unfortunate to shift the entire thing into the post-war world (this film is set in 1947), thus closing off the opportunity to further develop Poirot's real interwar world. (09/14/2023)

Admittedly made for less money, but by a huge margin the best Poirot by Kenneth Branagh. Intimate, elegant, understated, atmospheric. Where the Orient Express and  the Nile are overwrought and digital of, the beautiful mysterious residence in Venice makes do with playful camera angles, and without any CGI gimmicks. The horror overlay a nice bonus, oddly enough it holds up throughout the film, it wasn't just a trailer attraction. (09/22/2023)