Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot investigates a murder while attending a Halloween seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy.

Beginning in 2017 Sir Kenneth Branagh began something that appeared, at first glance, to be a little odd: producing fresh adaptations of the cases of arguably one of the most famous fictional detective in the world: Christie's Hercule Poirot. It seemed strange because Agatha Christie's tales have been adapted many times before, the plots of her most popular murder mysteries are well known, and the most famous incarnation of Poirot, David Suchet, is still very fresh in people’s minds. Still, Branagh persisted and brought us a fresh, bold vision of Poirot, developing him into a fully fledged character instead of a slightly eccentric detective who uses his little grey cells to solve murder. 

While A Haunting in Venice doesn’t reach the heights of the previous instalments, it still is a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery (with a slash of gothic horror thrown in) with Sir Kenneth at the very top of his moustache twirling game.

A Haunting in Venice is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.

Of the previous adaptations in this series, A Haunting in Venice is by and far the least well known of the three. Based on Hallowe’en Party, this film steps into the supernatural realm, which seems at odds with a murder mystery that is solved using logic and reason. But what this new, gothic setting does is that it works not only as a narrative tool, drawing in the audience, but it also works as a way to develop the character of Poirot further. 

For fans of this franchise, Branagh has already crafted a backstory for Poirot, making him more human - relatable and vulnerable. He builds on it here further, causing Poirot to question the way he sees the world and his place in it. 

However, the murder mystery itself isn’t quite as strong as the previous adaptations, with the murderer being reasonably obvious pretty early on. That’s not to say that the tale isn’t intriguing; not in the slightest. It’s thoroughly engaging and entertaining in equal measure. Also, the ensemble cast here is superb with a production design to die for. 

While A Haunting in Venice doesn’t reach the heights of the previous instalments, it still is a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery (with a slash of gothic horror thrown in) with Sir Kenneth at the very top of his moustache twirling game.