A Haunting in Venice

 Kenneth Branagh is a man of fine taste . He has taken up the project of adapting Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot on the silver screen on a large scale with grandeur and opulence. His two earlier movies , The murder on Orient Express and Death on Nile were a visual delight and a feast to watch despite being murder mysteries.

The third installment in the series , A Haunting in Venice , is a spooky spin to the Poirot mysteries loosely based on one of Agatha Christie’s lesser known works , Halloween game .

Set in post World War II Venice , in a pallazo haunted by the vengeful ghosts of children who died there , a grieving mother hosts a Halloween party and later a seance in a desperate plea to speak to the spirit of her daughter. A self exiled , retired Poirot is pulled into this gathering by his American novelist friend , a famous author to make sense of this supernatural phenomenon.

Poirot thinks it’s a fiasco until a murder happens right in front of his eyes and then another . He finds himself hearing the voices of the ghosts and later seeing them and talking to them . He is on the verge of believing that it is the work of the ghosts seeking vengeance . But is it ?? Is everything what it appears to be ? Or is there a mastermind behind all this set up? Will Piorot be sane enough to uncover the truth ?

Horror is my least favorite genre , and I did not read the book. I watched it because it’s Hercule Poirot in action. To my advantage, I watched it in a flight , so I wasn’t too scared . But this movie could scare you a lot if you watch it alone on a bigger screen .

Most of the action takes place in a haunted mansion , so the setting isn’t as lavish as the previous two films. There are lot of twists and turns , the suspect keeps changing till the end .you are left clueless on who actually committed the murders .

Kenneth Branagh is no David Suchet, he is not Agatha Christie’s Poirot . To his defense, he never claimed to be one . He donned on the hat with a style of his own , a serious thoughtful, brooding Poirot , who faces the ghosts of his own past . His film settings are far more lavish and his characters are a lot more glamorous and complex than the books . So there is no point comparing his movies with the books. It’s like apples and oranges .

So do not bring the books into the equation , enjoy his movies as standalone , and you will love them . There is finesse and charm in his work . It’s a fine film .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍