“The best time to plan a book is when you’re doing the dishes,” Agatha Christie, the queen of mysteries, once said. It is said that she was not very fond of washing dishes, but despite this, this business inspired her to write incredible detective mysteries.
Halloween and Ghosts
And one of the most incredible detective mysteries is the novel A Halloween Party, which was used as the basis for the movie A Haunting in Venice. This is the third film adaptation of the novel: in 2010, the story was included in the Poirot series with David Suchet, and in 2014 it became one of the episodes of the French TV series The Mysterious Murders of Agatha Christie.
“A Haunting in Venice” is also the third Poirot movie, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh. But while Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile were based on the writer’s very famous works in the classic detective style, the novel Halloween Party can be considered underrated. It was first published in 1969. Critics at the time called the novel a “disappointment” and Poirot “tired,” noting that Christie could afford a few such “mistakes,” especially given her age (she was 79 at the time). However, contemporary reviews note that this is “a novel that will make an indelible impression on readers” (Mark Aldridge, Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World).
Each of us can form our own opinion about this novel, but after watching the movie, to keep the intrigue alive until the last frame. Kenneth Branagh reimagined the plot a bit, adding a mystical component – just what you need for a Halloween party.
What is the movie “A Haunting in Venice” about?
Poirot is a retired detective living in Venice. On Halloween, the writer Ariadne Oliver convinces Poirot to take part in a séance to expose the medium Joyce Reynolds as a fraud. It seemed like a simple matter – after all, Poirot easily solves all of Madame’s tricks. But a murder changes everything – Joyce Reynolds is found impaled on a statue in the courtyard. Because of the blackout, Poirot investigates the case on his own. He begins to see ghosts, and the remains of children are found in the basement. What terrible secret is hidden within the walls of the ancient palazzo? And most importantly, who killed the “medium” and why? The answers, as is typical of Christie’s works, will be unexpected and shocking.
Interesting facts about the movie
🔥A Haunting in Venice received more positive reviews from critics than the previous two films.
🔥Sir Kenneth Branagh is not only the director of the film, but also the lead actor. He is the fifteenth actor to portray Hercule Poirot on screen, not counting parodies and/or works not written by Christie. And the second Irish actor to play the role.
🔥One of the secrets of convincing acting in the movie is the tricks used by director Kenneth Branagh. He didn’t warn the actors about some of the script features: lights going off, doors slamming, wind howling, etc. Therefore, the reaction to such noise effects in the frame is natural. Kelly Reilly, who played Rowena Drake, admitted that filming the séance scene was terrifying for her: “It scared me, the hairs on my head stood up.”
🔥The film was shot in Venice (although the novel is set in the UK), and Kenneth Branagh wanted to use as many locations in this city as possible.
🔥The budget of the film was $60 million, which is much less than Death on the Nile, although this did not affect the quality of the film. It has earned $112.9 million at the box office so far.
🔥A characteristic feature of the films in this series is the star cast. Let’s recall the cast of the first film – Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc. The second movie starred Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Annette Bening, and others. The third movie features Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Reilly, Tina Fey and other actors.
🔥By the way, Michelle Yeoh turned down The Electric State to play in this detective story.
🔥An interesting nuance is related to Tina Fey and her character Ariadne Oliver. Ariadne tells Poirot that she met him in a murder case on Canning Street. In the comedy-detective TV series Only Murders in the Building, Tina Fey plays a character named Canning. This is a very popular series in the USA right now.
🔥A Haunting in Venice was released in the United States on September 15, 2023, on Agatha Christie’s 133rd birthday.
🔥This is one of the shortest Poirot films at 103 minutes. The first place from the end in terms of duration is “Appointment with Death” (1988) – 102 minutes.
🔥The film’s score was composed by the famous Icelandic musician and composer Hildur Gudnadottir. She is the author of the music for the Grammy-winning miniseries Chernobyl and The Joker, which won her Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs. The composer also agreed to participate in the project because her mother is a passionate fan of Agatha Christie’s work.
🔥Another interesting fact about the films in the series. There is one implicit thing that is present in each film – the works of Charles Dickens. In the first film, Poirot reads A Tale of Two Cities, and in the second, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. By the way, this is the writer’s last novel, which was not finished due to his death, so the question “Who is the killer?” remains open (although there are certain theories). In the third movie, Poirot suggests that Leopold Ferrier read Dickens.