'A Haunting in Venice' Raises Viewers Spirits
New Branagh movie provides investigative clues and supernatural boos.
By Em Sandis
New Branagh movie provides investigative clues and supernatural boos.
By Em Sandis
With murder mystery movies resurging post-“Knives Out,” horror and detective fans alike are searching for the next puzzle-solving fix. As someone who fits into both categories, I can say for myself the prospect of a combination of the two in “A Haunting in Venice” which came out right at the start of the spooky season on Sept. 15 of this year.
As the third movie in Kenneth Branagh’s revamped anthology of mystery focused on Belgian super detective Hercule Poirot from the mid-1900s, “A Haunting in Venice” presents itself as your classic murder mystery that quickly devolves into a thrilling, horror-induced escapade.
In the haunted orphanage adjacent to the sprawling Venice city canals, a Halloween seance of the late daughter of a wealthy heiress takes place. This is where we find the recurring retired mustached detective, Poirot, (Branagh) who was brought in to deduce the legitimacy of known median Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). When things take a turn for the worse and Poirot is thrown back again the mystery business, he has to conclude if the ghosts he sees are real or just the madness of the orphanage coming back to haunt him.
The movie’s cast were the showstoppers of the film, but the two who stood out were Branagh and his co-star Tina Fey who plays renowned author Ariadne Oliver. The two characters couldn’t have been more different with Poirot being closed off while Oliver remained high spirited, a performance reminiscent of a buddy cop movie.
“A Haunting in Venice” supplies plenty of spooky imagery that fans of the genre seem to favor. Most scary moments in the movie bring fear by the use of the frightening audio that will leave any watcher with chills down their spines. While the movie’s soundtrack creates an eerie atmosphere the quick scares often come off as cheap, and often a strain at best on the listeners’ ears. If you choose to see “A Haunting in Venice '' in theaters, consider bringing ear plugs.
Haris Zambarloukos, the film's cinematography director, was able to capture sweeping scenes of the streets of Venice to the cramped claustrophobic chase scenes at the movie’s climax. The movie as a whole was incredible to look at from costumes to set, and was only exemplified by the eerie angles and coloring, making the cinematography the most enjoyable part of the film.
I personally found the mystery overall entertaining and any amateur sleuth could follow the clues alongside Poirot. The mystery, while nothing to write home about, was fun and different provided the setting. The ending was relatively average and underwhelming, stemming from a lack of proper suspects and glaringly obvious clues. Despite this, it was a fun, creepy-cloaked mystery with shining bright personalities. Any fan of the horror and mystery genres would be happy to check out “A Haunting in Venice.”
As the third movie in Kenneth Branagh’s revamped anthology of mystery focused on Belgian super detective Hercule Poirot from the mid-1900s, “A Haunting in Venice” presents itself as your classic murder mystery that quickly devolves into a thrilling, horror-induced escapade.
In the haunted orphanage adjacent to the sprawling Venice city canals, a Halloween seance of the late daughter of a wealthy heiress takes place. This is where we find the recurring retired mustached detective, Poirot, (Branagh) who was brought in to deduce the legitimacy of known median Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). When things take a turn for the worse and Poirot is thrown back again the mystery business, he has to conclude if the ghosts he sees are real or just the madness of the orphanage coming back to haunt him.
The movie’s cast were the showstoppers of the film, but the two who stood out were Branagh and his co-star Tina Fey who plays renowned author Ariadne Oliver. The two characters couldn’t have been more different with Poirot being closed off while Oliver remained high spirited, a performance reminiscent of a buddy cop movie.
“A Haunting in Venice” supplies plenty of spooky imagery that fans of the genre seem to favor. Most scary moments in the movie bring fear by the use of the frightening audio that will leave any watcher with chills down their spines. While the movie’s soundtrack creates an eerie atmosphere the quick scares often come off as cheap, and often a strain at best on the listeners’ ears. If you choose to see “A Haunting in Venice '' in theaters, consider bringing ear plugs.
Haris Zambarloukos, the film's cinematography director, was able to capture sweeping scenes of the streets of Venice to the cramped claustrophobic chase scenes at the movie’s climax. The movie as a whole was incredible to look at from costumes to set, and was only exemplified by the eerie angles and coloring, making the cinematography the most enjoyable part of the film.
I personally found the mystery overall entertaining and any amateur sleuth could follow the clues alongside Poirot. The mystery, while nothing to write home about, was fun and different provided the setting. The ending was relatively average and underwhelming, stemming from a lack of proper suspects and glaringly obvious clues. Despite this, it was a fun, creepy-cloaked mystery with shining bright personalities. Any fan of the horror and mystery genres would be happy to check out “A Haunting in Venice.”