A Haunting in Venice (2023)
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Hercule Poirot must navigate a mysterious séance in a haunted Venetian palazzo where the line between the supernatural and the mundane blurs.
The story
In 1947, the retired detective Hercule Poirot is invited by a mystery writer to attend a séance at a Venetian palazzo. The goal is to expose a medium, Joyce Reynolds, as a fraud. The medium is attempting to help an opera singer commune with her deceased daughter. However, during the séance, the atmosphere turns deadly when the medium suddenly claims to be possessed by the girl's spirit and reveals she was murdered. With a storm cutting off the palazzo from the outside world, Poirot must navigate a series of strange occurrences and investigate the motives of the gathered guests to uncover the truth behind the haunting and the recent deaths.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1947, Hercule Poirot lives in retirement in post-war Venice. On Halloween, he is invited by writer Ariadne Oliver to a séance at the palazzo of opera singer Rowena to expose medium Joyce Reynolds as a fraud. Rowena seeks to commune with her daughter, Alicia, who died under mysterious circumstances. During the séance, the medium Joyce is found impaled on a statue after claiming to be possessed by Alicia's spirit. A storm traps the guests inside. Poirot investigates the guests, discovering secrets: the doctor Leslie is in love with Rowena; the chef Maxime was forced out of the engagement; and the siblings Nicholas and Desdemona are thieves. Poirot eventually discovers that Rowena is the murderer; she poisoned Alicia and later pushed Joyce to her death to hide her crimes. When confronted on the roof, a ghostly apparition of Alicia appears, and Rowena falls to her death. In the aftermath, Poirot keeps his bodyguard, settles the siblings' debts, and returns to his life, acknowledging the possibility of an afterlife.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kenneth Branagh
- Writers
- Michael Green · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kyle Allen; Kenneth Branagh · Hercule Poirot; Camille Cottin; Jamie Dornan; Tina Fey; Jude Hill; Ali Khan; Emma Laird; Kelly Reilly; Riccardo Scamarcio; Michelle Yeoh; Rowan Robinson · Alicia Drake
- Genres
- mystery; supernatural horror
- Themes
- supernatural; grief; war trauma
- Tone and mood
- moody; lavish
- Setting
- A palazzo in Venice, 1947.
- Premise and plot tags
- whodunit; haunted house; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- Hallowe'en Party
- Franchise connections
- Hercule Poirot
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was noted for its lavish visuals and atmosphere, though some critics found the pacing slow or characters underdeveloped.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 52; PostTrak · score: 73% · scale: 100%
- Production trivia
- The film is the third installment in the Hercule Poirot film series.; The score was composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir.; The film's production included sets built at Pinewood Studios and locations in Venice.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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