Whilst Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot has been met with some controversy from die-hard fans, this did not stop me from booking a cinema ticket to see A Haunting in Venice on opening weekend, and I am glad I did.

A Haunting in Venice is very loosely based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, and I say very loosely! Whilst we have similarly-named characters and Easter egg nods to the original text – the appearance of Poirot’s beloved friend and writer Ariadne Oliver, the party in question, allusions to apple bobbing (where the victim in the original book came to their demise) and a secret garden – this is a very different tale which stands on its own as a Poirot mystery.

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.

Set in a more lavish location than the Christie book, the beautiful city of Venice changes the vibe of the story considerably. On the big screen Venice is a feast for the eyes and worlds away from the little country village setting we are used to. I loved seeing the beautiful buildings, gorgeous canals and rooftop vistas in the daytime scenes at the start of the film, setting up Poirot’s retirement, full of humour and quirkiness. When night falls, it quickly becomes tense and atmospheric, particularly when the weather turns and a horrific storm is thrown into the mix.

The film begins with a retired Poirot resisting all attempts by local Venetians to persuade him to solve local mysteries, until his apple-eating friend Ariadne Oliver turns up at his doorstep with an invitation too tempting to resist. She tells him of an elusive medium, Mrs Reynolds, who holds séances and contacts the dead. Oliver is mesmerised by Mrs Reynold’s talents and is unable to explain how she does it, so invites Poirot to a Hallowe’en party where a séance will be held in the hope of debunking the medium. Poirot reluctantly accepts and attends the party at a gorgeous but crumbling palazzo, keeping an eye out for anything amiss. After the party, sorrow-filled host Rowena Blake, with the help of Mrs Reynolds, holds a séance to contact her recently drowned daughter, Alicia – this is where the ‘fun’ begins.

The séance scene brings all of the characters together for the first time and is superbly shot. Mrs Reynolds contacts the dead through a typewriter without touching the keys (a nice touch!) and the atmosphere builds as communication with the dead unfolds. Tensions run high and a secret is revealed, opening up a whole new can of mysterious worms! I was on the edge of my seat and enjoyed observing the reactions of both Poirot and the other guests, as I tried to spot any clues.

Alas, once the séance is over, accusations begin to fly around the group, and with the storm building a nerve-wracking ambiance, a guest is brutally murdered – this is where Poirot’s instincts kick in, and he locks the palazzo doors exclaiming no one can leave! The interregations swiftly begin much to my delight – Poirot is back but all is not what it seems…

This film is described as a supernatural thriller, however the trailer also suggests horror as we see flashes of people screaming, crying and ‘things’ popping out left, right and centre. Whilst investigating, the logic-driven Poirot encounters aparitions, sending him into a spin. He begins to second guess what is real and what isn’t, and this becomes unsettling for both him and the viewer, shown through some interesting camera-work. The inclusion of ghosts and ghouls is a world away from anything I have read by Agatha Christie, but I still enjoyed it. And whilst the jump scares shown in the trailer fell flat for me when seen in the entirety of the film, the eerie atmostphere stayed intact throughout and I lapped it up.

All the guests at the party have motive and it is fun to guess who committed the murders. I flitted between suspecting a couple of characters and kicked myself for missing the clues pointing to the killer before the final reveal, where everyone is gathered together in usual Poirot-style.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stand out performances by Tina Fey (Ariadne Oliver) and Michelle Yeoh (Mrs Reynolds). Oliver is the character most viewers will align with, as we join her in attempting to make sense of the situation, as Poirot’s sidekick, yet she has more layers than we initially believe. Mrs Reynolds, on the other hand, is the catalyst of the mystery, the one Poirot must disprove, and is the most intriguing character in my opinion. I can’t say much more because it will give too much away!

This film is difficult to compare to the two previous Branagh incarnations – whilst the other films are spectacularly cinematic and cling tightly to the books, this film has completely veered away from the original text and, I think, to its advantage. Hallowe’en Party is a lesser-known Christie story, set in rural England – I do not think it would have translated onto the big screen in the same way as the other films have. The lavish setting of Venice and the spooky vibes of the séance set this up as a perfect night out in the run up to Hallowe’en and one I thoroughly enjoyed!

And why not check out Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, the original book that the film is based so you can see for yourself how different it actually is from the movie.

Photo stills from A Haunting in Venice used with permission from Disney UK.