A Haunting in Venice
2023 · Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Original language: English
- mystery
- thriller
- crime
The story
Celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot, now retired and living in self-imposed exile in Venice, reluctantly attends a Halloween 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.
What it’s like
Dim, candlelit interiors and rain-slick canals set the mood, with deep shadows, flickering lamps, and crumbling plaster walls that look damp to the touch. Branagh's camera drifts through the palazzo in slow, prowling moves, often lingering on faces half-lit by a single flame. The score swells with low strings and a restless undertow, then drops into long stretches of near silence broken by creaking floorboards and wind at the shutters. The vibe is gothic melancholy with a chill running through it, best suited to a stormy evening, a late night alone, or a dark, rainy weekend. The pacing is deliberate, building tension through atmosphere before a sudden jolt or a brief, sharp burst of violence, with some startling scares and a murder that lands without lingering gore. Its emotional core is grief and guilt, following an aging, weary man who keeps his distance from the world and slowly confronts what he has lost. It suits viewers who enjoy moody period mysteries and haunted-house atmosphere more than fast, gleeful puzzle-solving.
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