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The third time's a charm for Kenneth Branagh, who once again starred in his mystery thriller A Haunting In Venice as legendary detective Hercule Poirot. The latest fable in Branagh's Agatha Christie cinematic universe is loosely based on the author's lesser-known 1969 book titled Hallowe'en Party.
With this adaptation, Branagh, a British actor and filmmaker, along with screenwriter Michael Green, attempted to engage in the horror genre as a continuation of Poirot's adventures. The film also features Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as Joyce Reynolds, who was only given a few minutes of screen time.
Similar to the franchise's previous murder mysteries, A Haunting In Venice captures Branagh's Hercule Poirot tackling another whodunit while attending a séance at renowned opera singer Rowena Drake's (Kelly Reilly's) allegedly haunted palazzo. The séance is for Rowena's daughter, Alicia (Rowan Robinson), who died under strange circumstances.
Two other killings, including the tragic demise of Yeoh's Joyce, occur throughout the film, which ends on a rather shocking note when the killer's true identity is revealed - it's Rowena Drake.
Hercule Poirot's investigation ends after Rowena Drake is unveiled as the killer in A Haunting In Venice
A Haunting In Venice serves as a sequel to 2022's Death on the Nile and sees the return of famed detective Hercule Poirot after he is enticed into abandoning his self-imposed exile by his old friend and renowned mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey).
The following events take place in post-World War II Italy as the duo attends a Halloween night séance organized by famous opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly) at her (allegedly) haunted palazzo. Rowena attempts to contact her dead daughter Alicia (Rowan Robinson) after her strange passing.
To make that happen, Rowena has recruited a well-known medium, Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). Ariadne, whose writing career has been a flop until then, expects to extract some juicy material from the ceremony for the upcoming book.
Since everyone seems to have their own selfish reasons for attending the séance, Poirot, who has long favored science and logic over superstition, intends to prove that Joyce Reynolds is nothing more than a fraud. However, the whodunit only makes sense after the medium is pushed off a ledge and impaled by a statue.
The suspicious twist of events prompts Poirot to lock all the attendees, which include Ariadne, Rowena, Alicia's estranged former fiancé Maxime (Kyle Allen), housekeeper Olga (Camille Cottin), family doctor Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan), Dr. Ferrier's son Leopold (Jude Hill), Desdemona and Nicholas, and Poirot's bodyguard (Riccardo Scamarcio), inside the estate as he snoops around.
Following an attempt on Poirot's life, some seemingly ghostly sightings, and the death of Dr. Ferrier, Poirot ultimately manages to put all the pieces of A Haunting in Venice's baffling puzzle together.
During the back-breaking investigation, someone (possibly the killer) tries to murder Poirot. Other thrilling occurrences include a few apparent supernatural sightings and Dr. Ferrier's murder.
However, until the skilled detective manages to put two and two together, everyone's a suspect, including his friend Ariadne, who tricked him into attending the séance to get content for her book. The author admitted her role in the plot but denied any involvement in the murders.
How did Rowena Drake commit the three killings, and what happens to her at the end of A Haunting In Venice?
The ultimate and unexpected blow in A Haunting In Venice comes when Rowena Drake is revealed to be the real killer. Her daughter, Alicia's, demise was considered a suicide as people believed she jumped off her bedroom balcony into the canal below after going mad.
The truth was that Rowena had been slowly poisoning Alicia using honey from a poisonous flower that she had grown in their estate's garden to keep her daughter close after sabotaging her relationship with Maxime.
On the night of Alicia's death, Olga accidentally gave her a lethal dose of the poison that was mixed in her tea. Rowena discovered Alicia's head in bed and threw her body off the balcony so that nobody would suspect her involvement.
However, somehow, secrets were spilled, and someone started blackmailing Rowena for money. She believed the medium, Joyce Reynolds, was the culprit and decided to push her off the balcony, only to realize that it was Dr. Leslie Ferrier's son, Leopold. Rowena then convinced the mentally ill doctor to stab himself in a way to make it appear like murder before trying to frame Poirot for it.
The film has an ironic ending as Rowena falls off the balcony in her daughter's room while attempting to flee as Poirot chases her down. The detective witnessed Alicia's ghost-like appearance behind Rowena at that very moment as well.
A Haunting In Venice is now available to watch in nearby theaters.
