A Haunting In Venice is the third movie in Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot series, and the trailer hints at it being the best movie in the franchise yet. Branagh has a clear love of the Agatha Christie novels, as the filmmaker directed Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, and he throws himself into the world, absolutely hamming it up as Poirot. Along with Adam Sandler's Murder Mystery series and Knives Out, Kenneth Branagh is to thank for the revival of the murder mystery genre, as Murder on the Orient Express made a huge $352 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).
Unfortunately, while the movies are successful and have a huge fanbase, both of the previous films have received mixed receptions from critics and general audiences. Murder on the Orient Express has a barely "fresh" score of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Death on the Nile is hardly any better with 63%. The movies weren't received much better by audiences either, as they have 6.5 and 6.3 on IMDb, respectively. However, A Haunting in Venice's trailer teases a much better film, as the movie flips the series on its head and subverts everything that the previous two films were known for.
10 A Haunting In Venice Will Be A Supernatural Thriller
The most striking thing about the threequel's trailer is A Haunting in Venice's tone. In the trailer, Poirot attends a seance in a spooky house in Venice, and the movie genuinely looks like a terrifying haunted mansion horror flick. Though Branagh revealed that the film isn't a horror movie, he did explain that it's a supernatural thriller, which still couldn't be more different from the wacky hijinks of the previous two movies. Whether it's the creepy vibe or the gothic aesthetic, the 2023 movie couldn't be more different from the sun-soaked Death on the Nile, and the trailer even features jump scares.
9 A Haunting In Venice Will Be Less Reliant On Green Screen
Both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile had distracting green screen shots, especially Death on the Nile. Even viewers unaware of how green screen is used would have noticed that something was off in the 2022 movie. The compositing looked so jarring, as the lighting of the background was completely different from the lighting cast on the characters, and it was clearly shot on a soundstage. That led to a severe lack of immersion, but based on A Haunting in Venice's trailer, the 2023 release doesn't have that problem and isn't as green screen-heavy, but that's mostly thanks to being set mostly indoors.
8 A Haunting In Venice Has The Perfect Halloween Release Date
A Haunting in Venice's plot is suitably Halloweeny, as the movie is about a seance, speaking with the dead, and several mysterious murders. However, the events of the film even take place on October 31, or at least the source material, Hallowe'en Party, does. It's safe to say that A Haunting in Venice will take place on October 31 too, and that's why its September 15 release date is perfect. That date might seem a little early for a Halloween movie, but that's a positive sign that the studio has faith in the film and that 20th Century Studios thinks it'll have legs and continue to be successful through word-of-mouth.
7 An Academy Award-Winning Composer Is Scoring A Haunting In Venice
Patrick Doyle scored Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, and they were suitably sweeping and gave off the feeling of the movies' period settings. However, Doyle isn't returning for the threequel, but Branagh and the studio have found a perfect replacement who is even better matched for the material. Hildur Guðnadóttir, who previously scored Joker, Tár, and Women Talking, will compose A Haunting in Venice. The composer's haunting and screeching cello compositions are perfect for the just as haunting Halloween mystery movie. Guðnadóttir won an Academy Award for her work on Joker, and her work on A Haunting in Venice could get her another.
6 Branagh Has History With A Haunting In Venice’s Actors
Branagh is a prolific director, and A Haunting in Venice impressively marks his fourth movie in four years. One of those movies is 2021's Belfast, which is semi-autobiographical and based on Branagh's life in Northern Ireland. The ion project was a huge awards darling and featured incredible performances from Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill. Branagh has cast those two actors in A Haunting in Venice, which is a great sign and hints at how well the actors and directors collaborate. With a great working relationship, it’ll likely lead to better performances than the ones found in Death on the Nile.
5 Branagh Has An Affinity For The Haunting In Venice Source Material
Branagh clearly has an affinity for all of Agatha Christie’s work, as the actor/director crafted the previous two movies with so much care and has put his all into his portraying Hercule Poirot. However, of all the dozens of Piorot-based murder mystery books, Branagh chose the lesser-known 1969 novel. There are so many more famous Agatha Christie novels than Hallowe'en Party, such as The ABC Murders and Cards on the Table, but Branagh hinted at Hallowe'en Party being important to him in Belfast. The book is one of the Christmas presents that were under the tree in the 2021 movie, highlighting a personal connection to the material.
4 A Haunting In Venice Will Be Less Reliant On Comedy
A Haunting in Venice will no doubt have that classic Hercule Poirot wit, and it wouldn't be a Poirot movie without it, but the comedy will clearly be toned down compared to the previous two moves. Murder on the Orient Express had subtle humor throughout, but Death on the Nile took the comedy to another level, and the film suffered because of it. The 2022 release had one too many comedy actors and every actor was hamming it up. Given the tone established in A Haunting in Venice's trailer, it's unlikely that the movie will be as full of jokes, and even Tina Fey plays it straight in the trailer.
3 There’ll Be More At Stake For Hercule Poirot A Haunting In Venice
Where the previous movies weren’t about Poirot but the other characters, A Haunting in Venice will surely have something at stake for the character, or the movie will at least reveal something awful that forced Poirot to retire. It has been confirmed that the 2023 movie will follow Poirot after he has retired and will be set 10 years after Death on the Nile. Given that it's set in a post-World War II Venice, it isn't clear what happened to Poirot in those 10 years, and he could even have been drafted between 1939 and 1945. A Haunting in Venice could reveal something truly harrowing.
2 A Haunting In Venice's Cast Is Less Reliant On Big-Name Actors
A Haunting in Venice has another large cast, but this time it's much different, as the previous movies were showboating when it came to the cast. While ambitious ensemble casts are a big part of the murder mystery genre, some casting choices were obviously made because of the actors’ popularity instead of who could best play the part. Death on the Nile was especially guilty of this, but A Haunting in Venice isn't as reliant on big-name actors. The biggest name in the 2023 movie is Michelle Yeoh, who only recently come back into the limelight. This time around, the actors' performances have taken more importance over their bankability.
1 A Haunting In Venice Has A Refreshing Setting
Murder on the Orient Express is set on a train and Death on the Nile is set on a boat, and while being set on isolated modes of transportation is a novel idea, it might wear thin in a third movie. Thankfully, along with drastically changing the tone and switching the genre of the series, the threequel switches up the location. Though it still looks relatively isolated, most of A Haunting in Venice is set in a haunted house. The new location is a refreshing, grounded setting leading to so many possibilities, and unlike Murder on the Orient Express, there's no way the 2023 movie can veer off track.
Source: Box Office Mojo
