Oscar-winning director Kenneth Branagh, known for his critically acclaimed tales of Hercule Poirot, has directed his first horror film since 1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And this comes in the form of movie A Haunting in Venice, a supernatural thriller inspired by Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party, which takes the iconic character of Poirot on a high seas adventure and provides a potentially interesting mix of mystery and horror.
The film features a screenplay by Oscar-nominee Michael Green and an outstanding ensemble cast, including Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarico, and Michelle Yeoh.
Set in post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve, the film follows Poirot as he attends a séance at a haunted palazzo and becomes embroiled in a sinister world of shadows and secrets after one of the guests is murdered.
“This is a fantastic development of the character Hercule Poirot,” Kenneth Branagh says, “as well as the Agatha Christie franchise. Based on a complex, little known tale of mystery set at Halloween in a pictorially ravishing city, it is an amazing opportunity for us, as filmmakers, and we are relishing the chance to deliver something truly spine-chilling for our loyal movie audiences.”
President 20th Century Studios Steve Asbell adds: “We are enormously privileged to continue our long collaboration with the incomparable Sir Kenneth Branagh and couldn’t be more excited by the bold new creative direction Ken, Michael, and the rest of the filmmaking team have taken with this latest film. We also remain grateful to James Prichard and the rest of our friends at Agatha Christie, Ltd., for their partnership and for once again entrusting us with, as Poirot modestly calls himself, ‘probably the greatest detective in the world.'”
The A Haunting in Venice movie will be released in theaters across the US on September 15, 2023, and the trailer can be watched below.
Last Updated on April 26, 2023.