---
title: "A Haunting in Venice"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-haunting-in-venice"
fi1m_id: "a-haunting-in-venice"
imdb_id: "tt22687790"
tmdb_id: 945729
wikidata_id: "Q114589148"
fi1m_score: 65
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:05.307348+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh · 1h 44m · MPA PG-13 · Mystery, Thriller, Crime

## Identity

A Haunting in Venice

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/a-haunting-in-venice
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** a-haunting-in-venice
- **IMDb ID:** tt22687790
- **TMDB ID:** 945729
- **Wikidata ID:** Q114589148
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22687790/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/945729, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114589148

**Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 64 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* The palazzo is haunted, the camera is terrified, and the suspects hand over clues like Halloween sweets

> Branagh’s third Poirot is his best: one leaking palazzo, one stormy night, a camera that leans at everything. The mood holds for an hour; the mystery underneath it is thin, its clues obvious and its solution rushed through in a single room.

## Synopsis

Venice, 1947. Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has retired to the city and employs a bodyguard, Vitale Portfoglio (Riccardo Scamarcio), to turn callers away. His old friend Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a crime novelist, talks him into one evening’s work: a séance on Halloween night at a palazzo owned by Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly), whose daughter has died. The medium is Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), and Oliver wants Poirot to prove her a fraud. Also present are the family doctor Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan) and his young son Leopold (Jude Hill), the housekeeper Olga Seminoff (Camille Cottin), and Maxime Gerard (Kyle Allen), once engaged to the dead girl. Before the night is out there is a body and nobody can leave. Adapted from Agatha Christie’s *Hallowe’en Party*.

## Review

Kenneth Branagh’s third go at Hercule Poirot, after *Murder on the Orient Express* (2017) and *Death on the Nile* (2022), gets him off the trains and boats and shuts him in a house. Michael Green’s screenplay starts from Agatha Christie’s *Hallowe’en Party*, keeps a few names and the Halloween setting and moves the rest to Venice in 1947. Poirot has retired. Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a crime novelist, talks him into attending a séance in a palazzo so that he can expose the medium, Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). It is the best of the three films, and it is still not much of a mystery.

The house is the point, and the house works. John Paul Kelly’s palazzo has water at the front step and plaster coming off the walls in sheets, and Haris Zambarloukos shoots it as if he were slightly afraid of it. He puts wide lenses close to faces so the rooms bend at the edges, tilts the camera until the doorways lean, and shoots up from the floor so the ceilings crowd the frame. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is low strings held a long time and then dropped, so that rooms go silent at the wrong moment. Sammy Sheldon puts almost everyone in black and grey, so the candles are the only warm thing in shot. The séance is the film’s best ten minutes: Lucy Donaldson cuts it in short looks between faces, Yeoh keeps her voice low and her eyes level, and the storm outside does the rest. We jumped once, properly, and were not ashamed of it.

Fey is the one having fun, and the film needs her. She plays Oliver fast and dry, an American who says what everyone else is thinking. Branagh has trimmed the moustache and trimmed the performance with it; this Poirot is tired and quiet, and for once the accent is not the loudest thing in the film. Jude Hill, the boy from *Belfast*, plays Leopold Ferrier as a solemn child who has read too much and looks after his father, and he takes every scene he is in. Jamie Dornan is that father, a doctor who came back from the war with his nerves gone, and plays it small. Yeoh is the film’s best idea, and there is not enough of her.

Then the séance ends and the questioning begins, and the film has nothing else. Poirot takes each guest to a different room and asks what they saw, and Donaldson cuts every interview to the same rhythm, so that by the hour mark they had run together. The clues are set out where a child could find them. The scares, after the first, can be seen coming from the previous shot: a figure at the end of a corridor, a face where a face should not be. Somewhere around the seventh interview we realised we had stopped being frightened and had started admiring the plasterwork, and we were annoyed about it, because the house had earned better.

The solution is delivered at speed, in one room, and it puts the whole thing to bed in about five minutes. We will not say who did it. We will say that Christie’s plots run on the pleasure of watching the pieces fit, and Green’s script has the pieces but never lets us watch them fit. The film also hints at ghosts and then explains them, one after another, and a ghost story that keeps explaining itself does not frighten anyone.

Against Branagh’s own series this is a clear step up. The two earlier films were long, crowded and lit like adverts; this one is 104 minutes, one building and a dozen people, and it is better for it. *Don’t Look Now* (1973) found real dread in the same canals without tilting anything.

Watch it at home, with the sound up; the leaning frames are less insistent on a small screen and Guðnadóttir’s silences carry better. It is a 12A and there is nothing in it to trouble anyone over ten, which is a recommendation if there are children on the sofa and a warning if there are not.

*Fi1m score 65, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like this third Poirot better than the second, and a good number call it the best of the three. The praise clusters around the same things: the Venetian locations, the gothic atmosphere Branagh works up with tilted camera angles, the production design, and an ensemble in which Tina Fey and Michelle Yeoh are singled out most often. Several also welcome a quieter, sadder Branagh in the lead.

The reservations are almost as consistent. The mystery itself is thought thin, its clues too obvious and its reveal hurried, and the horror is judged mild rather than frightening, with a script that leans on exposition. The spread is wide. The Times calls it the weakest of the series, glum and without tension; the Telegraph finds the camerawork a distraction from the plot; The Hollywood Reporter thinks it watchable but uninvolving. Even so, the reviews land more warm than cold.

## Straight answers

**Is A Haunting in Venice worth watching?**

*A Haunting in Venice* is worth an evening for anyone who wants a handsome, atmospheric Christie adaptation and does not mind a thin mystery underneath it; we scored it 65. The leaking palazzo, the séance and Tina Fey's dry Ariadne Oliver carry the first hour, but the interviews run together and the solution is rushed through in a single room.

**How long is A Haunting in Venice, and what is it rated?**

*A Haunting in Venice* runs 1h 44m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a mystery and thriller film.

**Where can I watch A Haunting in Venice in the US?**

*A Haunting in Venice* is streaming on Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is A Haunting in Venice, and is it suitable for children?**

*A Haunting in Venice* is a 12A, and there is nothing in it to trouble anyone over ten. There is a body, a séance and a handful of jump scares in dark corridors, most of which can be seen coming from the previous shot. Younger children may find the storm and the leaning, shadowy rooms unsettling; the squeamish have little to fear.

**How does A Haunting in Venice compare to Don't Look Now?**

*A Haunting in Venice* and [*Don't Look Now*](https://film.one/film/dont-look-now) share Venice, water and a dead child, and the earlier film is the better and the more frightening of the two. Roeg finds real dread in grief and in people worth caring about; Branagh finds mood in tilted frames and a crumbling palazzo. Choose Branagh for a puzzle with the family, Roeg for fear that stays with you.

**Is A Haunting in Venice based on a true story or a book?**

*A Haunting in Venice* is based on Agatha Christie's novel *Hallowe'en Party*, not on a true story. Michael Green's screenplay keeps a few names and the Halloween setting and moves everything else to Venice in 1947, so it is a loose adaptation and knowing the book will not spoil the solution. Readers of Christie should expect the mood rather than the plot.

**What should I watch after A Haunting in Venice?**

After *A Haunting in Venice*, try [*Don't Look Now*](https://film.one/film/dont-look-now) (1973, Fi1m 90): Venice in winter, a drowned child, and dread earned without a single tilted shot. Then [*The Others*](https://film.one/film/the-others) (2001, Fi1m 80): Nicole Kidman, closed shutters and children who see things; a ghost story that commits; and [*Knives Out*](https://film.one/film/knives-out) (2019, Fi1m 81): The modern whodunit done with wit and a plot you can actually follow.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (80/100, inferred): Branagh gives the Poirot series a shockingly different gothic feel set in 1947 Venice, with a creepier energy and Dutch angles that emphasize the eeriness. The gothic twist works remarkably well even if it remains business as usual for the detective. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/haunting-in-venice/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The third Poirot film is the most enjoyable yet, succeeding as an engaging, undemanding exercise in gothic mood with spooky textures, strong production design and an improved, less hammy performance from Branagh. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/a-haunting-in-venice-review/5185263.article)
- **The i Paper**, Francesca Steele (75/100, inferred): This is Branagh’s best Poirot yet, lifted by a cast including Tina Fey and Michelle Yeoh and a jumpy frisson from PTSD themes that suits the tale. The film moves merrily along but the script remains exposition-heavy with a skimmed-over reveal. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/haunting-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-2610900)
- **Radio Times**, Patrick Cremona (3/5): Branagh conjures a spooky atmosphere and makes fine use of the moody Venetian locales in this loose adaptation. However, the mystery itself is rushed and convoluted, rendering it a middling Christie adaptation. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xa0tsr/a-haunting-in-venice/)
- **Time Out**, Olly Richards (3/5): The critic finds it a fun but horror-lite outing for Poirot. Branagh makes handsome use of Venice's spookiness and the cast delivers lightly camp performances, but the mystery feels soggy with too-obvious clues and repetitive interrogations. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-haunting-in-venice-2023)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (50/100, inferred): The film is consistently gorgeous and toys smartly with rational explanations while allowing Tina Fey to shine, making it an indulgent Halloween treat. It fails to haunt compared to classic chillers and has problems with casting and an underwhelming script. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-haunting-in-venice-movie-review-kenneth-branagh-agatha-christie-b1105888.html)
- **The AV Club**, Murtada Elfadl (C-): The mystery is easily guessed and the film feels dull, relying on a tired formula with uninspired visuals, overacting, and sagging pace. It misses opportunities for chills or fresh surprises in its gothic setting. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-haunting-in-venice-film-review-kenneth-branagh-1850816059)
- **The Telegraph**, Tim Robey (2/5): The review criticises the film’s overwrought Gothic stylings and distracting camerawork as detracting from the plot. While the story offers some novelty, Branagh’s direction and the overall execution fall short. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-poirot/)
- **The Times** (30/100, inferred): The critic calls this the weakest of Branagh’s Poirot films, faulting its glum tone and lack of tension or fun. The adaptation of Hallowe’en Party is seen as lifeless despite the Venice setting and cast. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/a-haunting-in-venice-review-glum-tension-free-poirot-is-kenneth-branagh-s-weakest-yet-58sprfbhp)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★☆☆): The film is praised for confidently blending horror elements with Christie’s formula and strong ensemble performances in an authentic Venetian setting. It is viewed as an entertaining, crowd-pleasing entry that leans into atmosphere and showmanship. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/11b59eb9-cf4f-42b1-bfd8-a5836d0a7c26)
- **IndieWire**, Christian Zilko: A supernatural twist fails to energize the lethargic story, leaving the detective’s latest case feeling hardly worth his time or the audience’s. The film struggles to justify its own premise. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/a-haunting-in-venice-review-1234904075/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang: The critic hails it as the strongest entry in Branagh's Christie series, praising its atmospheric visuals and willingness to deviate from the source for better effect. They single out the resonant human themes of grief and trauma that elevate the supernatural hokum. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-09-14/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-tina-fey-agatha-christie)
- **Slant Magazine**, Gregory Nussen: The film is a dusty, dry, and sluggish affair undercut by murky storytelling, odd pacing, and telegraphed scares, despite evocative period details and strong turns from some cast members. It squanders an electrifying setup. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh/)
- **The Guardian**: The critic finds the film an improvement over Branagh’s previous Poirot outing thanks to stronger casting and an atmospheric Venetian setting. The story remains formulaic but is elevated by enjoyable performances and a spooky tone. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/sep/16/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-agatha-christie-halloween-party-kelly-reilly-michelle-yeoh-tina-fey)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Caryn James: The critic sees the film as the least of Branagh’s Poirot outings, watchable yet ultimately uninvolving due to poky pacing and duller characters. Branagh’s somber Poirot performance stands out as a highlight amid the lethargic mystery. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-haunting-in-venice-review-michelle-yeoh-tina-fey-kenneth-branagh-agatha-christie-1235575689/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane: The critic appreciates the film's bold relocation and gothic excesses, calling its stylistic flourishes and campy energy charming despite the ridiculousness. They single out the precocious child character Leopold for particular interest amid the Venetian atmosphere. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/25/a-haunting-in-venice-movie-review-el-conde)
- **The New York Times**, Jason Zinoman: The critic describes the film as a lively whodunit infused with horror tropes, noting its playful misdirection and genre-blending. They single out Tina Fey's witty, opportunistic performance as a highlight that invigorates the proceedings. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/movies/a-haunting-in-venice-review.html)
- **Variety**, Todd Gilchrist: The critic finds the film an entertaining, grown-up mix of mystery and gothic horror that benefits from strong ensemble turns. They single out the supporting cast, particularly Michelle Yeoh and Jude Hill, for adding depth and playfulness to the proceedings. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-1235717211/)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri: Far from perfect, the film feels like the work of a rejuvenated director who shifts to a stranger, more insular, and moody style with effective quiet moments and inventive techniques. It marks a welcome evolution in Branagh’s Poirot series. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-kenneth-branaghs-a-haunting-in-venice.html)
- **Polygon**, Petrana Radulovic (85/100, inferred): Branagh fully embraces over-the-top theatricality and gothic horror in the best Poirot film yet, turning the story into a fun Scooby-Doo-style haunted house mystery with strong atmosphere. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23871918/a-haunting-in-venice-review/)
- **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it Poirot’s best adventure yet and a refreshing moody Gothic horror film. It stands out for its sense of dread, elegant script, and strong supporting performances rather than relying on jump scares. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/a-haunting-in-venice-movie-review-kenneth-branagh/)
- **Digital Spy**, Mireia Mullor (4/5): The critic calls it the best in the Poirot saga, praising the spooky atmosphere, twisty mystery, real locations, and balance of genres with a stellar cast. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a45021097/haunting-in-venice-review/)
- **Consequence** (B): The mystery offers pleasant atmospheric thrills and strong cast moments without heavy scares or supernatural commitment. It works best as light spooky entertainment. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/09/a-haunting-in-venice-how-scary-is-it/)
- **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (75/100, inferred): The critic finds that Branagh has finally found his rhythm with the Christie adaptations in this more mature and focused entry. Venice serves as an ideal atmospheric backdrop, and the smaller scope makes it the standout of the trilogy. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/09/a-haunting-in-venice-review-kenneth-branagh-tackles-world-of-agatha-christie-1235530623/)
- **Collider**, Emma Kiely (C+): The film is marketed as horror but lacks scares and direction feels inconsistent with mismatched styles and performances. The Christie plot twist stands out as the strongest element. [Read](https://collider.com/a-haunting-in-venice-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3/5): The critic praises the atmospheric Gothic setting in Venice and Branagh's more melancholic take on Poirot but finds the horror elements clumsy and the mystery straightforward and unchallenging. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-haunting-in-venice-review-branagh-makes-horror-hercule-poirot/)
- **NME**, Alex Flood (50/100, inferred): The critic finds it a mixed bag, praising the beautiful capture of Venice but criticizing the dull plot, lack of genuine scares or humor, and failure to deliver a shocking rebirth for the series. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/a-haunting-in-venice-review-poirot-kenneth-branagh-3498609)
- **/Film**, Josh Spiegel (5 out of 10): The critic finds the film a soggy faux-supernatural return for Poirot that fails to deliver on its eerie ambitions. The mystery is only half as engaging as it aims to be despite its visual flourishes and setting. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1387790/a-haunting-in-venice-review/)
- **Paste**, Kathy Michelle Chacón (7.0): Branagh's loosest and most enjoyable Poirot entry benefits from on-location shooting and atmospheric Venetian setting. It delivers creepy whodunit fun with some minor flaws. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/kenneth-branagh/a-haunting-in-venice-review)

## Details

- **Director:** Kenneth Branagh
- **Director:** Kenneth Branagh
- **Screenplay:** Michael Green
- **Novel:** Agatha Christie
- **Cinematography:** Haris Zambarloukos
- **Editor:** Lucy Donaldson
- **Music:** Hildur Guðnadóttir
- **Production design:** John Paul Kelly
- **Costume design:** Sammy Sheldon
- **Producer:** Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott
- **Cast:** Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot; Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard; Camille Cottin as Olga Seminoff; Jamie Dornan as Dr Leslie Ferrier; Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver; Jude Hill as Leopold Ferrier; Ali Khan as Nicholas Holland; Emma Laird as Desdemona Holland
- **Runtime:** 1h 44m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 15 September 2023
- **Genres:** Mystery, Thriller, Crime
- **Budget:** $60 million
- **Box office:** $121 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbinYSVdGE0

## Where to watch in the US

- Disney+: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Don't Look Now* (1973), Fi1m 90: Venice in winter, a drowned child, and dread earned without a single tilted shot — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dont-look-now.md)
- *The Innocents* (1961): Deborah Kerr in a house that may or may not be haunted; the doubt is the horror
- *Murder on the Orient Express* (1974): Lumet’s version, with Finney’s Poirot and a carriage of stars who each get a scene
- *The Others* (2001), Fi1m 80: Nicole Kidman, closed shutters and children who see things; a ghost story that commits — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-others.md)
- *Knives Out* (2019), Fi1m 81: The modern whodunit done with wit and a plot you can actually follow — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/knives-out.md)

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/a-haunting-in-venice