A Haunting in Venice Scares Up Promising Rotten Tomatoes Score

Summary

• A Haunting in Venice is receiving positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with a current rating of 79%, outperforming its predecessors Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.
• Critics commend Kenneth Branagh’s direction and performance as Hercule Poirot, with G. Allen Johnson hoping for more Poirot films from him in the future.
• The film is praised for its intriguing mysteries, eerie atmosphere, and captivating plot twists, making it a standout choice for Halloween entertainment.

There’s nothing too scary about the early Rotten Tomatoes score for Poirot’s latest outing, A Haunting in Venice. The third film in what has become an Agatha Christie trilogy, featuring the author’s mustached detective Hercule Poirot, is piling up the reviews on the review aggregator site. And at the time of this writing, A Haunting in Venice looks like it’s going to perform much better with the critics than Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile ever did.

A Haunting in Venice currently holds a Tomatometer rating of 79% against 77 reviews. 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express only managed a 61% rating, while Death on the Nile fared only slightly better with a 62% score. Both films received a “B” on CinemaScore. Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly writes (per Rotten Tomatoes):

“A heck of a lot of fun, from its eerie Venetian mask costumes to the intriguing ways in which its central mysteries unfold.”

G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle seemed very impressed with director Kenneth Branagh’s big-screen adaptation of Christie’s novel titled Hallowe’en Party (1969). Branagh also stars as the famed detective Hercule Poirot once more. Johnson says:

“No word on whether Branagh will make any more Poirot films, but with him being featured in 33 novels, 51 short stories and two plays, here’s hoping he has a film or two left in him.”

Punch Drunk Critics’ Travis Hopson adds:

“A Haunting in Venice keeps solving the case, offering a fun, Gothic ghost story that will keep you on your toes and should be a treat to seek out this Halloween.”

Related: A Haunting in Venice: What to Know Before You Go

A Haunting in Venice’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Very Promising

20th Century Studios

Kenneth Branagh is once again joined by an all-star cast. This time the Agatha Christie film’s roster is led by Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Yellowstone’s own Kelly Reilly. Critics are continuing to post their reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for A Haunting in Venice, and here’s what MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman says about Branagh’s third Christie adaptation:

“Kenneth Branagh’s third outing as Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot is a captivating murder mystery with bona fide horror scares. A Haunting in Venice will send shivers down your spine with devilish plot twists.”

IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha enjoyed Branagh’s third outing as Hercule Poirot. And it appears the writer also took note of the film’s horror theme that is woven together with comedic beats which serve more than simply as a window dressing. Adlakha writes:

“An off-kilter horror-comedy told with breakneck momentum… Continues the series’ strange evolution as a tribute to the iconic Belgian sleuth; Branagh cares more about Poirot than any living person, and it shows.”

Grace Randolph isn’t the biggest horror fan, but her adeptness at dissecting films allows the brains behind Beyond the Trailer to relish the atmospherics and cinematography of A Haunting in Venice over the more brutal imagery usually offered by splatter and slasher entries populating the genre. Randolph writes:

“Stunning visuals from director & star Branagh – some of his best in years. While the movie lags a bit in the 2nd act & some of the acting is weak, this scary movie is a welcome change of pace from the usual fall movie season slashers and gorefests.”

Now, it’s not all good news for A Haunting in Venice. The Time’s newspaper (United Kingdom) critic, Kevin Maher, fancies himself a detective, as he endeavors to solve the mystery that is Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie entry. Maher writes:

“For there is a real crime at the heart of this latest (and hopefully final) Christie adaptation — and it’s also a murder. They’ve killed the fun.”

The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday adds:

“Some interesting artistic choices but, on a pure entertainment level, diminishing returns.”

And The Hollywood Reporter’s Caryn James expands on the same idea:

“A Haunting in Venice sets a definite pattern of diminishing returns. The new film is much pokier in its pacing, with duller characters.”

A Haunting in Venice is currently forecast to make between $11 million and $16 million over its opening weekend (per Boxoffice Pro), but it will need to bring in its money quickly. A slew of competing horror films descend on theaters in the following weeks, including Saw X (September 29), The Exorcist: Believer (October 6) and Five Nights at Freddy’s (October 27).

A Haunting in Venice is scheduled to be released on September 15, 2023.

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