Spoiler-Free Review of “A Haunting in Venice” in Theaters: A Solid Halloween-themed Murder Mystery

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“Time to put some life back into your life…”

A Haunting in Venice released in theaters on September 15th 2023. The murder mystery film stars Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Kyle Allen, Jamie Dornan, and Michelle Yeoh It runs for approximately an hour and forty-three minutes.

Belgian detective, Poirot, is back in this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, Hallowe’en Party, as he takes a break from retirement to solve a murder involving some deadly spirits.

Here is the trailer:

A Haunting in Venice gives fans of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile a chance to experience a new mystery with eerie potential involving Poirot, but does this film measure up? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

A breathtaking setting.

I always find these films to be aesthetically pleasing, but this setting of Venice in the 1940’s was absolutely divine and so lovely to witness on the large screen. This film was beautifully shot and even the chilling and unsettling moments complimented the backdrop well, immersing the audience into a gorgeous world worth noting.

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

A compelling murder mystery with a satisfying reveal.

This film followed a similar pattern to other films based on Agatha Christie novels, but this one might have been my favorite. I may be partial because I absolutely adore Halloween and anything related to it, but I really loved the balance between logic and the supernatural in this one.

It really kept me on the edge of my seat and I thought the reveal was very well done.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Slow moving at times.

I come to expect this with these types of films, but the middle dragged a little bit for me. I appreciated that this film was shorter than Death on the Nile, however. This wasn’t a major con and I think that the film did enough in the beginning and end of the film to capture the audience’s full attention, but I’d recommend watching this one when you’re fully awake…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

I’m in!!!

An eerie and unsettling murder mystery with a fun cast and gorgeous setting!

If you enjoy Agatha Christie murder mysteries, you’ll find enough in this one to enjoy with some spooky surprises along the way.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on A Haunting in Venice in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Death on the Nile” in Theaters: Aesthetically Pleasing Murder Mystery

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“He’s only the greatest detective alive…”

Death on the Nile released in theaters on February 11th 2022. The murder mystery film stars Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Tom Bateman, Letitia Wright, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Jennifer Saunders, Rose Leslie and Emma Mackey. It runs for approximately two hours and five minutes.

Belgian detective, Poirot, is back in this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel as his vacation to Egypt doesn’t exactly go according to plan when he ends up involved in a series of murders on a boat involving a newlywed couple.

Here is the trailer:

Death on the Nile allows fans of Murder on the Orient Express a chance to follow the clues with Poirot once again, leading to a fun murder mystery, but does this film do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Gorgeous fashion and setting.

This film was very pleasing to the eye. The use of color and light really worked to its advantage. I adored all of the costumes (especially Gal Gadot’s wardrobe). Can we get a peek inside her closet? Seriously, she always wears the most beautiful dresses!

The setting easily transported me to another time and place and I thought it suited the movie perfectly. The cast was truly fantastic as well.

Fun murder mystery.

If you enjoy Agatha Christie novels, then you’ll feel right at home with this one. There are multiple suspects (pretty much everyone onboard) and tons of different motives, which will have you playing detective as well throughout the film.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Really slow at times…

The film was just over two hours long, but I felt like I had been watching it for over three hours. A lot of the setup really dragged. Once we got to the murders, things naturally picked up, but it took a while to get there…

The ending was also kind of predictable. That could be because I started to remember the details of the book and the prior film or maybe I’m becoming a better detective than I thought, but I was able to put the pieces together fairly quickly on this one.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

I’m in about 75 percent…

This film truly was something out of a watercolor painting. Everything was just so vibrant and beautiful, which kept me focused and alert. The murder mystery is a fun one and it’s always great to see Detective Poirot in action.

If you enjoy murder mysteries, then you’ll find plenty to enjoy with this one, but be prepared to sit through a lot before things truly get going.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Death on the Nile in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!