A Haunting In Venice Provides Audiences With A Spooky Halloween Treat

     

      Looking for a fun mystery thriller that has a spooky feel to it? If so, then look no further than 20th Century Fox's A Haunting in Venice. Following Death on The Nile and Murder on The Orient Express, the third film in the Kenneth Branagh directed trilogy has him reprising his role as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Released during the fall season to coincide with Halloween, Venice provides audiences with a seasonal treat that's both darker and spookier than the previous films with the story still maintaining the same Clue-like mystery feel to it that's accompanied by visuals as well as another star-studded cast. 

      Based on Agatha Christie's bestselling novel Hallowe'en Party, Venice has detective Poirot, now retired and living in Italy in a self-imposed exile. He reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying haunted palazzo where he soon gets thrust into a sinister mystery when one of the guests is murdered. Darker than the previous Poirot stories and full of sinister secrets involving key players in the story, A Haunting In Venice takes the mystery aspect of its plot to the next level, though doesn't quite outdo the previous Poirot tales. It is within the performances from its strong ensemble along with stellar production values, which give the film a spooky vibe and ultimately make it work with Branagh's directing that remains as enthusiastic as ever in telling these slick mystery stories. 

    With any Poirot cinematic mystery, it's the work of the film's ensemble cast that plays a significant part in keeping the audience engaged. The cast presented here plays their roles with complete devotion towards telling the story with the strongest work coming from Branagh, Tina Fey, and Michelle Yeoh. Branagh once again commands the story with a classy performance as retired world-renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who once again uncovers something sinister lurking in the shadows. Tina Fey impresses as Poirot's friend Ariadne Oliver, who happens to be a crime novelist. Michelle Yeoh also delivers impressive work as supposed psychic medium, Joyce Reynolds with her performing one of the film's most intense moments. Other notable performances from Venice's impressive cast include Kyle Allen as Alicia Drake's ex-fiance Maxime Gerard, Camille Cottin as Rowena's housekeeper Olga Seminoff, Jamie Dornan as Dr. Leslie Ferrier, Jude Hill as Dr. Terrier's precocious son, Leopold, Kelly Reilly as Alicia's mother Rowena, Rowan Robinson as her deceased daughter, Alicia, Riccardo Scamarcio as Poirot's bodyguard Vitale, and Amir El-Masry as a young man named Alessandro, who seeks Poirot's help. Though Venice's cast isn't as star-studded as the previous films, the ensemble here shines in churning out fantastic performances.

      With Venice's directing, Branagh creates a spooky mood while doing an excellent job of showcasing Italy's exotic locations. Given his heavy use of dutch angles, Branagh uses them throughout the course of the film in addition to making the atmosphere appear much darker than the previous films. He does a stellar job of building up the suspense while filling it with numerous jump scares and key graphic sequences such as a character being pushed out of a window and impaled on a statue below or another committing suicide by stabbing themselves. There's one sequence in particular which involves a Halloween seance that proves extremely effective in driving up the audience's anxiety regarding the mystery behind the story. As far as directing goes, Branagh once again establishes himself as being an expert filmmaker who can take classic literature and present it on the screen while giving it both a rich and grand feel. Though audiences may find the films beginning portion to move a bit slow, they'll find themselves being engaged once the stories spook factor kicks in.

      Whereas Murder On the Orient Express and Death On The Nile both had their stories be murder mystery centered, Venice sticks to the same formula while exploring themes including truth, regret, sin, tragedy, ghosts, and happiness vs. satisfaction with the overall story showing how heartbreak can ultimately lead to desperation. The script is well-written to where it doesn't make it obvious who the killer is and paints each main character as being a possible suspect with dark secrets behind revealed as Poirot is thrusted into a double homicide murder case. While the writing succeeds at making the film feel like one giant puzzle that audiences will enjoy piecing together, it's third act leaves something to be desired after the first two acts being reliably strong.  

      As good as the film goes about solving the latest murder mystery, it doesn't quite feel as satisfying as the previous stories. However, as a faithful adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic novel and as a film meant to serve up a delicious Halloween treat this fall moviegoing season, A Haunting In Venice satisfies while pushing its established formula to the limit. 

Final Verdict: Worth seeing if you're a fan of Agatha Christie's work or Kenneth Branagh as an actor and director. 

The Nun ll Conjures Up A Fun Yet Flawed Sequel That Improves Upon Its Predecessor

      It's a rarity for horror sequels to be as good as the originals or even manage to surpass their predecessors. Generally speaking, most follow-ups end up paying in comparison with fans wishing that they were never made. Surprisingly though, that isn't the case here as The Nun ll arrives in theaters and presents itself as being a significant improvement over its mediocre original. Though it still falls victim to the same issues regarding predictability and a heavy abundance on jump scares that plagued the first, the sequel still proves itself to be an effective horror sequel that's bigger, darker, and more entertaining this time around.

      Picking up four years after the original , the sequel plac s Sister Irene once again coming face-to-face with Valek, the demon nun after the latter murders a priest in 1956 France. The Nun ll feels like a legitimate improvement over its predecessor with more creativity and thoughtfulness being put into the films jump scares despite its plot bearing the same issues in regards to lacking originality. Where the film struggles in terms of predictability, it more than compensates by establishing an atmosphere that's creepy and ultimately serves up some genuinely decent scares with most horror fans finding it to be a more satisfying experience than the first (Though that isn't saying much given  the originals lackluster quality).

      As far as acting goes, the cast proves dependable in delivering solid performances that help to maintain the audiences attention towards the story, as well as keeping them at the edge of their seat. Taissa Farmiga reprises her role from the original Nun and shines with delivering a delightfully terrific performance as Sister Irene, that becomes the heart of the film. Jonas Bloquet also returns as Maurice with his character now working at a boarding school and even becoming possessed at one point. Both Farmiga and Bloquet make for sympathetic leads as the audience recalls their previous experience with battling the demon. Other impressive performances include the fantastic Storm Reid as Sister Debra, Anna Popplewell as Kate, and Bonnie Aarons being absolutely chilling as The Demon Nun, Valek.

      Directed by Michael Chaves who previously helmed The Curse Of La Lorna and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, he creates a genuinely creepy atmosphere and maintains it throughout the course of the film. In terms of graphic imagery, the sequel is more darker and violent than the first film in comparison. Some of the creepy images shown include the scary demonic nun, a goat monster, a priest catching on fire and burning, and a corpse lying in a huge blood puddle. One of the sequels key areas of improvement over its predecessor is its pacing. The story moves at a solid pace and feels more confident in where it wants to insert its numerous jump scares, while also generating a feeling of dread that maintain the audiences engagement with the story. Despite Chaves work being his strongest out of the three Conjuring films in the series, it isn't perfect as some of the jump scares don't always achieve their desired effect. 

      Although the writing marks a noticeable improvement over this time around, it's still bound to many of the numerous issues that plagued the originals script. The plot still leans towards feeling relatively thin and key themes such as embracing one's fears and doing so while facing extraordinary odds are treated as being afterthoughts rather than being given the proper exploration. For its main characters, the script works well as being an extension of their story from the first film with Sister Irene and Maurice coming face to face again with the demon nun. Irene is presented as being a stronger female character this time around with her having both the courage and perservance to fight the demonic nun, along with Sophie appearing sympathetic to audiences. Along with the scripts strong elements including its immersive prologue and an intense chapel sequence that happens midpoint, it has numerous setbacks that keep it on the level of being serviceable such as the films strongest sequences ending in a lackluster fashion, a heavy reliance on exposition that ultimately makes the scriptwriting feel uneven, and numerous side characters often feeling like generic characters in other horror films. 

      Whereas the first Nun didn't have audiences feeling genuinely scared or thinking it to be anything other than passable horror entertainment, The Nun ll provides a more satisfying experience this time around with it being more darker, violent, and creative in terms of generating an unsettling atmosphere that sticks for the most part. It doesn't do much to improve its predecessors reputation, but it works to atone for its past sins and checks off all the required boxes to conjure up a more enjoyable experience that works for the spooky season. 

Final Verdict: A more satisfying than the first Nun though still isn't great. Worth watching if you're a fan of the series.

Images Courtesy Of Warner Bros. Pictures