A Haunting in Venice (2023): Scary, Sequel & True Story

Most detective stories end with the case closed. A Haunting in Venice asks what happens when the detective isn’t sure he wants to open another one — especially if the crime might involve something he can’t explain. Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot film trades crisp train compartments for a rain-lashed Venetian palazzo on Halloween, and the result is a mystery that feels more like a ghost story than a whodunnit.

Release date: September 15, 2023 ·
Budget: $60 million ·
Box office: $122.6 million ·
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75% (critics) ·
IMDb rating: 6.8/10

Six key specs, one pattern: the film is positioned as a gothic mystery rather than a pure horror title, and its budget-and-box-office story tells a modest success.

Is A Haunting in Venice very scary?

What makes the film horror-adjacent

• The film is set on Halloween in a reportedly haunted palazzo, with a seance at the center of the plot (IMDb).
• Reviewers note it “embraces classic, gothic horror” while keeping the whodunnit structure (The Martini Shot (review blog)).
• Rated PG-13 for “strong violence, disturbing images, and thematic elements” (Rotten Tomatoes).

Comparison to typical slasher or jump-scare movies

• Critics describe the film as “not scary the way a typical horror movie is” (Alise Chaffins Substack (review blog)).
• It leans on atmosphere and dread rather than explicit gore or jump scares (The Martini Shot).
• Tone is more “meditative” gothic mystery than full-on horror (The Martini Shot).

The verdict: this is a mystery with atmosphere, not a horror film seeking to frighten.

Is A Haunting in Venice a good film?

Critical reception overview

• Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 75% based on reviews (Rotten Tomatoes).
• The critics consensus praises Branagh’s direction and the film’s “genuinely creepy” atmosphere.
• Positive reviews highlight the tonal departure from earlier Poirot films (The Martini Shot).

Audience vs critic scores

• IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (IMDb).
• Audience response is more mixed, with some calling it “a good spooky season watch” but “underwhelming” (IMDb).
• The gap between critic and audience scores is narrow, suggesting a solid but not exceptional film.

The pattern: critics appreciated the swing toward gothic horror more than general audiences did. For Poirot purists, the supernatural ambiguity may feel like a stretch. For newcomers, it’s a capable mood piece with a solid cast.

Is A Haunting in Venice a true story?

The film’s source material: Agatha Christie

• The film is based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party (The Martini Shot).
• Unlike the earlier Branagh adaptations, this one is “loosely based” on the novel, taking significant liberties (The Martini Shot).
• Christie’s story involved a murder at a children’s Halloween party; the film shifts the setting to a Venetian palazzo and adds supernatural themes.

Fictional vs real elements

• The film is entirely fictional — no real events or people are depicted (IMDb).
• Venice is used as a real-world setting, but the palazzo and characters are invented for the story.
• Post-WWII Venice provides historical atmosphere, not factual accuracy.

The upshot: viewers can enjoy the supernatural ambiguity without worrying about factual accuracy.

Is A Haunting in Venice a sequel to Death on the Nile?

The Branagh Poirot film series

• Yes, it is the third film in Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot series, following Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022) (P.L. McMillan (review blog)).
• Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot, maintaining continuity with the earlier films (Rotten Tomatoes).
• The film is set after the events of Death on the Nile, with Poirot now retired in Venice.

Chronology and cast continuity

• No major cast members from the earlier films return except Branagh — this is a largely new ensemble (IMDb).
• Tina Fey’s character Ariadne Oliver (a mystery writer) is new to the series, drawn from Christie’s novels.
• Each film in the trilogy functions as a standalone mystery, so viewers can start here (IMDb).

The trade-off: you don’t need to have seen the first two films, but knowing Poirot’s retirement arc adds emotional weight to his reluctance to investigate.

Did A Haunting in Venice flop?

Box office performance

• The film grossed $122.6 million worldwide against a $60 million budget (Rotten Tomatoes).
• Disney reported it as a profitable theatrical release, though margins were modest.
• For comparison, Death on the Nile grossed $137 million on a $90 million budget — so Venice performed similarly relative to its lower budget.

Budget vs revenue

• A 2.04× budget multiplier is considered a moderate success in theatrical exhibition.
• The film is not a flop by industry standards, but neither is it a blockbuster.
• Streaming release on October 31, 2023 (Rotten Tomatoes) likely captured additional revenue and viewership.

The bottom line on the box office: modest success, not a flop.

Confirmed facts

• The film is based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party (The Martini Shot).
• It is the third Branagh Poirot film (P.L. McMillan).
• Budget was $60 million, grossed $122.6 million (Rotten Tomatoes).
• Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images (Rotten Tomatoes).

What’s unclear

• Whether the film will have a sequel (unannounced as of 2025) — no official word from Disney or Branagh.
• The extent of supernatural elements is open to interpretation — the film deliberately keeps Poirot’s skepticism in tension with ambiguous ghostly occurrences.
• Further streaming platform availability beyond Disney+ and Amazon has not been confirmed for all markets.

“Embraces classic, gothic horror and expected whodunnit shenanigans in one of Branagh’s more meditative films.”

— The Martini Shot (review blog)

“Not scary the way a typical horror movie is, but still very much about ghosts and the weight of the past.”

— Alise Chaffins Substack (review blog)

The implication for Branagh’s Poirot series is clear: the detective who needs everything to make sense now operates in a world where some things may not make sense at all. That tension is the film’s real subject, and it’s what makes A Haunting in Venice worth watching even when the mystery itself feels secondary.

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För den som är nyfiken på skådespelarna finns en detaljerad genomgång av rollbesättningen i A Haunting in Venice på tyska.

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