Unleashing True Terror: Kenneth Branagh's Sinister Methods Unveiled on Set of Haunting In Venice

Summary

Kenneth Branagh deliberately scared the cast on the set of A Haunting in Venice.

The director deliberately withheld information from his co-stars, aiming to evoke genuine fear and enhance the authenticity and intensity of the film.

By choosing to emphasize horror in this adaptation, it opens up a greater opportunity to delve into the character of Hercule Poirot and adds significant depth to his journey.

Director Kenneth Branagh had a clever approach to creating the eerie atmosphere in the film A Haunting in Venice. This movie is the third installment in Branagh's Agatha Christie series, where he portrays the iconic Hercule Poirot. Unlike the previous movies, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, which focused on solving mysteries, A Haunting in Venice takes on a horror movie tone. Set on Halloween Night in a haunted Venetian palazzo, the movie aims to evoke a sense of fear.

Producer James Pritchard, recently interviewed by The Direct, provided insight into Branagh's management of the set. Pritchard revealed that the director kept certain key scenes a surprise to the cast and crew, ensuring that the fear depicted on screen was genuine. This approach aimed to preserve the movie's atmospheric intensity.

Why is A Haunting in Venice a Horror Movie?

In terms of creating the desired atmosphere and maintaining the tone of the movie, it all boils down to the efforts of

Why is A Haunting in Venice a Horror Movie?

Why is A Haunting in Venice a Horror Movie?

The horror movie atmosphere in A Haunting in Venice is surprisingly intense considering the straightforward nature of the previous two entries in the trilogy. Despite being based on Agatha Christie's book Hallowe'en Party, which mostly revolves around Halloween festivities, the source material itself strays away from typical horror tropes. Nevertheless, Branagh's decision to infuse more horror elements aligns seamlessly with his interpretation of the character.

Branagh's Poirot movies consistently feature extravagant settings. He expands on the original settings from Christie's novels, turning them into grandiose spectacles that rival blockbuster films. In Hallowe'en Party, he takes this approach even further, completely transforming the original narrative by delving deeper into the Halloween theme. Not only does he change the central murder victim from a young girl to a spiritual medium, but he also shifts the setting from the British countryside to a dark and decaying corner of Venice.

One possible reason for Branagh's choices is that A Haunting in Venice provides him and screenwriter Michael Green with even more opportunities to explore the Hercule Poirot character. In the previous two movies, Poirot is portrayed as a more melancholic figure. However, in this film, he faces his greatest challenge yet as his rational mind grapples with the possibility of the supernatural. The character's journey in the movie carries significant weight, which is enhanced by the atmosphere of horror film gloom that permeates the story.

Source: The Direct