Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has retired to Venice. But celebrated mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) is one of Poirot’s oldest friends and most ardent admirers, and he’s happy to meet with her when she arrives unannounced at his front door. So begins A Haunting in Venice. Boasting a wonderful script, and an outstanding ensemble, this suspenseful adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party is one of 2023’s most captivating surprises. The setup is a séance performed by the beguiling Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). Oliver can’t decipher how she does her tricks of the trade, and she preys on Poirot’s vanity to get him on the case. Mrs. Reynolds has been hired by former opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly) to contact the spirit of her recently deceased daughter. There’s of course a murder, and with a ranging storm keeping the police off of the canals, it’s up to Poirot to bring the killer to justice and prove there’s nothing supernatural going on. The remaining suspects are a typically eclectic and cinematically attractive bunch (Jamie Dornan, Camille Cottin).  — SGN