Kenneth Branagh and his flamboyant moustache are back for the third film in the Hercule Poirot series.
So did A Haunting in Venice bring frights along with the facial hair?
After the deliciously entertaining first outing as director and Hercule Poirot himself in the reimagining of the classic Agatha Christie tale Murder on the Orient Express, Kenneth Branagh's follow-up Death on the Nile was more dead in the water.
Thankfully he now returns to form by shifting his inquisitive Poirot gaze to the ghost world. This is A Haunting in Venice.
Once again he gathers an eclectic and engaging gaggle of thespians around him, spear-headed by the deadpan Tina Fey alongside Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh.
Yellowstone fanatics may need to adjust their sets. Seeing Beth Dutton without a drink and cigarette in hand and a cuss word on her lips will take some getting used to, but it's awesome to see Kelly Reilly swap genres so seamlessly.
Post-war Venice is foggy, empty and spooky - the perfect temperature for a good haunting.
Poirot deemed himself retired, but he will be drawn into just one more case by an old friend - bestselling author Ms Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey).
It will challenge what he thinks he believes about the world, about the afterlife and above all about himself.
Look I love the frequency Kenneth and bring on the many happy returns of his Poirot on the big screen.
A Haunting in Venice sits somewhere between the Orient and the Nile and should keep the Christie fans in excellent spirits.
Four stars.
