Hallowe'en Party

"Hallowe'en Party", published in 1969, is a later Christie. Dame Agatha was no longer in her prime, but I think this book proved that she was by no means exhausted of ideas. The basic plot set-up is this: at a Hallowe'en party for children, Joyce Reynolds boasts to Mrs. Oliver, there on a visit, that she saw a murder once. Joyce is a compulsive liar, and everyone has great fun mocking her story. Frustrated, Joyce insists that her story is true, but refuses to give any more details. When the party is finished, she is discovered drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

I've always been simply fascinated with that idea for a story— it must be one of my very favourites in all detection. The story itself is very good (and the solution is pretty decent as well), but it tended to ramble somewhat, and the middle section is extremely slow. It makes me wish AC had tackled the story when she was a bit younger. Nonetheless, my fascination with a story of such a haunting nature is enough to make Hallowe'en Party one of my favourite Christies. Was it among her best? By no means— but it was still quite enjoyable for me to read.

I was ecstatic when "Hallowe'en Party" was announced as part of season 12 (after false reports that it was going to conclude season 11). At long last, I would get to see this fascinating story translated to the screen! I was then even more excited when it was announced that Mark Gatiss, who wrote the brilliant script of "Cat Among the Pigeons", was going to adapt the story for television! Stephen Churchett would not be available to make the victim a teenage boy stabbed with a carving knife while making a jack-o'lantern. So my expectations and hopes were very high. My friends, it did not disappoint in the least.

I will tackle the issue of casting first. Julian Rhind-Tutt plays Michael Garfield. He was already in Marple as Dr. Calgary in "Ordeal by Innocence", but thanks to the magic of makeup, he is rendered almost unrecognizable in this role. He is perfect as an artistic gardener with an obsession for beauty. Zoe Wanamaker, as always, was wonderful as Mrs. Oliver. When asked why she made her detective a Finn, she sighs and says "I've often wondered myself." The way she delivers that line is simply perfect— I could practically hear AC sighing along with her in sympathy. There are a few scenes here where she discusses her writing, and they are priceless.

The adaptation makes an exciting discovery with the casting of Miranda Butler. A young actress you've never heard of (since this is her first role), Mary Higgins (no relation to Clark as far as I know), plays the role of the nymph-like Miranda, who is nearly always sitting in the garden. Higgins is great! A very beautiful young girl, she does not embellish nor does she underplay her character's distinct oddness and charm. She is very convincing, and brought the character to life. This truly is a smashing debut, and I hope she will continue in acting.

On to other things. We've become accustomed to episodes lately introducing homosexual subplots, incest, alcoholism— elements that did not appear in Christie's original oeuvre, which are often frighteningly overplayed or just plain silly. "Hallowe'en Party" hinted at a lesbian subplot, and, in fact, it is the only time the word "lesbian" appears in a Christie. Thank God for Mark Gatiss. He is no Stephen Churchett, who would've taken that one word and run away with the subplot, adding his own flourishes, all in the name of artistic license and bringing the stories "up to date". Gatiss keeps the subplot the way it was: SUBTLE. He uses small touches— little gestures, things people say, and so forth. The actors cooperate with the script and the result is a beautiful, truly touching underlying story.

Gatiss does take liberties with the story— he is creating a movie, not a museum piece. Rowena Drake, for instance, is made into a mother, with a smarmy little mummy's boy and a rather wretched, horrid daughter. (There are other words that jump to mind, but none are very polite.) His changes only serve to make the story more interesting—he eliminates the static "Question & Answer Session" feeling of the second act. His touches are intriguing, as the whole thing becomes something like a Gothic ghost story.

One of the best moves the series ever made was ditching the old formula with Japp, Hastings, & Co. Gone are the moments of forced attempts at humour, gone are the far-fetched ways of involving his friends in every case. (I can just imagine, under the old formula, Japp hiding in a suitcase on the Orient Express, and emerging when the murder is discovered, only to exclaim "Poirot! What the devil are you doing here?") The series feels more like the later, darker Poirot, and this tone suits "Hallowe'en Party" perfectly.

The formulaic music was also scrapped, and different music is composed for different episodes. But this episode here has an almost ghostly take on a familiar tune, heard a few times. You will also hear the children chanting a rhyme when playing snapdragon. This rhyme is also repeated as part of the music, faintly chattered and echoing, which really makes it bone-chilling. It is one of the most effectively-scored episodes I've seen thus far.

So in conclusion, unless the series totally bombed MOTOE, which I somewhat doubt, this entire season has been of excellent quality, the best we've had since the "Death on the Nile" series.

I admit, it took me a while to warm up to David Suchet as Poirot. For all time, my favorite Poirot films will be Finney's Murder on the Orient Express, Ustinov's Death on the Nile, and Ustinov's Evil Under the Sun. But Suchet has certainly shaped his own interpretation of Poirot with integrity and consistency. Usually, he's a pleasure to watch.

Hallowe'en Party really surprised me; it has become one of my very favorite Poirot films. It certainly is the best at making use of the wonderful Zoe Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver. She is at her funniest in this film, and I enjoyed watching her tussle with a new Sven Hjerson novel--one where he solves a murder while on a hot air balloon over Abyssinia. I'm not sure why I love this story so much. I usually prefer those in exotic locations, with glamorous figures, and this has neither. But it DOES have all the things that make for a great murder mystery--wonderful back stories that all become relevant in time; eerie, slightly grotesque murders; good, solid red herrings; strong motives; well-rounded characters; a wonderful, satisfying scene of unmasking the killer; and clever use of sound and mise-en- scene.

The film manages to make a rather parochial setting exciting and chock full of sin and lust. I was able to solve it, but didn't find the solution particularly easy or obvious. I would highly recommend it, especially for Ariadne Oliver lovers.

Hercule Poirot's friend, the crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, attends a Hallowe'en party in the country. At the party a young girl claims she once saw a murder. Nobody believes her but later that evening the girl is found murdered. Oliver suspects that the perpetrator of the murder the girl saw has murdered the girl and calls in Poirot.

Quite intriguing, though some parts of the plot are easy to figure out in advance. In addition, the ultimate chain of events seems a bit too fantastical and complex to be plausible. So you have a murder where unraveling the plot veers from easy to impossible. Not ideal, but it is still very entertaining.

Hercule Poirot is up to snuff when he solves the mystery of the murder (or murders?) in "Hallowe'en Party." David Suchet is still in top form in his semi-retirement when his friend, mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (played by Zoe Wanamaker), reaches out for help. This story was a relatively late novel by Agatha Christie, first published in the U. S. in 1969, and then in the U. K.

The plot here surrounds a girl at a Hallowe'en Party that Ariadne was attending. The children are playing games and bobbing for apples, and one of the girls says she had witnessed a murder once, but didn't realize what it was at the time. At the end of the party, she is found dead - drowned in the apple-bobbing tub.

This is one of the superb Poirot mysteries in which one can go back and see clues that were shown early in the film. And the twists and turns in this one still fool and wonderfully surprise mystery buffs like me. I like the occasional touches of history in these stories and films. One here is of people at one point listening to Pres. Franklin Roosevelt's talk on the radio.

When Poirot's valet, George, comments on Halloween customs, Poirot takes exception to the English festivities. He says, "George, at this time of year in Belgium, it is the custom to light the candles in memory of the dead, not to tell the stories macabre."

My favorite line is when Poirot says, "Old sins cast long shadows, madame." This is a superb mystery and film that Christie and Poirot buffs will especially like, and that all others should enjoy as well.

What a joy it was to find out that we were going to get 3 new Poirots this summer (where I live in the US, at least). I just finished watching the third one, and they did not disappoint. There was plenty of what I love about them: intricate plots, beautiful cinematography, and superb acting. Hallowe'en Party is, in my opinion, one of the better recent Poirot adaptations. Much better than the dreary MOTOE, for example. The story moves along nicely, and the whole thing is visually appealing. Once again the acting is wonderful; Suchet is spot on, as always. I thought the solution was a bit complex; how Poirot was supposed to figure all that out with the facts he had is beyond me, but it's fun watching him get there nonetheless. So, except for some totally superfluous sermonizing by the gay character, HP was a pleasure to watch.