Upamanyu Biswas
The 2023 murder mystery, ‘A Haunting in Venice,‘ depicts a horror legend known as the Children’s Vendetta haunting the Palazzo Lacrime Dei Giovani on the Grand Canal, where detective Hercule Poirot uncovers a sinister plot of seemingly supernatural origins. As Poirot delves into his investigation, he is constantly visited by visions and strange events that are inexplicable through a rational approach. Consequently, the chilling tale of the Children’s Vendetta takes precedence in the narrative, where reality and nightmares collide to make the protagonist question the authenticity of the ghosts haunting the palace on Venice’s iconic waterway! SPOILERS AHEAD
The Children’s Vendetta is the Vengeance of Orphans Who Were Left to Die
In ‘A Haunting in Venice,’ Palazzo Lacrime dei Giovani is a palatial residence owned by renowned opera singer Rowena Drake. However, years before she took custody of the establishment, it was an orphanage where doctors and nurses cared for children. Things fared well for the orphans and their caregivers until a plague struck. Unable to treat these children, the doctors and nurses locked them in their hall, where they bunked together and left them to die. All the orphans died in the ensuing chaos and the negligence displayed by their carers. Consequently, the establishment gained the curse of all the lost souls from the tragic incident.
By the time Rowena Drake started living in the palazzo with her daughter, Alicia Drake, the Children’s Vendetta was a well-known legend built into the fabric of the building and its construction. According to lore, the curse is inflicted upon any doctors or nurses who enter the premises, although it is not restricted to them. Whoever is killed in the process bears the Mark of the Children’s Vendetta on their corpse – a five-fingered scratch that almost resembles a claw mark. The ghosts of the children are also said to roam the halls of the building, as witnessed by Poirot from time to time and Leopold Ferrier, the son of Dr. Leslie Ferrier.
The Children’s Vendetta Surfaces in the Murder of Alicia Drake
While the legend of the Children’s Vendetta is mostly considered a campfire story told to kids and adults, it makes a more tangible impact on the case of Alicia Drake, whose floating dead body in the Grand Canal bore the mark of the Children’s Vendetta. It instantly creates a sense of supernatural coincidence that Poirot is intrigued by, although not wholly convinced of, due to his adherence to logic and the realms of realism. Regardless, further links are established when Joyce Reynolds, a World War I army nurse turned spiritual psychic, and Leslie Ferrier, the family doctor of the Drakes, are killed in the palazzo’s premises, thereby harkening to the Children’s Vendetta’s connection with doctors and nurses.
When Poirot investigates the hidden cellar of the building with those gathered, he unearths numerous play dolls that were discarded in a heap. It’s another piece of vital evidence that the Children’s Vendetta was a real incident that was covered up with time and the changing of house ownership. The detective is stunned by the revelation of these elements. However, he maintains a staunch approach to solving the case, never jumping to supernatural conclusions too early. Regardless, these occult occurrences play a major part in defining the shape of the murder mystery and its inevitable conclusion, which manages to change Poirot’s mindset ever so slightly.
The Children’s Vendetta is a Fictional Haunting
The Children’s Vendetta is a fictional legend in ‘A Haunting in Venice,’ crafted by Michael Green, who penned the screenplay. Its purpose within the narrative is to blend elements of real crime procedural with supernatural aspects that make Hercule Poirot question his own mind. Real cases of haunting in Venice’s palazzos are quite a common occurrence. While searching for a palace to match the Palazzo Lacrime dei Giovani in the script, director Kenneth Branagh and producer John Paul Kelly talked to several locals who told them that nearly all the palazzos on the Grand Canal have a haunted story associated with them.
Interestingly, a story similar to the Children’s Vendetta can be found in the myths of Gore Orphanage, allegedly a haunted ruin close to Vermilion, Lorain County, Ohio. According to the legend, a fire took place in the 1800s at an orphanage dubbed Light of Hope Orphanage, which caused the death of many young children and young adults. Consequently, the cries of these dead children can be allegedly heard near the ruins, although historians contest the existence of the site itself. However, in the case of the Children’s Vendetta, the horror legend haunts a palazzo on the banks of Venice’s waterway, which differs from the reported ruins of Gore Orphanage.
In conclusion, as the Children’s Vendetta plays a specific role within the narrative, which is to misguide Poirot into believing that the whole mystery is linked to supernatural events, its impact is more tangible when it brings to life the unfulfilled soul of Alicia and all the dead children who have been left to suffer in the house without any hope of release. While it may not exist as a real urban legend, it is a fictional extension of the numerous horror stories that crop up in age-old establishments that have seen the death of several owners and people within its premises.
Read More: Movies Like A Haunting in Venice
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