London canals were transformed into a scene from 1940s Venice this morning - with a spooky twist.<br /><br />Passers-by in the capital were given an eerie surprise as a ghoulish gondola passed through Little Venice, Regent's Park and Camden’s canal.<br /><br />Wearing traditional Venetian masks, the mysterious figures were draped in black as they emerged from thick clouds of fog.<br /> <br />But the fearsome figures were nothing to be afraid of - they were marking the launch of ‘A Haunting in Venice’, which hits cinemas this Friday. <br /><br />It was created using a replica Venetian gondola and manned by individuals dressed head-to-toe in costumes inspired by the film, featuring bespoke Venetian masks.<br /><br />The activation was executed by a team of SFX and prop-makers who studied hours of footage to capture the likeness of the characters, costumes and traditional Venetian gondolas. <br /><br />The film is the latest instalment in the series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot films and stars Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Dornan.<br /><br />‘A Haunting in Venice’ is set in post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and features the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. <br /><br />Based on Agatha Christie’s novel ‘Hallowe’en Party’, it follows 2017’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and 2022’s ‘Death on the Nile’.
