Rowena Drake is a character featured in the 2023 film A Haunting in Venice, based on the 1969 novel "Hallowe'en Party" by Agatha Christie. She is portrayed by British actress Kelly Reilly.
Background[]
Rowena Drake is a wealthy and influential socialite who lives in a decaying palazzo in Venice. She is the hostess of a séance that is attended by Hercule Poirot, Ariadne Oliver, and other guests. She claims to have psychic abilities and to be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead. However, she is also hiding a dark secret that connects her to a series of murders that occurred in England many years ago.
In the film, Rowena Drake is revealed to be the mastermind behind the killings of several children who witnessed a crime committed by her husband, who died in a plane crash. She also killed her own daughter, Alicia, who was mentally unstable, and threatened to expose her. She used her influence and connections to cover up her crimes and to manipulate others into helping her. She also staged the séance as a trap for Poirot, who had been investigating her past.
Rowena Drake is a complex and charismatic villain who uses her charm and intelligence to deceive everyone around her. She is also ruthless and cold-blooded, willing to kill anyone who stands in her way. She is ultimately confronted by Poirot, who exposes her crimes and forces her to face justice.
Inspiration[]
The character of Rowena Drake was inspired by Agatha Christie's novel "Hallowe'en Party", which was first published in 1969. In the novel, the character's name is Mrs. Goodbody, and she lives in a village called Woodleigh Common in England. The novel features Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the mystery novelist PPP Ariadne Oliver, who begins the novel in attendance at a Halloween party. A girl at the party claims to have witnessed a murder, which at the time she was too young to realize was such. Disbelieved by those around her, the girl then is drowned in an apple-bobbing bucket, and Poirot must solve a two-pronged mystery: who killed the girl, and what, if anything, did she witness?
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