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Hallowe'en Party

 Hallowe'en Party
type
TVTItem
 Hallowe'en Party
label
Hallowe'en Party
 Hallowe'en Party
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HalloweenParty
 Hallowe'en Party
comment
Hallowe'en Party is a murder mystery novel by Agatha Christie, featuring detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in 1969.Hercule Poirot is called in by his novelist friend Ariadne Oliver who attended a Hallowe'en party at the home of Rowena Drake in Woodleigh Common, at which 13-year-old Joyce Reynolds has been drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. Joyce had earlier told everyone that she had witnessed a murder but didn't recognise it as a murder until a year later. Investigating the murder, Poirot compiles a list of recent deaths and missing persons in the area. Rowena's aunt had died, and shortly afterward, a codicil in her will favoring her au pair girl Olga Seminoff was found to be a forgery, after which Olga had disappeared. Other recent murder victims included a shop assistant, a schoolteacher and a lawyer's clerk. Ariadne's friend Judith has a daughter Miranda, who was Joyce's closest friend, and may be able to shed light on the mystery.Hallowe'en Party received an adaptation in the twelfth season of the television series Poirot in 2010, starring David Suchet. Tropes for the adaptation can be found on the series page. A second adaptation, the third film in a series by director Kenneth Branagh, was released in September 2023 under the title A Haunting in Venice.
 Hallowe'en Party
fetched
2023-11-16T11:46:42Z
 Hallowe'en Party
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2023-11-16T11:46:42Z
 Hallowe'en Party
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Dropped link to EvilDesiresInnocence: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Hallowe'en Party
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Evil Desires Innocence
 Hallowe'en Party
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DBTropes
 Hallowe'en Party / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Hallowe'en Party / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Ariadne mentions that she likes apples. One of the teenage boys replies that "It would be more fun if they were melons. They're so juicy. Think of the mess it would make."
 Hallowe'en Party / int_14ed6ab7
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Hallowe'en Party / int_14ed6ab7
 Hallowe'en Party / int_19851b86
type
The Sociopath
 Hallowe'en Party / int_19851b86
comment
The Sociopath: Discussed in-story a great deal. As it turns out, there are a few littering Woodleigh Common. Michael Garfield, a narcissist who tries to kill his own daughter and has been directly involved in at least two other murders, possibly having been a part of two others. Downplayed example with Leopold Reynolds, Joyce's little brother. He doesn't seem overly upset about his sister's death, concerned more about himself. Worse yet, he's blackmailing his sister's murderer for his own gain.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_19851b86
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_1da46897
type
Lady Macbeth
 Hallowe'en Party / int_1da46897
comment
Lady Macbeth: Rowena Drake. Even compared explicitly to the trope namer during the denouement by Poirot and Mrs. Oliver.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_1da46897
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Hallowe'en Party / int_1da46897
 Hallowe'en Party / int_1f250372
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I Need a Freaking Drink
 Hallowe'en Party / int_1f250372
comment
I Need a Freaking Drink: Ariadne Oliver is given one by Poirot after the murder of Joyce Reynolds, which has her nearly in hysteria.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_1f250372
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Hallowe'en Party / int_1f250372
 Hallowe'en Party / int_269e82c1
type
Death of a Child
 Hallowe'en Party / int_269e82c1
comment
Death of a Child: The victim in this story is twelve or thirteen years old. The second victim is ten. Brr.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_269e82c1
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Hallowe'en Party / int_269e82c1
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2764d432
type
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2764d432
comment
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Rowena Drake is a marvelous example. While appearing to be a good person, she's killed a little girl and has taken part in other murders.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2764d432
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_27ab0123
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Offing the Offspring
 Hallowe'en Party / int_27ab0123
comment
Offing the Offspring: Michael Garfield tries to kill his own biological daughter, Miranda Butler, because she had witnessed him disposing of a murder victim and would thus be a threat to his plans. He even gives her the nickname "Iphigenia", referring to the daughter Agamemnon sacrificed.
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_297170d3
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Halloween Episode
 Hallowe'en Party / int_297170d3
comment
Halloween Episode: The first murder of the story takes place at a Hallowe'en Party in Woodleigh Common.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_297170d3
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Hallowe'en Party / int_297170d3
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2a015a74
type
Beauty Equals Goodness
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2a015a74
comment
Beauty Equals Goodness: Miranda is described as looking like a forest nymph who is perfectly at home in the garden designed by her father. Poirot describes her as a complete innocent by the story's end.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2a015a74
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Hallowe'en Party / int_2a015a74
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2cac89cf
type
The Ingenue
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2cac89cf
comment
The Ingenue: Miranda Butler, in stark contrast to both her father, Michael Garfield, and her best friend, Joyce. When she witnessed a murder from above, her first thought was that perhaps she oughtn't to have been there; when she tells the story to Joyce, she had no idea that Joyce would make it her own and get herself murdered for it. Feeling responsible for Joyce's death, she is extra susceptible to Michael's conditioning of her to accept the role of a sacrifice victim. Poirot lampshades this trope after she is rescued.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_2cac89cf
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Hallowe'en Party / int_2cac89cf
 Hallowe'en Party / int_31df118
type
Attention Whore
 Hallowe'en Party / int_31df118
comment
Attention Whore: Joyce is known to tell fabricated stories for attention.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_31df118
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_31df118
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Hallowe'en Party / int_31df118
 Hallowe'en Party / int_34f1b472
type
Mad Artist
 Hallowe'en Party / int_34f1b472
comment
Mad Artist: Michael Garfield, in spades. His murders are motivated by nothing other than his narcissistic desire to construct a beautiful garden on a Greek island, and to have the money to afford this.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_34f1b472
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Hallowe'en Party / int_34f1b472
 Hallowe'en Party / int_3618ebb9
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TheSixties
 Hallowe'en Party / int_3618ebb9
comment
The '60s: Takes place in the decade, with Desmond explicitly being described as wearing period-appropriate attire.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_3618ebb9
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Hallowe'en Party / int_3618ebb9
 Hallowe'en Party / int_39e6c49e
type
Compulsive Liar
 Hallowe'en Party / int_39e6c49e
comment
Compulsive Liar: Joyce Reynolds' only notable character trait. Every single person Poirot talks to dismisses the possibility that she might've actually witnessed a murder as she claimed completely out of hand. They all turn out to be right.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_39e6c49e
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Hallowe'en Party / int_39e6c49e
 Hallowe'en Party / int_479d4e5a
type
Would Hurt a Child
 Hallowe'en Party / int_479d4e5a
comment
Would Hurt a Child: We have the murderer, who drowns Joyce at a Halloween party. Then there's Michael Garfield, who is willing to poison his own daughter in some sick ritual. It's not clear which of them killed Leopold Reynolds, but one of the two did.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_479d4e5a
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_5ad80bf8
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It's All My Fault
 Hallowe'en Party / int_5ad80bf8
comment
It's All My Fault: How Miranda Butler, the true witness of the pre-story murder which Joyce claims to have witnessed, feels.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_5ad80bf8
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Hallowe'en Party / int_5ad80bf8
 Hallowe'en Party / int_60fb097
type
Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat
 Hallowe'en Party / int_60fb097
comment
Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: The four murders that were committed by Michael Garfield and Rowena Drake weren't really necessary, given that if the real codicil had come to light, Mrs. Drake was almost assured to successfully contest Mrs. Llewellyn-Smythe's will on the grounds of undue influence, as almost everybody brings up when the codicil is mentioned. Olga, being a foreigner with almost no resources for a good lawyer would not have been able to mount much of a fight.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_60fb097
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_65acf9db
type
He Knows Too Much
 Hallowe'en Party / int_65acf9db
comment
He Knows Too Much: The reason why Leslie Ferrier was killed. He had been an accomplice in producing the false codicil that was used to discredit Olga, and had to be removed from the picture after Olga was dealt with. The reason Joyce was killed after she tells everyone she'd witnessed a murder. Tragically, it was unnecessary, as Joyce hadn't witnessed anything and Mrs. Drake was motivated by her own guilty conscience. Had she only thought a moment, Mrs. Drake would have realized that no one would have believed Joyce. Michael Garfield had already been planning to have Miranda be his willing sacrifice, but the realization that it was she, not Joyce, who'd witnessed the murder of Olga meant he absolutely needed to see her dead. Thankfully, he fails here.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_65acf9db
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Hallowe'en Party / int_65acf9db
 Hallowe'en Party / int_7464705c
type
Arc Words
 Hallowe'en Party / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: "Ding dong Dell, Pussy's in a well..."
 Hallowe'en Party / int_7464705c
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_7464705c
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_8a2d8868
type
Not Afraid to Die
 Hallowe'en Party / int_8a2d8868
comment
Not Afraid to Die: Miranda has been groomed by Michael Garfield to see herself as an appropriate sacrifice victim, compounded by her feeling of responsibility for Joyce's death. Luckily, she is rescued.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_8a2d8868
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Hallowe'en Party / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: Joyce manages to be a prepubescent version of this trope, being regarded by most of the adults and children around her as a lying attention-seeker and not incredibly well-liked as a result. Her younger brother Leopold, a blackmailer, also counts. Prior to the story's beginning you had Leslie Ferrier, a womanizer and a forger.
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_95c2a9dd
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Outliving One's Offspring
 Hallowe'en Party / int_95c2a9dd
comment
Outliving One's Offspring: Mrs. Reynolds loses her daughter Joyce and a few days later her son Leopold.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_95c2a9dd
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Hallowe'en Party / int_95c2a9dd
 Hallowe'en Party / int_96a33f11
type
Riddle for the Ages
 Hallowe'en Party / int_96a33f11
comment
Riddle for the Ages: We never do find out whether Mr. Drake's death was an accident or a deliberate murder. Neither do we find out if it was Michael Garfield or Rowena Drake who killed Leopold Reynolds. Poirot looks into all unusual and/or violent deaths in the past couple of years in Woodleigh Common, and of these only those of Charlotte Benfield and Janet White turn out to be unrelated to the case, so they remain unsolved by the end.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_96a33f11
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_978a82e6
type
Big Bad Duumvirate
 Hallowe'en Party / int_978a82e6
comment
Big Bad Duumvirate: The murderer is part of one, who by the end of the story have racked up a staggering four murders together, possibly including a fifth.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_978a82e6
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_aa2cd0c9
type
Motifs
 Hallowe'en Party / int_aa2cd0c9
comment
Motifs: Lampshaded with regards to apples, which Hercule Poirot notes early in the case seem to be around a great deal. The concept of Greece continuously shows up. Actually has plot significance.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_aa2cd0c9
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Hallowe'en Party / int_aa2cd0c9
 Hallowe'en Party / int_ad641426
type
Trademark Favorite Food
 Hallowe'en Party / int_ad641426
comment
Trademark Favorite Food: This story actually features a subversion with Mrs. Oliver, who's too upset to eat her trademark apples after the murder of Joyce Reynolds in an apple-bobbing pail. She temporarily turns to dates instead.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_ad641426
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_c63e5338
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It Runs in the Family
 Hallowe'en Party / int_c63e5338
comment
It Runs in the Family: All the Reynolds children are unpleasant to various degrees: 16 year-old Ann is an Academic Alpha Bitch, 13 year-old Joyce is a Compulsive Liar who likes to tell self-aggrandizing tall tales, while 10 year-old Leopold is a budding sociopath who would rather blackmail his sister's murderer for money than turn her in.
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_c66cb5a9
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Human Sacrifice
 Hallowe'en Party / int_c66cb5a9
comment
Human Sacrifice: Garfield attempts this on Miranda, having been grooming her for it, and ultimately goading her to an altar where he attempts to poison her, telling her to "drink to beauty".
 Hallowe'en Party / int_c66cb5a9
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_dbca2c99
type
Red Herring
 Hallowe'en Party / int_dbca2c99
comment
Red Herring: A good deal of attention is paid to two amorous teenagers right around the time of the murder, making it seem like they'll somehow be relevant to the murder. Not only is this not significant, it's not even mentioned during the investigation.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_dbca2c99
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_eb81c601
type
Big Damn Heroes
 Hallowe'en Party / int_eb81c601
comment
Big Damn Heroes: Nicholas and Desmond rush in to save Miranda from being poisoned by Michael Garfield.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_eb81c601
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 Hallowe'en Party / int_f70710ae
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Blackmail Backfire
 Hallowe'en Party / int_f70710ae
comment
Blackmail Backfire: Joyce's brother Leopold blackmails Rowena Drake, whom he observed murdering his sister. He is killed for it, true to Agatha Christie form.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_f70710ae
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Love Makes You Evil
 Hallowe'en Party / int_f788b2c5
comment
Love Makes You Evil: Rowena Drake again is seduced by the criminal mastermind for some money, possibly making her this.
 Hallowe'en Party / int_f788b2c5
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Hallowe'en Party

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Hallowe'en Party
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English Literature / int_bdd441e6
 Hallowe'en Party
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Evil Desires Innocence / int_bdd441e6
 Hallowe'en Party
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He Knows Too Much / int_bdd441e6
 Hallowe'en Party
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Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot / int_bdd441e6
 Hallowe'en Party
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Stolen Credit Backfire / int_bdd441e6