Poirot "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" #3.8 (1991) (TV)

"I shall be the most humble person in the world. No one will match Hercule Poirot for his humbility.", 5 August 2015

Poirot is asked to help Marguerite Clayton whose husband has a reputation for a bad temper. Friends fear that Edward Clayton may one day murder his wife. Poirot agrees to attend a party so that he might meet the husband, but unfortunately, Clayton never arrives. More unfortunately, however, is that Clayton's violently murdered body is found the next morning in a large chest. The murder appears to have been committed right under Poirot's nose as the chest is in the same room where the party was held. 

While the Mystery of the Spanish Chest is an awfully interesting and compelling episode, the mystery isn't overly difficult to solve. Once Poirot finds the hole in the chest, it's fairly easy to see where things are headed. Still, this is Poirot so there still a lot to like. The murder here is as gruesome as you'll find in a Poirot episode. When you think about the method of murder, the ocular trauma, it's like something out of a 70s Italian horror movie. It's so Argento-esque. I love it. I could go through the usual laundry list of positives, but I'll stick to the acting. I was particularly excited to see the beautiful Caroline Langrishe as Marguerite Clayton. I probably first saw Langrishe in the final season of Lovejoy. While I hated the character, I've loved the actress ever since.

7/10