Crimson Peak
A Gothic Romance with a ghost in it.
Well let me begin by saying that I am a Guillermo Del Toro fan. Not only of his films
(my favorites being The Devils Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, and his debut Cronos),
but also of how creative and beautiful his films are. Attention to detail is paid in
every aspect and one major one is his use of practical effects as much as possible,
Crimson Peak was no different. From building the entire house from the ground up
full scale to shoot in to having the ghosts in actual costume and add the CGI affects
to them his films are always a breath of fresh air for the risks he takes.
Crimson Peak is set in the early 1900’s and from the beginning it gives you the feel
that you are about to open a book and enter a world that is not your own. The film
begins with Edith Cushing played by Mia Wasikowska narrating the opening scene
and describing her belief in ghosts and the time her dead mother appeared to her
with a warning. In classic Del Toro style, the ghost of her mother is not that of a
beautiful angel like woman but rather of a terrifying black figure supernatural and
un-human. From this point on you are taken into a world supported not only by
great acting, but also amazing cinematography that brings the story telling of Mary
Shelly with a Macbeth-ish twist. Although it is pretty slow for most of the first part,
this is where we are immersed into Edith’s world where America is shown as a land
of garden parties, family life and intellectual pursuits, it does pick up quickly.
The film really begins in Allerdale Hall, the set of Crimson Peak. A dilapidated house
atop of an iron rich hill in England that makes the soil, as well as the snow, blood
red, hence the name Crimson Peak. Edith moves there with her now husband
Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and sister in-law Lucille (Jessica Chastain). By
this time you know that Edith’s character is the victim and the ill intentions of both
Sharpe siblings are clear and that the death of her father (Jim Beaver) was no
accident. Slowly the horrors that have happened in the house become clear and a
number of terrifying ghosts appear to her as to warn her of things to come. Crimson
Peak’s story development is reminiscent of Hitchcock’s “Notorious” where the main
character is dominated by the evil mother in law. The film is beautiful aesthetically,
and feels like an ode to films and directors of old (Kubrick, Hitchcock, Jackson…) and
perhaps that is one of the few things that is wrong with it.
Although the story is well told and the film and character are typical Del Toro, it is
predictable. Some characters never truly fully develop that audience attachment
and feel perhaps out of place. The storytelling is done wonderfully for the most part
but as mentioned the beginning is rather slow and is not until the second act that
things pick up in a major way. Again this is very different from other Del Toro films,
where most of his films have a historic settings such as the Spanish civil war from
Pan’s Labyrinth or the Devil’s Backbone. Crimson Peak is a not a horror film. It is a
short story rather than a novel, and a beautiful cinematic piece paying homage to
long forgotten arts such as shadow play and lighting. It does have resemblance to
films of past, and perhaps Del Toro opened up a new genre of films…this is a Gothic
Romance with a ghost in it.
8 out of 10
by Hiram Trillo
