CRIMSON
PEAK
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Guillermo
del Toro is a director who always manages to capture the essence of beauty and
darkness in his films. A meticulous director with an eye for the gothic, del
Toro’s 9th feature returns to the gothic horror/fantasy roots of The Devils Backbone and Pans Labyrinth. Crimson Peak follows
aspiring writer Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) who falls for the slick and
mysterious Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) who takes a liking to her writing.
They soon get married, and he takes her to live with him in England with his
sister Lucille (Chastain) in the creaky old Allerdale Hall. However, the house
is riddled with ghosts of the past, the house itself is a living entity that
bleeds, and Edith soon discovers that the mysterious Sharpe twins are hiding a
sinister secret.
First of all, I’m a huge del Toro fan. His Hellboy films are some of my favourite comic book films ever, Pacific Rim was a monstrous film with giant robots fighting it out with giant monsters, and Pans Labyrinth I hold to be the greatest film ever made. The visual aesthetic of Crimson Peak is stunning. Allerdale Hall itself is a real set, the costume design is wonderful and the ghosts are a fantastic blend of CGI and practical effects, and despite not being the main focus of the film, they work wonders whenever they are present. Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain’s performances are another highlight, and their mysteriously dark, incestuous relationship adds real depth to the damaged psychology of their characters. Wasikowska’s Edith is a perfectly fine central character, but unfortunately does not get a whole lot to do other than wonder about the house at night and be taunted by the ghosts. The final act of the film is probably the strongest, as del Toro fills the first two acts with clever development and ghost sequences before letting all the violence, gore and revelations loose for the fantastic finale.
Crimson Peak is another great film from del Toro. For those expecting a full on horror film with ghosts and violence filling up the 2 hour run time, you will be disappointed. This clever gothic romance looks beautiful and haunting at the same time, and is probably his best since Pans Labyrinth.
First of all, I’m a huge del Toro fan. His Hellboy films are some of my favourite comic book films ever, Pacific Rim was a monstrous film with giant robots fighting it out with giant monsters, and Pans Labyrinth I hold to be the greatest film ever made. The visual aesthetic of Crimson Peak is stunning. Allerdale Hall itself is a real set, the costume design is wonderful and the ghosts are a fantastic blend of CGI and practical effects, and despite not being the main focus of the film, they work wonders whenever they are present. Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain’s performances are another highlight, and their mysteriously dark, incestuous relationship adds real depth to the damaged psychology of their characters. Wasikowska’s Edith is a perfectly fine central character, but unfortunately does not get a whole lot to do other than wonder about the house at night and be taunted by the ghosts. The final act of the film is probably the strongest, as del Toro fills the first two acts with clever development and ghost sequences before letting all the violence, gore and revelations loose for the fantastic finale.
Crimson Peak is another great film from del Toro. For those expecting a full on horror film with ghosts and violence filling up the 2 hour run time, you will be disappointed. This clever gothic romance looks beautiful and haunting at the same time, and is probably his best since Pans Labyrinth.
4/5
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