Where Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak lacks in originality, it makes up for with entertaining characters, solid performances, and an exquisite set piece.
If you go to see Crimson Peak for ghostly scares, you’ll be sadly disappointed—the film is more murder mystery than haunted horror (albeit a disturbing one), with the ghosts primarily playing second fiddle to our protagonist Edith’s (Mia Wasikowska) story. In the film’s reality, ghosts are not only real, but accepted to be real by a small scientific portion (similar to the Ghostbusters’ reality, only edged with a serious tone). Edith’s opening thoughts—“ghosts are real, this must I know”—is her reciting basic fact to the audience, rather than a world-changing discovery (similar to say, the okapi in our reality—which in 1887, the same time period Crimson Peak takes place, was believed by the scientific majority to be a cryptid). The ghosts play a small role here, warning Edith (in the creepiest way possible) about the dangers of Crimson Peak—the lone, Gothic mansion she eventually moves to.
If you go to see Crimson Peak for ghostly scares, you’ll be sadly disappointed—the film is more murder mystery than haunted horror (albeit a disturbing one), with the ghosts primarily playing second fiddle to our protagonist Edith’s (Mia Wasikowska) story. In the film’s reality, ghosts are not only real, but accepted to be real by a small scientific portion (similar to the Ghostbusters’ reality, only edged with a serious tone). Edith’s opening thoughts—“ghosts are real, this must I know”—is her reciting basic fact to the audience, rather than a world-changing discovery (similar to say, the okapi in our reality—which in 1887, the same time period Crimson Peak takes place, was believed by the scientific majority to be a cryptid). The ghosts play a small role here, warning Edith (in the creepiest way possible) about the dangers of Crimson Peak—the lone, Gothic mansion she eventually moves to.
Crimson Peak’s plot is blemished by its predictable mystery. The twists can be guessed way before their reveal, with character actions moving like clockwork to stereotypes from past stories. What prevents Crimson Peak from going frustratingly stale is its fun and engaging characters. Edith is a surprisingly effective combination of 90s feminism with Victorian era damsel, with a pleasantly notable detail being she wears reading glasses (something rarely, if ever, seen with Victorian female’s in cinema). Her father (Jim Beaver) has an impeccably stern yet caring attitude—an undoubtedly cool character who steals the spotlight whenever on screen. Sir Thomas Sharp (Tom Hiddleston) and his sister Lady Lucille Sharp (Jessica Chastain) are…totally not villains at all—yet if they were, would respectively be effortlessly charming and unapologetically malicious. These colorful characters are skillfully played by their actors, enough to draw attention away from their all too foreseeable actions.
Crimson Peak’s true saving grace however, is the title mansion itself. Crimson Peak is pure, creative eye-candy, uniquely designed using real material (as expected from del Toro). The mansion is brimming with creepiness, from the barren straightway leading to the towering home, to its zigzagging staircase haphazardly ascending in various directions. At day the mansion is softly illuminated through rose windows, while at night moon beans take the sun’s place. The entrance way contains a large circular center, a fractured ceiling above it. Leaves silently fall through the ceiling during autumn, while gentle snow replaces the leaves in winter—both adding to the mansion’s beautifully creepy ambience. Out on its barren fields, heavy snow stains red from the mansion’s underground clay, creating the illusion of blood (hence the name Crimson Peak). The mansion’s visuals are gorgeous, possessing traditional Gothic-horror styling equally beautiful and disturbing. Del Toro’s man-made creation is appealing enough for the price of admission—yet together with well-acted, colorful characters, Crimson Peak overcomes its flaws to be an enjoyably Gothic treat.
