Rating: B-
Beware of del Toro.
Over the weekend, Guillermo del Toro debuted his highly anticipated horror movie “Crimson Peak”, earning just $13.1 million in the U.S. and $13.6 million overseas, to the disappointment of even the most pessimistic of box office predictions. But that doesn’t mean moviegoers should tip-toe around the visually stimulating masterpiece that dazzled the viewers who dared venture into yet another bizarre world created by del Toro.
Like other horror movie fans, I was initially disappointed in the story line of “Crimson Peak,” which featured fewer scares than I was led to believe existed with the trailer. In fact, the trailer showed almost every single terror to haunt the screen during the 119-minute thriller, but that doesn’t mean del Toro should be discredited for what’s actually a surprise on the big screen.
The first part of the movie takes place in 19th century Buffalo, New York, where aspiring young author Edith Cushing, played by Mia Wasikowska, lives with her aristocratic father, played by Jim Beaver (Supernatural fans will know him as Bobby Singer). Edith is the heir of her father’s self-made fortune. After family tragedy strikes, Edith runs away to Northern England to marry handsome but somewhat vampiric outsider Sir Thomas Sharpe, played by Tom Hiddleston.
It takes a long time for the titular estate to actually become a focal point of the movie, but when it does, it does not disappoint. As del Toro has stated in previous interviews, the house has a life of its own. The open hole in the ceiling of the manor exposes inside patrons to the elements, red clay oozes from the floor boards and sometimes the walls of the house and the electrical elevator, which represents the heart of the manor, deposits Edith on whatever floor it wants. One cannot forget to that mention the nickname of the house is “Crimson Peak” due to the red clay underneath the house. But, far more than the house, it is its beautiful yet terrifying patrons that haunt Edith from the moment she’s carried over the threshold.
The most chill-inducing and noteworthy role in the movie belongs to Jessica Chastain, who plays Sir Thomas Sharpe’s sister, Lady Lucille Sharpe. Lady Lucille definitively outperforms all of the the other actors, ironically, with her lack of emotion. Del Toro himself can only count three times in the movie where Chastain’s character blinks. Lady Lucille becomes increasingly cold and controlling toward Edith after she arrives at the house, despite being overtly affectionate toward her brother, Sir Thomas.
The predictable plot is also not something from which to shy away. If you’re familiar with the del Toro style (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), it’s anything but conventional. “Crimson Peak” was obviously written in a semi-satirical setting reflecting the genre style of the gothic period.
Del Toro warned critics beforehand that the movie is not a gothic horror, but rather a gothic romance with some horror mixed in. From complex character developments to outstanding wardrobe choices, it is obvious the movie was not intended to enter theaters as a cheap scare to earn quick bucks. Unlike the seemingly never-ending low budget line of Paranormal Activity movies being pumped into theaters across the country, “Crimson Peak” gives viewers a thought provoking romance laced with cringe-worthy gore that would earn the respect of many horror aficionados.
