Crimson Peak (2015) - Review

A film that is more beautiful than it has any right to, mildly losing its balance when it takes a plunge into the ghost and horror element near the end; a far more interesting Gothic parable than expected.

As far as Guillermo Del Toro is concerned, I will see anything he makes. Even if I find one of his films, uneven or lacking big ideas, which a lot do, there’s usually enough interesting things sandwiched in to like. He’s one of the most versatile filmmakers working, making passion projects that are small and character-driven, and then follow it up by making something gaudy and big like Pacific Rim---an excuse, I expect, to gather enough money to produce a smaller, more personal film the year after. And being late to the party on this film, most of my friends saying it is “fine,” I had low expectations.

A local art-house theater highlighting Del Toro films was screening the film for a final day this week, and even though the reputation of Crimson Peak is less than stellar, I decided to give it a shot on a bigger screen, expecting to get more out of it there than the confines of my home. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much there is to love.

Mia Wasikowska plays Edith Cushing, a 19th century aspiring writer in Buffalo, New York. Her father is a wealthy industrialist, but she wants make a name for herself with a story she’s writing that people dismiss as a “ghost story” despite her struggle to explain there’s more to find if they took the time to read on. A man from across the Atlantic, Thomas Sharpe (Thomas Hiddleston) who is showcasing a machine to Edith’s father, is immediately disliked and rejected by him. Edith, however, finds Sharpe charming, falls in love with him and follows him to his family estate Alderdale Hall, a creaky and crumbling home referred to by locals as Crimson Peak due to the red clay foundation it sits upon.  Sharpe’s more unbalanced sister Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain) is cold and unwelcoming to Edith, seeing her as an intruder, and as the days pass ghosts begin to surface, clawing above the red clay from beneath the home, and screaming of a sinister past. Suspicious intentions by both Sharpe and his sister are unearthed as Edith investigates and wades deeper into the buried secrets within the walls of Crimson Peak.

While the argument could be made that Crimson Peak definitely loses its narrative footing when it crosses into horror full-stop, there is so much to enjoy from this film in its Gothic architecture and story that it is very difficult for me to dismiss it as a lesser work, as there is such a clear effort from the production and costume designers that far bigger films have little inklings. The Gothic atmosphere, the clear influence in color palette reminiscent of Italian horror films (Dario Argento's Suspiria came to mind throughout) was so gorgeous and expertly crafted,  invoking moody, wonderful set-pieces. Visuals alone, the film is worth a watch; but it has a lot more going for it beneath the surface, and isn’t as icy or wooden as viewers say it is.

Admittedly, the story is shelved behind the cinematography; and the dialogue can be overbearing at times to where I could see why some viewers may cringe or roll their eyes. But the film’s period setting allowed that to be ignored and kept me engaged, never throwing my interest overboard. The clear effort in every frame overshadows  these minor problems, plucking the film out of a sloppy amalgamation beyond repair. Edith is a strong female character that has things to do, never feeling like a victim swept up by circumstances that other films in the genre tread heavily. Wasikowska gives a strong performance that is believable and sympathetic in the face of the internal and external demons. Hiddleston is a charming, sinister con man that has a complexity beneath the surface that is compelling and Chastain hams it up without being overwrought as his mentally inept sister, chewing the scenery in fun ways. The ending may be the weakest portion, perhaps because of Charlie Hunnam who is giving the weakest performance in the film, but the step into interesting territory far more than the recent The Shape of Water kept me  immersed into this gorgeous, terrifying world.

Perhaps Crimson Peak suffers being chained to the audience’s expectations. Those who desire a straight horror film won’t be pleased, and those who expect a Gothic Romance will be disappointed as well. It fuses the two genres together, and does so in less-than-desirable results at times. It works for me as a fairytale, a ghost story, something I would love to listen to as a child before bed. Expertly crafted and visualized in ways that only Del Toro can, if you have the chance to see it in a theater I highly recommend doing so. (8/10)