Crimson Peak (2015)

I hate skipping plot summaries when I write one of these, but I think it's probably best when discussing Crimson Peak. The plot here isn't all that important. Crimson Peak is one of those "style over substance" movies. The plot takes a backseat to the cinematography, lighting, costumes, sets, special effects, and just about anything else you can list that makes a movie look good. And what plot there is in Crimson Peak is so filled with holes, I fear that dwelling on it will only make me like the movie less. I'll just say that the plot left me with more questions than it answered.If films are art, Crimson Peak belongs next to the Mona Lisa. It is one of the most stunning pieces of film I've ever seen. Every frame looks like a painting. I'm not sure I've seen a film this beautiful since I watched House of Flying Daggers over ten years ago. The colors, the shadows, the lights - gorgeous. My absolute favorite image (and I'm not alone based on what I've read across the internet) is the ceiling-less grand hall in the rotting great house. It's amazing. Another element that really helps the images come alive is the atmosphere. I may not care for Guillermo del Toro's plot, but there's not denying his skill as a director. He mastfully fills the film with atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Combine the atmosphere with the visuals and you end up with a movie I'm going to enjoy on some level despite its other flaws. The acting in Crimson Peak is hit or miss. Normally, I feel that Tom Hiddleston outshines his co-stars, Here, however, he's completely over-shadowed by Jessica Chastain. She acts circles around everyone else in the film. Her role is the smallest of the three main characters, but she dominates everything - even the scenes she's not in. Overall, if you're a fan of gothic romance/horror/mystery (although the horror elements don't come to much and the solution to the mystery is all too obvious) you owe it to yourself to check out his gorgeous film.

Crimson PeakIt is not easy to watch a ghost of a dead woman carrying her dead child dripping blood all over it and still despite of these horrific images, it is also filled with rich beauty in it; the candles, the horses, the fancy wardrobe clothes, everything stunning. Crimson Peak defines dedication of art love on the screen but there just isn't enough meat to rely on it and the one that feeds the film is not only predictable but seems to be stretched (especially its first act) into complicated relations just to fancy it up. Guillermo does his homework as always and fills the whole set with the finest details possible which may have left him a bit non-attentive on the whole course of it. The star cast is well formed, seems suited and does their work with all the conviction but still couldn't factor in to that level. Crimson Peak delivers justice to its genre that offers proper tone and palpable environment for the audience to be amazed and scared by it but what it lacks is a genuine reason and a proper soul.

This what I like to call 'your mom's horror movie'. It's a love story set in a previous century, there's some mystery but zero intrigue and occasionally you get some spooky (don't mistake for scary) scenes. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I don't think this movie deserves any less than a 6. It is a stylish little peace that leaves you with a slight feeling of melancholy as Del Toro's films tend to do.The story follows the Gothic novel formula: an old mansion, a family secret, some ghosts and romance. Apart from the hustle, it doesn't bring anything new to the table. In fact I think the story would've been much more entertaining if it focused more on the villains and their scheme instead of showing it to us from the victims point of view(because each step that the heroine takes is predictable). Ironically the antagonists turned out to be more interesting and developed characters compared to her.The design of the ghosts is actually pretty interesting. Sadly, they appear just for scares. The ghosts are merely metaphors just like it was stated in the begging of the movie. It would've been more interesting if they played some role story-wise like persuade the heroine to avenge their death by killing off the Sharpe siblings.Which leads me to the final problem I had with 'Crimson Peak'. It builds up as this stylish and refined horror but in the end Lucille gets killed off with a shovel to head like it's 'Evil Dead' or something and Edith even delivers a one-liner after wards. The part where she gets Lucille to turn around is silly. The whole scene is just comedic and out of place. So was the sex scene but I don't even wanna get into it. It would've been smarter if Edith fixed Lucille's tea and gave her a taste of her own medicine if you know what I mean.Despite it's flaws I liked the movie's appreciation of classic horror. The acting was good. I'm not really fond of Mia Wasikowska but the others were great and Mia looks good in vintage gowns. The use of color and texture keeps you focused on the screen from beginning to end. Most modern horror movies just make it as dark as possible and put a teal color filter on it. Some people compare its style to 'Suspiria' but I would say that it's much closer to Mario Bava's 'Blood and Black Lace' and the third episode of 'Black Sabbath'. You'll see not only the similarities in style but even where inspiration for the ghosts came from.

The lighting in this film is gorgeous, both adding to the atmosphere and implying subtle details about the characters. Cinematography is beautiful, with eerie and sinister props/settings. This really adds to the lighting effects. I loved the snow gracefully falling down the scenes. Costumes were suited to the time period and again adds to the atmosphere.Guillermo del toro crafts a suspenseful and scary tone, as I really became worried for the main character! The plot being really interesting as well. However, sometimes the main character can be quite naive, which sometimes becomes a little frustrating. But this may not bother some and probably represents the time period. A great watch for halloween or just in general!