Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak is a sumptuous, sexy ghost story — but under its gorgeous exterior, there isn’t much meat on these bones.
Crimson Peak tells the story of Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), a dreamy, intelligent young American woman who believes that she can see ghosts. Edith aspires to literary accomplishments more than she does to marriage, but her resolve is rapidly undone when the handsome and mysterious Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) arrives in her life. As his austere sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) lurks in the background, Thomas and Edith court, and quickly marry.
But when she moves into the Sharpe’s rotting ancestral home, Edith finds that the life she anticipated is not the one she has married into. Allerdale Hall (dubbed “Crimson Peak” by the locals) hides horrifying and restless secrets — as do Thomas and Lucille. Edith’s curiosity leads her down a path of deadly discovery, that quickly becomes a fight for her own life, and everything she holds dear.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak revels in its Gothic sensibilities; Thomas and Lucille may be trying to hide their intentions, but the movie is not. Unapologetically sentimental, Crimson Peak delights in its own improbability, both natural and supernatural. Edith and Thomas proclaim their feelings with clock-like regularity, and Lucille sweeps about in a rustle of secrecy, wearing her creepiness like another fabulous costume.
This devotion to the Gothic genre isn’t necessarily bad (though the dialogue occasionally is) but the story of Crimson Peak doesn’t do it many favors. Edith’s adventures, and the truths she uncovers, are as convoluted and soapy as the most devoted Bronte-aspirant. Crimson Peak is a film that runs on atmosphere, and eventually, the fumes run out.
And for a horror film (particularly one by Guillermo del Toro) Crimson Peak is surprisingly tame. There are a few solid jumps, and the myriad ghosts won’t be anyone’s first choice for a roommate. But aside from a rather gory climax, the film is mostly interested in building the sense of a ghost story, rather than being one.
That said, the atmospheric construction is quite exceptional — and del Toro devotes every tool at his disposal into building that ephemeral element. Visually, Crimson Peak is a Gothic dream. The sets overflow with the grubby glamor of the 19th century, and the cinematography is utterly transportive. The costumes (by Kate Hawley) are so rich, fascinating, and detailed as to nearly act as characters by themselves.
The actors, too, throw everything they’ve got into this rather predictable tale. Wasikowska is dewey and wide-eyed, radiating an innocence that never contradicts Edith’s strength. She and Hiddleston have a kind of humming chemistry that provides one of Crimson Peak‘s strongest emotional elements, and offers an angle of elegant sexuality to the film.
Charlie Hunnam also stars as Edith’s devoted childhood suitor, but it’s Jessica Chastain who proves to be the most riveting element of the film. Her cold luminosity hides a fire as fascinating as it is repulsive; even Chastain’s stilted British accent can’t much reduce her powerful performance.
Whether or not you enjoy Crimson Peak will probably depend on how willing you are to lose yourself in its Gothic tropes. Those comfortable in the genre will find a romantic feast awaiting them at Allerdale Hall, but the skeptics among us might be better off skipping this darkly sudsy trip to the past.
Rating: B-
‘Crimson Peak’ is in theaters now.
Check out the trailer for the movie below:
