Director Guillermo del Toro has over the years given us a whole number of great movies in a lot of different genres. From the visually impressive superhero movie Hellboy, to the scifi action blockbuster Pacific Rim, he seems to be able to handle any genre he can lay his hands on. The horror movie is another type of film he usually excels at. That is why I was really looking forward to the movie Crimson Peak, which seemed to be a good oldfashioned ghost story.

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In Crimson Peak we meet the girl Edith Cushing, who is able to see ghosts. A gift she would rather do without, as at a very young age she gets a visit by the ghost of her dead mother. She warns Edith to beware of Crimson Peak. Years later, when Edith has grown up and has become an aspiring writer, she meets a mysterious stranger. The man introduces himself as Thomas Sharpe, and it is not long after that Edith finds herself falling in love with him. After a terrible tragedy, Edith travels together with Thomas to his family home. But the house is old, very old, and has some terrible secrets that should have remained buried. Edith is about to find out what the warning of her mother meant, but it may already be too late…..

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If I could name one thing that makes this movie worth watching it is the visual aspects of it. The cinematography, costumes and set designs are absolutely breathtaking. As this is a period piece, del Toro manages to capture the timeframe perfectly and in that regard the movie is a feast for your eyes. Unfortunately the movie itself was a bitter disappointment. Despite containing terrific actors such as Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston, I found this film to be utterly boring. The movie starts off very well, but after that just settles into a very slowpaced film, that failed to keep my attention.

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As this is a horrormovie I expect to be scared, well at least for a bit. Even though there were a couple of interesting scenes, they were just not enough and too far in between for me to become truly terrified. As far as acting goes, most of the actors did a fine job, most notably Jessica Chastain. She played the part of the sister of Thomas, a very chilling woman that at times truly gave me the creeps. The lead role of Edith, played by actress Mia Wasikowska was a character that was seriously boring. I really did not care what happened to her either way, and that ofcourse is usually not a very good sign. I honestly had expected more of this film. With a cast containing such good actors, and a director that can really do better, I had high hopes for this one. Alas, it was not to be. If you like haunted house movies, you can definitely find better ones out there.

I give Crimson Peak a 5 out of 10 score.