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.
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…..
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.
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.
I agree with you that the film a bit slow and it lacks of horrors elements.
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Yep, I really had expected more of this film, but unfortunately it was not to be. Oh well, can’t win them all 😊
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If the main character herself is boring, then yeah the film has failed in a lot of aspects right there. Those screencaps look stunning though.
(And hey, a five! I think that’s lowest I’ve seen you score since I started following you 😀 )
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Yep, the character itself was already boring, but if the actress who portrays her also manages to not capture your attention/ engage you emotionally, than a movie is on the road towards doom. Haha, yes, I might still have given it to high a score though, but admittedly the grade is mostly for the incredible cinematography, as you can see by those screencaps 😊
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I have seen a few del Toro movies which I loved, notably Pans Labyrinth and The Devils Backbone. He really does justice to his imagination of creating such unique creatures and in this instance the ghosts and ghouls. I agree it was visually stunning from the beginning and seeing the horror movie Mama which I enjoyed, I was hoping for the same with this but I recently watched it in dissatisfaction.
Whilst the set is beautiful I really couldn’t engage with the relationship between Edith and Thomas. It felt awkward and the acting from Mia is always very odd but I have only seen her in Alice and Stoker which displays the same mundane look. It’s a great shame considering how magnificent it looks but a great review on it. ☺
” perhaps we only see things when the time comes for us to see them..”. ( Edith).
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Totally agree with you. I just could not get into this film. As you say the setting is absolutely stunning, and the beginning of the film was pretty good. But the relationship just simply put had no chemistry whatsoever. Mia almost displayed no emotion on her face. One of the scenes where this really was awkward was the time when she was alone in a corridor of the house, and that really creepy ghost came out of the floorboards. I could not tell if she was scared or anything 😂 But yeah, true, this could have been so much better. Oh well, perhaps in time, we get to see things as Edith says😉 (I’m not putting money on it though 😂)
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Being boring is the worst thing a movie or show can do. Too bad, since it does look visually beautiful from the pics.
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Yes, it really is an incredible movie to look at: one of the visually most beautiful films I have ever seen. Unfortunately that doesn’t make a film. But oh well, can’t win them all I guess 😀
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I agree with you! This film really has beautiful settings and beautiful costume. I am not a fan of horror story so I don’t mind not having scary scenes but yes, the story is a bit dull, especially through the ending. As always, great review! 🙂
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Thank you very much. Yes, it was a real shame, truly had high hopes forbthisfor movie 😦
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I enjoyed reading this! 🙂 I remember Guillermo del Toro mentioning that Crimson Peak is better viewed as a gothic romance than a horror film. Would that change your perspective in any way?
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It would, if there were any chemistry between the two leads. But that was the problem with this movie as well: there was simply no spark between those two. The lead character was simply very boring, and that made it hard to connect to her. I don’t mind romance stories in any way (saw Titanic 9 times at the cinema lol 😂😂), but this movie unfortunately did not bring it across. Being a fan of del Toro, this one just was not as good as all his other movies unfortunately 😦
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Ah, that’s a shame! Romance movies are dead in the water once there’s no chemistry between the leads.
I love del Toro too! Looking forward to seeing The Shape of Water. 😀
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You wrote about this film so beautifully! I have yet to watch it but still enjoyed reading your post!
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Thank you very much for the kind words: appreciate it 😀
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I agree with you on just about everything here (and I only say just about, because I can’t remember the sister being the best actress). Stunning effects, great cast, boring story. It reminds me of a film with Liam Neeson from the 90s or early 2000s called “The Haunting”. It also had stunning effects, but a forgettable storyline.
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Yep, that was another movie that stole about 2 hours of my life that I can’t get back lol 😂😂 It just goes to show, that only special effects and great settings don’t make a good movie 😀
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This seems like the perfect movie for me: too boring to be scary hahaha I feel safe watching it 😛
Great review, Michel! Too bad this one wasn’t to your liking. But hey, better ones will come 🙂
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Haha….well I promise you, you might even fall asleep when you are watching this one 😂😂 Yes, luckily there are still plenty of good movies heading our way. Thanks for the kind words again 😊
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Cool style, but not much of a story. Nice review.
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Just watched it – am a big fan of Del Toro – this one was too much of a melodrama – but well done.
Thanks for your review.
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Thank you for your comment, always appreciate it. Yes, it certainly wasn’t an awful movie, but being a big fan of Del Toro myself, I expected more from the movie. Still, there were a couple of things in it, that certainly made it worth the watch 😊
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