Crimson Peak

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Horror
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Mia Wasikowski) marries a mysterious, charismatic man (Tom Hiddleston) and goes to live with him at his estate. She soon learns there are secrets there that she was never meant to discover.

Review:

Tim: We don't get too many ghost stories in Hollywood anymore- at least not the old fashioned variety. Everything is about supernatural evil, rather than the ghost stories we were used to seeing in the past. Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak is a throwback to those films. I enjoyed the film for what it was. I've never been a huge del Toro fan- I think he's an average director. This movie is certainly a long cry from being great, but it's a solid effort and one of his better movies. All in all, I was fairly pleased with this movie.

The film is a period ghost story, which was refreshing since we don't get many of those today. Del Toro's strength has always been visuals, and the visuals are impressive here. The depictions of the ghosts were impressive- they were creepy and frightening and maintained those qualities, no matter how much screen time they got. That is a big problem with many horror movies today- the ghost or supernatural entity is shown only in quick shots, never allowing us to get a good look. That is creepy, but when the big reveal happens, what we see quickly loses its ability to frighten us. That is a major detriment, yet it never happens here. The visual depiction of the ghosts were eerie and disturbing every time they showed up on screen. That's a major achievement both for the movie and del Toro.

The cast was fairly good, although it could have been better. I'm still not sold on Mia Wasikowski. I think she's an okay actress, but she never really impresses me. She was fine here- she did enough to play the role well and got the audience to at least somewhat identify with her. However, I never loved her character or her performance. This movie would have been better with a stronger actress in the lead role. Representing the other end of the spectrum, Tom Hiddleston was excellent. He was made for these morally ambiguous roles- is he good, bad, or somewhere in between? I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. He's going to be a major star for a long time. Jessica Chastain was very strong, although I do wish she had more to do. She's such a talented actress and worked well in the role, but she's a bit underutilized here. I was shocked that I actually enjoyed Charlie Hunnam here. His wooden, forced acting in del Toro's Pacific Rim was one of that film's major issues. He actually gives a solid performance here. I don't know why that is, because he's working for same director, but it was one of the biggest pleasant surprises here. I still don't believe Hunnam is a great actor, but I didn't cringe at his performance here.

Del Toro does a good job of keeping the story moving. There's only a few lulls. In a movie that's two hours long (probably a good 10 minutes too long), it's a good thing that the movie never really feels like it drags. While it could have been tightened some, it's still an entertaining, enjoyable experience. The visuals certainly help and lend the movie an extra dose of atmospheric creepiness. The movie presents a decent mystery, which draws the audience in to discover the truth and what it will mean for the characters. While I never established a true emotional connection with any of the characters, I was intrigued to uncover how their stories would play out.

Movies like Crimson Peak can easily go astray and run off the rails. There's a long list of similar movies that just fell apart. For Guillermo del Toro to deliver a period horror movie about ghosts and provide us with an entertaining, spooky, fun time is a big win. While I certainly wish the movie was more effective, my complaints are fairly minimal. I'm still not convinced del Toro deserves the praise many give him, but this is among the top 3 of his movies I've seen. For that, I'd consider Crimson Peak a win.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Others, Pacific Rim, Pan's Labyrinth