bastianlucenzo
Best scenery, best production, best actress, best music... Must watch this movie.. The best horror moviessssssssssssssss...
Tweekums
As this gothic horror opens protagonist Edith Cushing tells us that ghosts are real; we see how the ghost of her mother warned her to 'beware of Crimson Peak'. Years pass and Edith meets Sir Thomas Sharpe, a baronet hoping her father will invest in his mining machinery. He soon starts to court Edith but breaks it off when her father confronts him with certain information that has come into his possession. Shortly afterwards her father is brutally murdered and Sir Thomas marries Edith. They leave America and return to Allerdale Hall, his home in England, along with his sister Lucille. Allerdale Hall was once impressive but now it is somewhat dilapidated; Lucille tells Edith that certain areas of house are too dangerous as she refuses to give her the house keys. Edith soon starts seeing more ghosts; clearly something very bad in the house once. Back in America the truth about Sir Thomas is learnt and family friend Dr Alan McMichael heads to England to save Edith; the question is whether or not he will get there in time.Coming from writer/director Guillermo del Toro it is hardly surprising that this is very stylish with chills taking priority over more obvious scary moments. Early on it is hard to tell whether Sir Thomas is charming or just a charmer and once the action moves to England it soon looks as though Edith has made a terrible mistake. There is a constant sense that something is wrong; not just when Edith sees some impressively grotesque ghosts... no slightly see-through people here! Everything looks very stylish; from Edith's vivid yellow dress to the deep red of the clay Allerdale Hall is built on. The cast does a fine job; Mia Wasikowska really impresses as Edith, a character who is both strong and vulnerable; Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain also impress as Sit Thomas and Lucille; keeping their characters ambiguous for much of the film. For the most part it is chilling rather than scary but there are shocking moments that are very violent and quite gory. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of gothic horror.
benjaminweber
This film is visually amazing. Anyone familiar with some of Del Toro's other work will see a lot of his signature visual touches, which is far from being a bad thing, and the design of the ghosts was refreshingly innovative and blended into the overall visual style. The plot is interesting once it gets going, however slightly predictable. Sadly, there are some noticeable downsides. The most obvious one is how slowly this film starts, with seemingly very little happening for the first twenty or so minutes. The focus is very heavily on the plot, and while some characters are developed more slowly because it ties in with the plot, others can feel underdeveloped. When this is combined with the slow start, it makes the first part of this film fairly boring. Some of the chronology of this film can seem slightly strange as well, when scrutinised. However, despite its faults, this is still a good film and worth watching. 7/10
Linda Leeb
Take a whole lotta Jane Eyre, including some lines lifted almost verbatim; mix in some Fall of the House of Usher; wrap it in amazing, gorgeous sets and costumes; throw in some good actors, including one stunning beauty (Jessica, with a dodgy English accent) and one who actually played Jane Eyre (Mia); and voila, you have... a great looking, plodding mish-mash of gothic themes and images but no core or center. It is interminable. The plot could have been good, but it just goes on and on and on. After a while, the ghosts are a big yawn. It starts pretty well, while we have a plucky heroine. Much is made of her writing, but eventually this just disappears into the cold, red sludge, along with all her personality. I kept thinking, this looks amazing, I love gothic stuff, I adore Jane Eyre, I really liked Del Toro's previous work, so why is this totally failing to engage me? I really wanted to like this. But it's definitely a "meh" from me.
AD
