Crimson Peak is such a gorgeous movie, which isn’t shocking given that it’s a Guillermo Del Toro film. His creature designs and overall artistic eye are things I really love about him. The ghosts in this movie are so rad-looking. A couple of years ago he released his Cabinet of Curiosities giving the world a look inside his notebooks and the way his brain works. It’s one of my favorite things to flip through. Anyway, I’m a huge fan of his, is what I’m saying (if you’re on Twitter, follow him for clever tweets and many many book, art, & film recommendations). As an enjoyer of the gothic fictions, when I heard he was planning this movie, I was so excited and immediately began wishing it would hurry up and exist already. AND he put Tom Hiddleston in it. Rawr. Expectations were high, and I was a leeeetle worried I’d be disappointed.
But huzzah, I was not. I mean, as plots go, it’s not exactly a huge mystery or complicated thing to figure out, but the plot does actually exist and is fine. It hits all the right notes for a gothic romance — creepy huge old house, check; handsome mysterious suitor, check; terrible family secret/mystery, check; feisty heroine, check; murder plots & ghosts, check & check. Fantabulous costuming, also check. I will have one of each of Jessica Chastain’s dresses, please and thank you. What makes it interesting and a bit different from what a lot of modern horror gives us is that Chastain and Mia Wasikowska are really the two main leads, with Hiddles taking a slight backseat as he’s caught between the two of them. These damsels have their moments of being distressed, but lean more towards distressing, because they have no problems fending for themselves, thank you very much.
Anyway, I’m out of time for bloggery but I’m trying to remember to blog, so this is what we get. It’s a beautiful looking film, perfectly cast (who are also beautiful looking…) and will slurp you happily into its mysterious world. And stabbings! There are some good and unique stabbings, too, if you’re into that sort of thing. Who isn’t, really?
megan frank. writer. weirdo. nerd. 