“Crimson Peak” directed by Guillermo del Toro was released in 2015, yet has just been added to Netflix’s collection. I had my eye on this movie for a while — almost six years to be exact. The macabre and beautiful Victorian-gothic style of the film piqued my interest all those years ago. Sadly, I did not have the chance to watch it when it was first released. Once I saw it was being added to Netflix, I was extremely excited to see if it was worth the wait.
In one word. Yes.
In Buffalo, New York, aspiring writer Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is the daughter of wealthy entrepreneur Carter Cushing (Jim Beaver). While typing her manuscript, she meets the charming English baronet Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) who came to America with his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) to try to get an investment in his invention. Turned down by Edith’s father, Thomas decides to stay a while longer as he soon becomes interested in Edith. Soon the two fall in love, and not long after Edith’s father mysteriously dies, they get married. Edith is swept away to Thomas’s estate, leaving her home behind her. Unbeknowst to her, she has stumbled into a dark, twisted world of blood and secrets.
“Crimson Peak” is hauntingly beautiful and deeply twisted. The world that Gullermo del Toro created was visually breathtaking and the attention to detail made the film all the more joyus. From the costumes to the architecture, every aspect of the movie was truly captivating.
Aside from the alluring aspect of the gothic film, the plot was just spectuacluar — in a dark and twisted way of course. Even though at times the plot twists could be predicted, it did not spoil the enjoyment of the film.
And the ghosts! What I loved about this film was that, as Edith puts it, “it’s more a story with a ghost in it. The ghost [are] just a metaphor for the past.” She mentions this in the beginning of the movie as she is defending her work, saying that her story is not a ghost story, but a story with a ghost. This one line can be seen illustrated throughout the film as the ghosts are not the evil-doers like one may expect. Rather, the ghosts are helpful to Edith as they guide her to solve the mysteries of the Sharpe siblings.
It was refreshing to watch a movie depict ghosts as benevolent rather than malicious. Even though their appearances are grotesque and terrifying, they are just looking out for Edith. Yet the truly sinister and heinous creatures are what look beautiful.
“Crimson Peak” was full of tragedy, beauty and horror in a way that was unexpected. Where I was expecting a horror film full of vicious ghosts, I was given a story of how monstrous human beings can be. The past can truly be haunting, and del Toro illustrated that wonderfully.
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