Crimson Peak

Gothic horror movie should, by its very nature, contain elements of romance, as well as Gothic novel should contain elements of horror. There is no doubt about that. But this ration must be well-balanced, whether in favor of horror movie with elements of romance or the other way around. Which is exactly where Toro fails. He took half-and-half approach and so it's neither a dog nor a cat, but a kind of hybrid covering two genres, which does not work very well in either department and the ending of "intense snowy Kill Bill final" is not appropriate in terms of genre rules. Audio-visuals are highlighted too much and it lacks a decent story line (it would hardly be enough for a short story), atmosphere, mystery, pace or just a hint of tension between the characters. If del Toro wanted to make the Gothic subgenre more interesting for today's youth, he did not pick his battle very wisely. If his intention was a traditional movie of this subgenre, then he failed terribly. If he tried to pay tribute to Hammer’s horror movies, he did exactly the opposite in a very disrespectful way. In any case, we must admit that the aforementioned audio-visual side of things is really impressive (except for the horrible CGI nonsense...I mean, ghosts and I do not think that in the gothic genre movie it needs to be so obvious) and along with the cast that does their best, is the only thing that makes it bearable. (10/15/2015)

I'm not at all surprised that Stephen King likes Crimson Peak so much. It is based on the idea that he so often and gladly promotes (and which was most recently used in the similarly great Dream House), namely that supernatural beings are often the last thing we should fear. Much worse are simply the living flesh-and-blood people. Guillermo del Toro made this romantic horror drama with great clarity. Visually, it is something beautiful (especially the bright colors are very refreshing in this genre, but all the period costumes are a joy to look at as well), in the quiet conversational scenes I was really interested in who was saying what to whom and why, and in the harsher to rough scenes (which the film is definitely not afraid of, see especially the sink and the heart attack ending) I was as tense as a string. In short, everything as it should be, including the performances of the main trio of actors, of which I must once again highlight the amazing Jessica Chastain. Well, we should. And now the third Hellboy, please. (10/15/2015)

Del Toro's cold visual exhibition lacks any narrative innovation or moment of surprise. If it was a random, budding filmmaker, we would no doubt be impressed by the arrangement and depth of the shots or the disturbing visual symbolism, but in the case of the renowned Guillermo, I find it reprehensible that he has wasted his formidable talent on a subject so generic and accessible. Moreover, the crossover between historical realism and ghost horror doesn't work 100%, and in a story where the main evil is represented by humans and their greed, the ghostly interludes feel slightly out of place, even though they are the ones where del Toro vehemently displays his unique imagery. Next time, master, be wiser when choosing a project. 65% (03/08/2016)

Guillermo del Toro can create an atmosphere and a beautiful scenery; you can’t deny that with any of his movies. But the flow of storytelling can sometimes be an issue and it doesn’t let his movies be perfect experiences.For the first 50 minutes, I thought I’d die of the worst possible movie boredom. It wasn’t until Mia found out that she was on Crimson Peak that it all started to get good. Especially since the atmosphere of the house itself began to show. I must admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen two completely different movie halves. While the first half of the movie is awfully boring, the second half is what makes the movie worth watching. (11/04/2016)

Even after all these years, a rewatch of Crimson Peak didn't disappoint — it still holds its grip on me. It's an intriguing blend of supernatural horror and thriller with a psychopathic serial killer. The creators put effort into crafting a disturbing atmosphere without relying solely on cheap scares. Most importantly, the story was engaging and coherent. The only real downside for me was Mia Wasikowska. She's just not my type, leaving me to ponder why I found her appealing in this role. There must be some intangible quality about her, but I'll never quite know for sure. The casting for both the villains and heroes was spot on, their characters felt lifelike, and everything was written and filmed quite well. So, even on a second viewing, I remained satisfied and didn't feel the need to lower my original rating. / Lesson learned: If you believe in ghosts, maybe steer clear of England. (06/04/2022)