Review of Crimson Peak (2015) by Prashun — 26 Oct 2015

I don't really care much for horror but this movie is made by Guillermo Del Toro who is a genius when it comes to visual imagery and it was promoted as a Gothic Romance film with horror elements ala Francis Ford Copolla's underrated gem Dracula.

This movie completely delivers on the visual front, the set designs are gorgeous, the high production values can be seen in every shot and every frame of the film, the house at Crimson Peak is so vibrant and a treat for the eyes.

The story and the plot are not the strong points of this film and it's a problem which always haunts Del Toro's films, a bit predictable and cliched. The movie has four prominent characters, Mia Wasikowska is the main lead who marries Tom Hiddleston and portrays the usual victim/detective in the horror film and serves as the audience's eyes and ears in the film, Charlie Hunnam is there for plot reasons and does nothing special in the film, Tom Hiddleston is great in this film, he portrays the handsome and charming but mysterious Thomas Sharpe who is torn between the love for his sister and his new wife; Jessica Chastain is the best thing in this film, she plays a Lady Macbeth type of a character and is constantly involved in a power struggle of sorts with the new woman in her brother's life.

Siblings often hint of an incestuous relationship which is again a very interesting angle in the film. The chemistry is great as well and Jessica Chastain after how underused she was in The Martian proves why she is one of the best working female actors.

However in the end the film got a bit too predictable but the climax was very good, I have watched worse movies in the same genre thought it was a decent time pass.