Review of Crimson Peak (2015) by Dirigiblepulp — 24 Jul 2016

A rapturous, beautiful, old-world Gothic romance. It's stunning to behold; Del Toro understands the power of fairy tale and fable more than almost anyone alive. He can conjure horror and beauty in equal measure, without every sacrificing his clarity of vision. He's one of the few modern filmmakers who actually understands CGI dissonance; he is able to use special and digital effects in a rhythmic way that never really separates the mind from the material.

It's too bad the plot isn't more original. It feels like a part of the Gothic canon but not necessarily an essential part of it; that is, if it had been made during Gothic's heyday we probably wouldn't consider it vital (at least from a literature perspective). It's defining features are it's visual beauty, it's creator's utmost passion and it's timely originality; there hasn't been anything quite like it in a long while.