From my favorite movies..

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I hate skipping plot summaries when I write one of these, but I think it's probably best when discussing Crimson Peak. The plot here isn't all that important. Crimson Peak is one of those "style over substance" movies. The plot takes a backseat to the cinematography, lighting, costumes, sets, special effects, and just about anything else you can list that makes a movie look good. And what plot there is in Crimson Peak is so filled with holes, I fear that dwelling on it will only make me like the movie less. I'll just say that the plot left me with more questions than it answered.If films are art, Crimson Peak belongs next to the Mona Lisa. It is one of the most stunning pieces of film I've ever seen. Every frame looks like a painting. I'm not sure I've seen a film this beautiful since I watched House of Flying Daggers over ten years ago. The colors, the shadows, the lights - gorgeous. My absolute favorite image (and I'm not alone based on what I've read across the internet) is the ceiling-less grand hall in the rotting great house. It's amazing. Another element that really helps the images come alive is the atmosphere. I may not care for Guillermo del Toro's plot, but there's not denying his skill as a director. He mastfully fills the film with atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Combine the atmosphere with the visuals and you end up with a movie I'm going to enjoy on some level despite its other flaws. The acting in Crimson Peak is hit or miss. Normally, I feel that Tom Hiddleston outshines his co-stars, Here, however, he's completely over-shadowed by Jessica Chastain. She acts circles around everyone else in the film. Her role is the smallest of the three main characters, but she dominates everything - even the scenes she's not in. Overall, if you're a fan of gothic romance/horror/mystery (although the horror elements don't come to much and the solution to the mystery is all too obvious) you owe it to yourself to check out his gorgeous film.

Wow, wow, wow, the visuals are awesome! Some scenes are scary as hell, with some really effective jump-scares. I absolutely loved the setting in the grand old decaying house. Jessica Chastain was excellent as the evil sister/spouse. The ghosts are a Del Toro trademark: brilliantly done as usual. This is a very classy horror fantasy and I enjoyed every moment.

As this gothic horror opens protagonist Edith Cushing tells us that ghosts are real; we see how the ghost of her mother warned her to 'beware of Crimson Peak'. Years pass and Edith meets Sir Thomas Sharpe, a baronet hoping her father will invest in his mining machinery. He soon starts to court Edith but breaks it off when her father confronts him with certain information that has come into his possession. Shortly afterwards her father is brutally murdered and Sir Thomas marries Edith. They leave America and return to Allerdale Hall, his home in England, along with his sister Lucille. Allerdale Hall was once impressive but now it is somewhat dilapidated; Lucille tells Edith that certain areas of house are too dangerous as she refuses to give her the house keys. Edith soon starts seeing more ghosts; clearly something very bad in the house once. Back in America the truth about Sir Thomas is learnt and family friend Dr Alan McMichael heads to England to save Edith; the question is whether or not he will get there in time.Coming from writer/director Guillermo del Toro it is hardly surprising that this is very stylish with chills taking priority over more obvious scary moments. Early on it is hard to tell whether Sir Thomas is charming or just a charmer and once the action moves to England it soon looks as though Edith has made a terrible mistake. There is a constant sense that something is wrong; not just when Edith sees some impressively grotesque ghosts... no slightly see-through people here! Everything looks very stylish; from Edith's vivid yellow dress to the deep red of the clay Allerdale Hall is built on. The cast does a fine job; Mia Wasikowska really impresses as Edith, a character who is both strong and vulnerable; Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain also impress as Sit Thomas and Lucille; keeping their characters ambiguous for much of the film. For the most part it is chilling rather than scary but there are shocking moments that are very violent and quite gory. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of gothic horror.

Crimson Peak (2015) is a Guillermo Del Toro film, which means it has a good chance of being high quality. Del Toro is famous for his acclaimed film, Pans Labrynth. There are good things this had going for it, the director of course, and also the very talented cast. The cast includes Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and more. They all played their roles well, special mention for Chastain, who gives a deliciously creepy, spot on performance as the suspicious sister in law. The plot is very intriguing and the advertisements really drew me in to watching it. I like how they executed the plot, for the most part at least. It has a nice build up, gives the characters some depth before just jumping straight into the scary/creepy stuff. But when the creepy stuff comes, it works. I liked that everything had a backstory, throughout most of the film you aren't really sure what all is happening, which is good, it builds suspense. Another big positive here are the visuals, they are just immaculate. The mansion, the snow, the ghosts.... I just really loved both the beautifully done production design and the creepy atmosphere that set the mood. The movie isn't a 10, but it is well done and it is one that I suggest. 8/10 for Crimson Peak.