By Sammi Schenkel, Staff Reporter.
I was in the mood for a dark tale, so I decided to see the new Guillermo del Toro film. He’s most famous for his interpretation of “Pan’s Labyrinth” (not the David Bowie “Labyrinth”). The film centers mainly on ghosts and mystery. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is an aspiring writer in the 1840s. When she is working on her current manuscript, she meets a mysterious man named Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and the local physician Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam) who both love Edith. Sir Thomas Sharpe sweeps her off her feet as he pitches to her father despite her father’s ill feelings toward him. Due to a course of events, Edith moves to England with Sir Thomas Sharpe and his sister Lucille. The rest is all a tale of love, ghosts and unforeseen circumstances.
The film was done very well, it was marketed as horror but wasn’t fear inducing in the slightest. The cinematography was excellent. For example, as Edith walks around the estate, Allerdale Hall the lighting enhances the eerie vibe by using yellows, reds, greens, to creative vibes throughout the mansion. With the cast that includes Hiddleston, Hunnam, Chastain Crimson Peak was well acted with everyone in appropriate roles. It was refreshing to see Jessica Chastain playing an evil sister. From Hunnam’s brotherly best friend role that was hitting all beats it should. Hiddleston and Chastain made a great brother-sister duo of evil. They both played off each other so well, by both remaining cold and manipulative. It was really the Victorian mise-en-scene of all the sets, costuming, make-up, and all that goes into that really sold the film and put you into their world. I found the attention to detail to be one of the best qualities.
Crimson Peak in more things than not was well done. For a Halloween season film, it really didn’t do much for me in terms of storyline. It just wasn’t enough compared to the rest of the elements involved. The cast and Guillermo del Toro’s storytelling helped make it more interesting and brought the story to life in a fun way. I had hoped it’d be a bit more heart-racing but was a fairly middle of the road gothic romance story. I wish it had more depth and complexity in plot.
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