Crimson Peak (Blu-ray / DVD)
Ted Hentschke
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Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Distributed by Universal Home Entertainment
Love needs to stop being a justification for plot. That sentence right there might out me as “not the audience” for Crimson Peak, which might be right. If droll, nonsensical, juvenile assumptions of true love represent the audience you mean, then I wholeheartedly agree that I am not immature enough to fall into that category. If you are talking about someone who just appreciates a good love story, then you’d be mistaken, for I have a heart as easily melted by true love and romance as any who still dreams of one day finding that special someone who pisses us off less than everyone else.
I feel bad not liking Crimson Peak since my particular special someone who pisses me off the least really likes this movie. And hey, I’m there with her about 40% of the way. The visual design of Crimson Peak is nothing short of a masterpiece. They basically built a house on set to capture all of the shots, and the effort pays off in spades. The visual motifs of the moths, clay, and hallways are the stuff of film student dreams executed with the precision and craft of a true filmmaker. The costumes are sharp, with colors reflecting the souls and roles of the wearer. Many films far better respected have half the talent constructing echoing images and maybe a quarter with color palettes.
I haven’t even mentioned the ghosts. My god, the ghosts are transcendentally beautiful. Horror incarnate, torture in form, the spirits that haunt Allerdale Hall are magnificent. Del Toro has always had a knack for the macabre that rivals any master of horror, and the way he brings a haunting to life is unmatched. If you have yet to see this film, do it just for the ghosts. The menacing ethereal horror of Devil’s Backbone is finally fully realized. It’s the natural evolution of an art already assumed perfected, an expression of dread and wonder that del Toro keeps evolving on. It’s a pinnacle and promise of future brilliance in one.
Unfortunately, that is where my praise ends. As a story, I found Crimson Peak to be predictable and stupid. The basic structure is fundamentally graspable, but any depth beyond that is a reflection of the viewer. As the film stands, it’s insipid. Explaining why will require a brief period of spoilers, so indulge me for the next few paragraphs if you will. Otherwise, please skip the reserved section.
*Hark, M’Lady, A Spoiler Approaches!*
Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) is a strong, independent woman who don’t need no man. Unfortunately, she was also born in the late 1800’s, where not needing no man was not really an option. A struggling writer, she constantly hides her femininity behind veils, isolation, and a typewriter. All she wants is to be respected, not just as a woman, but as a human being. She has no time or interest in love. That is, until sexy and sly English baronet Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) comes to her home town of Buffalo, New York, seeking investors. Using the power of the waltz and his superior English vocabulary, he whisks her away in marriage to his estate in England.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Edith learns that Thomas and his sister, Lucille Sharpe (Chastain), make a habit of marrying women of wealth and murdering them. Since most of this is learned through the intervention of ghosts, Edith is startled and afraid for a lot of this process. During this time, she is being slowly poisoned by Lucille, who’s none too happy that Thomas seems to be falling for Edith. Turns out they are sibling/lovers! Oh man, that would be such a reveal if the obvious jealousy and sexual tension wasn’t boiling over for the entire film.
Lucille is the murderous fangs to Thomas’ spiderweb. He pulls them in, she poisons them, and then stabs/bludgeons/cleaves people as needed. Abused as children, Lucille always protected Thomas from physical violence. When her mother found out about their incestuous love, she killed her to hide the secret. Since they already started killing, might as well keep doing it, so they begin a life of luring in lonely women and killing them for their nice stuff.
*Fret No More, My Gentle Dove, For Spoilers Assail Us No Longer*
So even if you didn’t read word for word the previous few paragraphs, you can scroll and see that it is a scant three paragraphs. I left a few points out, but that pretty accurately describes a two-hour film. I mean, it shouldn’t describe a two-hour film, but unfortunately in this case it does. Crimson Peak is an agonizing two hours of slow, predictable reveals stringing along a plot that everyone predicted twenty minutes in. The moment that Thomas and Lucille are confronted by Edith’s father, Carter (Jim Beaver), you can guess what’s going on. After that, it’s a slow, plodding waltz to the end.
Much of this could have been forgiven if I understood the characters’ motivations. This is what I mean when I say that “love has to stop being a justification for plot.” I have no idea why Thomas and Edith are so madly in love. They have basically nothing in common. Aside from a few nice words of encouragement that any normal friend would give you, they have no chemistry. There’s no burning passion bringing them together other than that the plot says so. Neither of them has great heroic or nurturing moments to draw their counterpart in, nor any kind of grand heroic characteristics to fawn over. All I could come up with is that Thomas is British and Edith is sweet. That’s not enough motivation to give up your entire life for. That shit is stupid.
The character I ended up sympathizing with the most is Lucille. Sure, she’s nuts, but at least she has reason to be nuts. That’s called characterization. It’s what characters in a story should have. Take note of that next time before writing roles as “dreamboat” or “the good girl.”
There’s only so much you can dislike a movie with Crimson Peak’s visual prowess. By God if I don’t push that line right up to the border. I don’t hate Crimson Peak. As a film, it’s fine. As a work of visual art, it’s incredible. I just hated the storytelling. Del Toro once again shows he is the modern master of visual horror. He fails at making a capable love story.
For people that like the film, the special features are a great way to further explore the best elements of Crimson Peak. The few featurettes are all pretty standard behind-the-scenes interviews, but the glimpse they provide into del Toro’s creative process is well worth it. I had no idea they actually built the whole house as a set for the film, nor that the ghosts were a combination of CGI and practical effects. I generally assume that half of symbolism in film is made up as an afterthought to appeal to a more snooty/cerebral crowd, but del Toro’s attention to detail is beyond reproach. It wasn’t anything super fun, but it did give me some better insight into what I considered the best parts of the film.
Special Features Exclusively on Blu-ray:
- I Remember Crimson Peak: A series of interviews with director Guillermo del Toro and his standout cast: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain.
- A Living Thing: An army of artisans was amassed to construct the Sharpe mansion on North America’s largest soundstage. Witness first-hand and in great detail the construction of Del Toro’s most elaborate set to date.
- A Primer on Gothic Romance: Employing his encyclopedic knowledge and passion for the genre, Guillermo del Toro traces the lineage of Gothic romance in cinema. Using Crimson Peak as the basis, Del Toro outlines the history of cinematic terror and illuminates the differences between traditional scares and elevated horror.
- Crimson Phantoms: Del Toro’s approach to make-up effects is discussed by award-winning effects house DDT. In this piece they offer an exclusive look inside their workshop, where they deconstruct the creation of the film’s most disturbing prosthetic effects. The discussion delves into the mythology of these elegant creatures and how Del Toro’s belief in the supernatural informed the design and narrative of the ghosts.
- Hand Tailored Gothic: Costume designer Kate Hawley unravels her collaboration with Del Toro and reveals the symbolism constantly at play in the wardrobe’s design.
Blu-ray and DVD Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
- The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak offers a stylized turn of the century with carefully crafted visuals that provide the perfect backdrop for Del Toro’s brand of psychological horror. Follow the phases of production to discover a booming America and a dark and removed England portrayed with a multi-layered sophistication unlike any seen in recent cinema.
- Beware of Crimson Peak: Tom Hiddleston (Sir Thomas Sharpe) offers a walking tour of the many secret spaces in Allerdale Hall.
- Feature Commentary with co-writer and director Guillermo Del Toro
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
