Crimson Peak

A seriously disappointing misfire, Crimson Peak follows Mia Wasikowska’s Edith Cushing as she falls for a mysterious stranger (Tom Hiddleston’s Thomas Sharpe) and agrees to live with him (and his sister) in an opulent, remote estate – with complications ensuing once it becomes clear that the three characters are not alone in the aforementioned home. It’s clear immediately that filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is going for the feel of an old-school and unapologetically gothic horror flick, as Crimson Peak boasts an admittedly eye-popping visual sensibility that’s reflected in both the incredible sets and lush cinematography. The deliberate pace is, in the movie’s early stages, employed to positive effect by del Toro, with the director’s attention to (and emphasis on) small details ensuring that the narrative grows more and more absorbing as time progresses. It’s rather disappointing to note, then, that Crimson Peak takes a marked downturn as the action moves to Sharpe’s lavish estate, as del Toro and Matthew Robbins’ screenplay emphasizes Edith’s exploits in and around the house, as well as her eventual investigation into its secrets, to increasingly stagnant effect – with the movie’s supernatural elements faring just as poorly due to an overuse of computer-generated effects (ie they’re just not scary). And although the climax does possess a vitality that’s otherwise missing from the entirety of the second act, Crimson Peak, past a certain point, fizzles out to a degree that’s nothing short of unforgivable – which is disappointing, to be sure, given the massive potential of the film’s opening stretch.

** out of ****