It’s been a while since haunted houses were the hype. This week I was invited to the promising Crimson Peak and it was promising. A great place to investigate your fears and the terror of the unknown and the past.
Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) are the elusive but grand owners of the old estate which is in decay. They need new blood. In the form of a young woman named Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska). She falls for Thomas and marries him, bringing her to Crimson Peak. But soon she finds herself haunted by figures, but it’s all in her head, right? Thomas and Lucille say that it’s just the weather clashing with the house, causing creepy sounds…
Though a little slow-paced, Crimson Peak is brilliantly made thanks to the king of modern horror and the weird Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim and Pan’s Labyrinth). The film honours gothic literature which has been slowly rising from its crypt. The horror is subtle with the ghosts or supernatural being metaphors for the past and they offer clues and warnings – they’re not there for kill you. The real horror comes from the humans and, living up to gothic fiction, a dark past that keeps the owners of the house tied to it. Edgar Allan Poe would’ve been proud.
The acting is incredible, especially from Jessica Chastain who twists her beautiful and elegant character into the tyrant (a stock character, usually male and middle-aged or female and middle-aged, in gothic) and surprisingly taking on the role of the scheming Victorian husband killing his new bride for her money instead of Thomas doing that – I do miss those evil matrons who keep the protagonists from leaving. Tom Hiddleston also makes his character so complex, making you question his allegiance. Mia Wasikowka breathes her Jane Eyre into Edith, portraying her as naive but not easily led.
Crimson Peak is an enjoyable watch, even if you’re not a fan of the dark, and it would leave you on the edge of your seat. Cold.
Fashion Industry Broadcast’s Rating: 8/10