Crimson Peak (2015)

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds - and remembers.

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers:

Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins

Stars:

Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston

2 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mia Wasikowska	...	Edith Cushing
Jessica Chastain	...	Lucille Sharpe
Tom Hiddleston	...	Thomas Sharpe
Charlie Hunnam	...	Dr. Alan McMichael
Jim Beaver	...	Carter Cushing
Burn Gorman	...	Holly
Leslie Hope	...	Mrs. McMichael
Doug Jones	...	Edith's Mother / Lady Sharpe
Jonathan Hyde	...	Ogilvie
Bruce Gray	...	Ferguson
Emily Coutts	...	Eunice
Alec Stockwell	...	Finlay
Brigitte Robinson	...	Secretary Jane
Gillian Ferrier	...	Society Girl
Tamara Hope	...	Society Girl

Storyline

Edith Cushing's mother died when she was young but watches over her. Brought up in the Victorian Era she strives to be more than just a woman of marriageable age. She becomes enamored with Thomas Sharpe, a mysterious stranger. After a series of meetings and incidents she marries Thomas and comes to live with him and his sister, Lady Lucille Sharpe, far away from everything she has known. The naive girl soon comes to realize not everything is as it appears as ghosts of the past quite literally come out of the woodwork. This movie is more about mystery and suspense than gore.

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Plot Keywords:

incest | knife | ghost | haunted mansion | blood | 

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Taglines:

Beware

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence, some sexual content and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Haunted Peak

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,143,310 (USA) (16 October 2015)

Gross:

$31,056,945 (USA) (20 November 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Legendary Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though the house was built in its entirety, it had to be torn down at the end of the shoot in order to make space in the studio.

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Goofs

At the reception, when Edith and Thomas are about to Waltz, Edith asks "Why are we doing this?" she is clearly saying something else.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Edith Cushing: [narrating] Ghosts are real. This much I know. The first time I saw one I was 10 years old. It was my mother's. Black cholera had taken her. So Father ordered a closed casket, asked me not to look. There were to be no parting kisses. No goodbyes. No last words. That is, until the night she came back.

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Crazy Credits

The first half of the end credits reveals that Edith adapted her experience in the film into a book titled "Crimson Peak".

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Connections

Referenced in Most Craved: Upcoming Horror Films 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Violin Sonata in F Major, Opus 24
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Tim Davies

User Reviews

Hauntingly Beautiful Gothic Romance

Guillermo del Toro is a director and artist whose films fall into two distinct categories: big budget English language blockbusters like "Hellboy" and "Pacific Rim" and lesser known, low budget Spanish language horror films like "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth". His latest film, "Crimson Peak" is what happens when these two worlds collide, in other words, a big budget English language horror film.

"Crimson Peak" is set in the late 19th century, first in New York, then in rural England. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young budding writer who is intelligent, beautiful, and strong willed, refusing to allow Victorian sensibilities dictate what she can and cannot do, and as a result butts heads with those around her. Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is an English aristocrat and inventor who is in New York seeking financial backing for his mechanized clay mining business back home. When tragedy strikes, Thomas marries Edith and brings her to his home, Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, where his sister Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) is waiting. As Edith tries to fit into her new surroundings, she discovers that secrets abound and nothing is as it seems.

The visuals in "Crimson Peak" are so glorious, they are almost overwhelming. The sets are spectacular visions of beauty and decadence in decay; costumes are intricately detailed and gorgeous; the lighting and over saturated color bring depth and meaning; the ghosts are grotesquely beautiful; and, of course, the del Toro trademarks of insects and clockwork gracefully found their way into the story as well.

Because "Crimson Peak" is a rather large studio production, it is being marketed to a large audience. I believe this accounts for some of the lackluster reviews I have been reading. If one is not familiar with del Toro's prior Spanish language films, they may not understand his unique cinematic perspective. For some, this will mark the beginning of a journey into del Toro's fantasy world, for others it will be a disappointment. For me, it was almost everything I wanted it to be.