Crimson Peak (2015), R, ★★

Snow? But, I thought it was a Halloween movie.

Guillermo Del Toro is a director that is sort of overrated and I emphasize "sort of" because he is definitely a heck of a great and visionary art director. However, his vision and artistry overcomes the material and the pace becomes slow and self-indulgent. He's too infatuated with his vision and his material. He has sort of an inconsistent record with his films, his great movies being Pan's Labyrinth, the Hellboy series and Pacific Rim. Mimic and Blade II did not do it for me. Now, with his latest movie, as I was anticipating this whole movie as the trailer was scary, the movie, as a whole, had too much interest in its visuals but very little interest in its storyline, as it is neither scary nor interesting.

Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) has encountered a terrifying visual experience seeing his mother's ghost, who warned her, "BEWARE OF CRIMSON'S PEAK!" Now, later, in her adult youth 14 years later, Edith is writing ghost novels, as she prefers that over writing romance novels. Edith meets Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) who is seeking funding from her father, Carter Cushing (Jim Beaver). After Cushing declines his offer, he extends his stay to convince Cushing that he is a worthy recipient.

Later, Sir Thomas Sharpe invites Edith to a local party and introduces her to her older sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain). She is not very welcoming towards Edith and has some sort of a "Cinderella-type" of relationship where the potential stepsister hates the pretty damsel in distress. Anyway, Edith and Sir Thomas are having a relationship with her father's and Dr Alan McMichael's (Charlie Hunham) disapproval. When the newlyweds marry and arrive at another mansion, McMichael becomes suspicious of their activity and follows them and to see what they are up to.

Hiddleston and Chastain are suspicious in this movie. 

This movie is quite vibrant and colorful in its production, set designs and visuals. The whole movie seems to inhabit you into this dream-like nightmare when you set foot into a mansion full of haunted ghosts and suspicious foreplay. There is supposed this psychological and complex thought into the actions of the main characters, however, it seemed that their actions were more of a narrative force than genuine drama. It seemed too by-the-numbers in my opinion because the whole story, as a whole, is predictable and familiar. Therefore, I was actually bored by the story and more attentive and intrigued by the visuals.

There is incredible talent in the movie, but, unfortunately the characters are stock and not interesting. But, the performances are quite good especially Tom Hiddleston's, because he creates a fun and quiet character that somehow has tricks up his sleeves. Mia Wasikowska is a great actress and quite capable of playing another character in another horror film, but somehow, she looked confused and aloof in the film that does not generate any suspense. Jessica Chastain creates a villainous and good dreadful character that is so much fun that you cannot take your eyes off her or Hiddleston but again, the characters are not that interesting.

Del Toro's elements of scare factor and eerie material creates not much mood nor any drive that will make me terrified. However, he does not rely much on the jump scares as the ghosts are quite creepy to listen to and look at but they do not have much relevance to the storyline just to Edith's personal childhood fears. There's not much context in her suspense added to the main material. Also, the twist and demise of what both Sharpe characters are planning and are doing adds too much gothic melodrama that fuses my frustration and glorious visual excitement into one bad combination. Bottom line, it is a movie that is visually pleasant to watch but unfortunately, the story is not engaging as a quiet horror-thriller.

**