Action, Adventure and Fantasy Master Director Guillermo del Toro, who has brought us such fictional masterpieces as HELL BOY I & II, PAN’s LABYRINTH and PACIFIC RIM, joins forces with Screenwriter Matthew Robbins this time around…bringing to life a ghostly tale, centered in the midst of the Victorian era with all of it’s grandeur and HORROR too ~ welcome to CRIMSON PEAK. 

Loosing her mother many years ago, and now desperate to find a real love of her own, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is torn between the admiration of her childhood friend, Dr. Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam) and a new man in her life, the mysterious Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston).

Not sure of Sharpe’s intentions with his daughter, Carter Cushing (Jim Beaver) summons a Private Investigator to see what Sharpe is really up to…and what about his sister Lucille’s (Jessica Chastain) sudden appearance in town now too…

When her father is suddenly killed, Edith is whisked away by the charming Sharpe to his large, yet very-drafty estate, CRIMSON PEAK. Taking up residence together, but with sister Lucille apparently around every corner, this isn’t exactly the relationship-building environment Edith was hoping to share with her new husband…

When “visitors” keep invading her space both day and night, Edith must figure out what these spirits at every turn are trying to tell her…before it’s too late…

I give CRIMSON PEAK a rating of: WAIT AND CATCH THIS ONE ON NETFLIX ~ I have to admit, HORROR movies have never been my deal…but I was intrigued to view this period piece of ghostly cinematography just the same, as I have enjoyed Del Toro’s movies in the past.   I did enjoy the storyline at the beginning – which was pretty much conveyed in it’s entirety in the first 30 minutes of the film ~ but between the bad CGI of our ghostly intruders to the “unscariness” of much of the film, I left feeling rather disappointed. I was expecting to be scared out of my wits by the time this film was over, but in actuality, I found myself right there with quite of few of my fellow movie viewers, laughing instead at some crucial parts of the film. Don’t get me wrong…there is some incredible cinematography throughout the film, and the costumes throughout are exquisite as well ~ but as scary ghost stories go ~ this film came across as a complete let down. I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t intrigued, I wasn’t fazed at all by any of this film. But, in their defense, Wasikowska, Hiddleston, Hunnam and Chastain were all very good in their respective roles…nothing Oscar worthy, but they were entertaining to view, which is just another sad state of affairs as I review this film. I think that maybe Del Toro is better suited telling the tales of his FANTASY WORLD’S, instead of venturing down the ghostly path he tried to pave with CRIMSON PEAK…and that my friends, is my 2 shillings worth…

Kathy Kaiser