Many are hoping that Crimson Peak will be a return to genre form for Guillermo del Toro. Dubbed a “gothic romance” – with a generous splash of chilling horror – it’s a far cry from the blockbusterism of Pacific Rim, which divided critics and caused people to doubt the director’s previously-lauded abilities. Fans of the horrormeister need not despair, though, as del Toro is amping up the scares a la Devil’s Backbone moreso than ever before.
This 19th century tale of doomed romance begins as Tom Hiddleston’s high society gent Thomas Sharpe weds Mia Wasikowska’s impressionable young lass Edith Cushing and escorts her back to his family’s abode. Upon her arrival, she’s greeted by Thomas’ creepy sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) and the home’s unseen tenants: The ghosts. As evidenced in this latest featurette, the darkened hallways and in particular the eerie Gothic Corridor of Allerdale Hall host a whole manner of creepy spectres and ghouls.
With early word out of Fantastic Fest veering from the good to extremely positive, it looks as if del Toro’s detractors may be eating their words in the next few weeks.
Crimson Peak opens on October 16.
When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro comes a supernatural mystery starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam.
