Crimson Peak: The Thin Line Between Love and Hatred

Hello movie lovers! How’s your first day of November? Well today was definitely a quite busy day for us because we need to prepare and cook food for our halad para sa mga patay or offering for the dead tonight. It’s a yearly tradition that we always do whenever it’s the first of November, and we do it in order to commemorate our dead loved ones. But what do we do during that commemoration? Well, like I said, we buy and cook various delicacies and we arrange them on our altar so that when spirit of the dead ones visit us, they’ll be able to eat with us. Some even put the foods on the tomb of their dead loved ones, but since the tombs of our loved ones aren’t that spacious, we just stick to offering food on our altar.

So much for that sharing, after doing my chores, I finally decided to watch the movie I’ve been meaning to give a try. It’s Crimson Peak by the way, and the moment I knew it’s a gothic horror, I was immediately convinced that I’ll enjoy watching it. Gothic horror has a different effect on me because usually they have endings that are satisfying, and also their premise is mostly interesting. Further, the romance and horror genres in one movie is intriguing because I’m curious if they’ll be able to blend it well without being too scary or too romantic. And that’s the reason why I prefer this genre because the mix of suspense, horror, and romance are perfect fit for my not-so-brave self. Pure horror would just haunt me for days, so I prefer movies that have these genres because they keep the spooky level in check. Ok, ok…enough with the intro, let’s now take a peek at the story where love, secrets, and death mingle.

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About the Movie

Crimson Peak is a horror romance movie that was first released way back October 16, 2015. This almost couple of hour movie was directed by Guillermo del Toro and was also written by him and Matthew Robbins. Its story follows the life of Edith Cushing, a woman who has lost her mother at her young age, but even though she lost her, she believes that her mother was there watching her. And that’s why she believes in ghosts, and ghosts become a prominent metaphor on the novel she had written. She aspires to be a writer; however, her efforts in writing were met criticisms and rejection—perhaps because she’s a woman and women in that era aren't supposed as intellectual to be as she is. Yet she didn’t stop in pursuing that dream, well not until she met the mysterious English baronet, Thomas Sharpe.

Drawn to his mysterious and charming demeanor, she soon finds herself fascinated with this English gentleman. After a series of incidents and even a tragedy, their relationship leveled up, and ultimately that led her to her marriage with him. Yet just when she thought everything was fine, things started to feel strange. Ghosts—both the violent and haunting ones–started appearing right before her eyes, haunting her as if driving her away, plus Thomas' nightly disappearance made her more uneasy. Curious, Edith finds herself investigating, and it wasn’t long before she discovered the meaning behind the ghost hauntings and her mother’s incessant warning. Is it too late to escape dire fate she’s trapped or will there be a saving grace that would pull her out?

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I was definitely in love with the visuals of this movie! The settings and wardrobe were stunning, and watching it’s felt like I’m sucked inside their era. The visuals made me feel a lot of emotions, and I’m very much overwhelmed by how they portray the ghost. Yeah...the few scenes I saw them in shocked the hell out of me because they’re ghastly and menacing, but as soon as I got used to how they suddenly popped out, I realized how beautifully portrayed they are. Usually, the ghosts I saw in other movies before where they are either portrayed in a solid or transparent manner…like some of them felt unghastly, and if they’re not pale and gloomy or bloody looking, I wouldn’t realize they aren’t ghost. However, the way the ghosts felt in this movie was different for me because, unlike the usual just terrifying ghosts, they felt more emotional.

They aren’t just terrifying, for they’re also like a clump of emotions—anger, regret, and melancholy, and wisps of memories. They didn’t only induce terror, but they also made me feel emotions that I usually don’t feel from seeing ghosts. And as for its characters, I can’t say if they have unique ones because I do think they somehow follow the generic villain and heroine mold. The same goes for the plot, which I guess is one of the aspects that aren’t that impressive. The pacing was fine because I do appreciate the gradual rising of tension and also the subtle foreshadowing along the way. However, if you aren’t fond of a slow burn start, then I advise you to steer clear because it did take time for its story to pick up its pace. But if you’re convinced that you have enough patience to do so, then eventually you’ll like it.

This movie was undeniably enjoyable, but of course, there’s that part where I somehow didn’t like, and that’s the incestuous relationship of the Sharpe siblings. I thought I was just overthinking those minor details that hinted at that kind of relationship…like I really thought it’s just me giving malice to every familial interaction they had. Turns out I’m right with my hunch, and I’m glad they didn’t reveal it too early because I definitely wouldn’t finish it. Incest stories are totally an ick for me, so as much as possible, I steer clear of any materials that have such. Unfortunately, I encountered that in this movie, yet thankfully that’s in the end part, plus they didn’t portray it extremely, just enough to wrench the heart of the protagonist and mine. That scene really made me cry because I didn’t see that betrayal would be portrayed that way, and also the way Tom Hiddleston acted in the scene left me torn. The way his eyes spoke and pleaded that moment…I don’t know if it’s a silent apology or resignation, but either way, they both affect me while watching it.

Overall, with flaws aside, watching this movie has been an enjoyable experience for me, yet like I felt with Tom Hiddleston’s character, I’m quite torn on what to feel about its end. It wasn’t exactly the tragic one that was imagined or a happy end either. Yet it’s definitely the one that will make you ponder for a moment, and honestly, I’m quite curious why it isn’t that known. So, I try to read various sources because it wasn’t talked about that much, and mostly it all boils down to ineffective marketing. They said the marketing focus on it being a horror, but honestly, it's quite different from being a total horror movie because it’s definitely a gothic horror. Since it’s marketed the wrong way, a lot of viewers naturally did had inaccurate expectations for it. It’s spooky but not the total horror level type, and that’s why it didn’t clicked well with the audience who are expecting a horror movie. It has a few decent jump scares, but other than that, instead of horror, I felt more the suspense. That’s why if you’re into gothic horror with cool aesthetics and cinematography, then it’s a must that you try Crimson Peak.

And before I end this up, I'll share with you its trailer, so—

Have you watched this movie before? Or you still haven't encountered it yet? Well, if you have something to share, then feel free to comment below. That's all for now everyone, thank you for reading up until here, and I hope you enjoyed reading my review.