The genre-bending movie, which mashed elements of gothic horror with a spooky ghost story and a dash of inappropriate romance, bombed when it was initially released. But fans of both del Toro and Hiddleston look back on the film as an underrated gem worthy of a revisit. So, pull up a chair and break out the popcorn as we get real about the Tom Hiddleston horror movie that deserves more attention.
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00:00A doomed love story, a sinister brother-and-sister relationship, a ghost at every turn.
00:06There are so many reasons this visually stunning film deserves another look.
00:11Fans of Tom Hiddleston know him as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but how many
00:15people know about his role in the 2015 film Crimson Peak?
00:18The genre-bending movie features an outstanding cast, led by award-winning filmmaker Guillermo
00:23del Toro.
00:24It incorporates the bone-chilling yet whimsical horror of Pan's Labyrinth with the perverse
00:29yet sentimental romance of The Shape of Water.
00:32These two del Toro films were incredibly well-received, but for some reason Crimson Peak was a box
00:37office flop and has since been overlooked.
00:39In Crimson Peak, Tom Hiddleston stars as Thomas Sharp, an English baronet visiting the burgeoning
00:44city of Buffalo with his sinister sister Lucille, played by Jessica Chastain.
00:49He is there to secure funding for a new invention that will dredge up the clay sitting under
00:53his property.
00:54In Crimson Peak, Thomas seeks the help of Mr. Cushing, a self-made man whose beautiful
00:58and spirited daughter Edith, played by Mia Wasikowska, is an aspiring writer working
01:03on her first manuscript.
01:04Edith is writing a ghost story, after she was visited by the ghost of her mother as
01:08a child, who warned her about a place called Crimson Peak.
01:12When Thomas starts to take an interest in Edith, her father is wary of him and pays
01:16the Sharps to leave town.
01:18The next morning, Thomas reveals what her father did, and Edith is whisked away to the
01:22very place her mother warned her never to go, Crimson Peak.
01:25There's no other house for miles, and the town's half a day's walk away."
01:28The multidimensional performance given by Tom Hiddleston was aided by Del Toro's ingenious
01:33writing and direction.
01:34In fact, the director gave all the leading actors extensive backstories, along with secrets
01:39to keep from one another.
01:40The suggestion of a rich interior life makes Thomas a compelling romantic lead.
01:45He is running from a tortured past, which keeps the audience interested even when he
01:49seems like the clear villain.
01:51Of course, Hiddleston is known for his ability to play sympathetic antagonists.
01:55Thomas is not playful and mischievous like Loki, though.
01:58It's a cruel, elaborate trick, conjured by the weak."
02:03It's also worth noting that the detailed set design and lighting of the film create the
02:07texture of a fantasy novel come to life.
02:09Every shadow is cast with intention, implying a ghost could pop out at any moment.
02:14Director Del Toro told the Los Angeles Times,
02:17The American part is all in golds and tobaccos, so it has a beautiful, rich, noble type of
02:22color palette.
02:23And then it goes to almost technicolor, into the old world, into the house of Crimson Peak.
02:28The characters also imbue these differing color palettes.
02:31Edith seems honest and bright.
02:33Meanwhile, Thomas is full of shadows, and he and his sister only confer when shrouded
02:37by darkness.
02:38This characteristic is embodied by their home.
02:41Crimson Peak is desolate, dilapidated, and cold, not to mention full of mysterious sounds.
02:47Most notably, it is sinking, and red, waxy clay oozes from beneath the floorboards.
02:52This gives the house the appearance of someone attempting to conceal a fatal wound.
02:57Buffalo has conquered the elements, while Crimson Peak falls victim to them.
03:00As Buffalo thrives on top of a muddy ground by building on top of it, the Sharp Estate
03:05is sucked into the earth by continually dredging it up.
03:08Thomas' invention acts as the perfect metaphor for his character.
03:12The ghosts of Crimson Peak are, to say the least, visually inconsistent.
03:16Some of them border on scary, but their animated movements and CGI texture ultimately leave
03:21something to be desired.
03:23Crimson Peak came out in 2015, which was a major year for visual effects.
03:27Hugely popular franchises like Star Wars and Jurassic Park got new reboots using contemporary
03:32digital technology.
03:34Perhaps this is why the visual effects of Crimson Peak were received so negatively by
03:38many critics.
03:39The rendered appearance of the ghosts also bears a stark contrast to the set, which was
03:43physically constructed in intricate detail.
03:46However, as Crimson Peak is a love story at its core, maybe it's wrong to focus too much
03:51on the elements of gore and horror.
03:53The true horror of Crimson Peak can be found in what love drives people to do.
03:58Director Del Toro pushed for an R rating to explore the dark themes of Crimson Peak.
04:02This venture into more adult content with the budget of a major Hollywood studio results
04:06in a lustful and blood-soaked fantasy that has developed a cult following over the years
04:11since its release.