Crimson Peak

Del Toro's cold visual exhibition lacks any narrative innovation or moment of surprise. If it was a random, budding filmmaker, we would no doubt be impressed by the arrangement and depth of the shots or the disturbing visual symbolism, but in the case of the renowned Guillermo, I find it reprehensible that he has wasted his formidable talent on a subject so generic and accessible. Moreover, the crossover between historical realism and ghost horror doesn't work 100%, and in a story where the main evil is represented by humans and their greed, the ghostly interludes feel slightly out of place, even though they are the ones where del Toro vehemently displays his unique imagery. Next time, master, be wiser when choosing a project. 65% (08/03/2016)

Guillermo del Toro can create an atmosphere and a beautiful scenery; you can’t deny that with any of his movies. But the flow of storytelling can sometimes be an issue and it doesn’t let his movies be perfect experiences.For the first 50 minutes, I thought I’d die of the worst possible movie boredom. It wasn’t until Mia found out that she was on Crimson Peak that it all started to get good. Especially since the atmosphere of the house itself began to show. I must admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen two completely different movie halves. While the first half of the movie is awfully boring, the second half is what makes the movie worth watching. (04/11/2016)

I was wary because to me Del Toro is a pretty overrated director, but en the end I loved Crimson Peak for its artistic style – its not very original story notwithstanding – and I’m giving it almost the highest rating. The money put on it can really be seen. Given that right now there aren’t that many big narrative horror films, I don’t think it’d be fair to throw Crimson Peak among the average. The cast is wonderful, finally someone who really knows how to act in a genre film. A proper gothic-horror in the best sense of the word, and I’m sure it will make it to my TOP 10 this year. (16/10/2015)

Visually stunning film, where some scenes completely captivated me and I couldn't even believe that such a thing could be filmed. And yet the film carries Guillermo's signature. In that aspect, it is beautiful, but story-wise, the movie didn't really grab me, the acting is fine, but not great. It's a shame, the visuals are amazing, but otherwise, it just isn't it. (28/12/2015)

That Guillermo did not stick with just production this time can only be understood as a wish to double his earnings. Crimson Peak’s run-of-the-mill, unoriginal subject matter is barely worthy of a 90-minute runtime. In addition, there is no tension and he tries to achieve the wow effect by using old-school tricks. The set designs, however, are really beautiful, the cast is superb and the occasional splattering of blood is satisfactory. The potential of the twisted romance that emerges from this offered more possibilities, but Guillermo would have had to resign himself to satisfying a broad audience and strike a more perverted chord. It’s a shame that the maker of such distinctive and captivating cinematic worlds stooped this low. (17/10/2015)