The film “Crimson Peak”, the plot of which is a cross between a horror film and melodrama, was released in 2015 and turned out to be a rather successful project. What is the picture in question and what dramatic events take place on the screen in the Gothic scenery?
The creators of the picture
"Crimson Peak", the release date of which was planned for September 2015, appeared in cinemas on time and immediately aroused the interest of the viewer. Firstly, trailers and advertising posters looked promising. Secondly, the cast was invited to the Crimson Peak.
Horrors of this name were released by Guillermo del Toro. In general, he is a very versatile filmmaker: as a producer, he worked on the films “The Pacific Frontier” and “While It Hasn't Been”; how the scriptwriter wrote the script for the thriller “Do not be afraid of the dark” and the film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”; how the director released on the screens the films “Hellboy: The Hero of the Hell” and “Blade 2”.
Guillermo also wrote the script for Crimson Peak, and he copied it 12 times. Behind the camera was Dan Laustsen, who shot Silent Hill and The Brotherhood of the Wolf. Supervised the project film company Legendary Pictures.
Short story
What was the film “Crimson Peak” about? The content of the picture resembles a melodrama, which is then replaced by a horror film.
The story takes us to England. On the street of the XIX century. Newlyweds Thomas and Edith Sharp come to the Allerdale family estate. In the house they are met by Thomas's sister, Lucille.
Edith is struggling with the loss of her father. In addition, she has the abilities of a medium and often sees ghosts. After moving to a new home, Edith suddenly sees her deceased mother, who warns her of some kind of "crimson peak." However, the girl cannot understand what she is being told.
Terrible guesses begin to dawn on her when she gets to Allerdale. Life on the estate becomes a real test for her: the old house is filled with strange sounds, ghosts are constantly floating in the corridors. Edith's throat begins to flow, she notices that at night her husband disappears somewhere, and his sister behaves quite strangely. Looks like Edith has to figure out what's the matter?
"Crimson Peak": actors. Mia Wasikowska as Edith
Actress Mia Wasikowska was born in Australia. Her mother was Polish and worked as a photographer. The girl’s father is a teacher.
Mia looks very elegant in the frame. Probably because from childhood Vasikovska studied ballet. She even planned to devote this whole life to this art. But providence intervened: at the age of fifteen, Mia was invited to act in films.
In 2006, with the participation of a novice actress, the film “Murder in the Suburbs” was released, followed by the drama “Leather”, “Crocodile” and “September”.
The debut of the actress in Hollywood cinema can be considered the film "Challenge" with Daniel Craig, where she played Hai Dzentselsku. In 2009, the biopic Amelia was shot with Richard Gere and Hilary Swank. And then - “Alice in Wonderland”, which turned Vasikovsk into a world celebrity. In 2014, the actress, immediately after the release of the thriller with her participation, "Star Card", began filming in the mystical film "Crimson Peak."
The plot of the picture for the heroine of Mia is developing unfavorably: she ends up in her husband’s house, but is not sure that she is completely safe there. Perhaps the girl will have to seriously disappoint in her marriage? Or even become his victim?
Jessica Chastain as Lucille
Jessica Chastain got the role of Lucille in the film "Crimson Peak." The content of the film states that Lucille is the sister of Thomas Sharpe and the full owner of the Allerdale estate. However, Edith notices many oddities for Lucille: for example, she does not allow her to go down to the lower floor of the house, refuses to give room keys, and so on.
Jessica Chastain, who played the role of the mysterious and dangerous Lucille, in 2012 was included in the list of the most influential people of the year according to Time magazine. Probably, the actress was given such an honor very hastily, because in her filmography there are hardly even 30 films, she never received an Oscar and does nothing more than acting. But, apparently, in the West, Jessica managed to gain such popularity that allows you to show off in such lists.
As for the spectators of Eastern Europe, they more or less recognized the actress after she played the main role in Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar. All other film works by Chastain (“Miss Julie”, “Mom”, “The Most Drunkest District in the World”) are practically unknown in Russia.
Tom Hiddleston as Thomas
The film "Crimson Peak" is the horrors in which the actor Tom Hiddleston , a lover of a similar genre, starred . Tom is a British actor who has recently become familiar on large screens: everyone knows his hero Loki from Thor and The Avengers, Francis Scott Fitzgerald from the picture Midnight in Paris.
A movie career for Huddleston began in 2001 with the role of Lord in the film “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby”. In 2002, he played Randolph Churchill in the movie Churchill. In 2013, Tom turned to the horror genre, playing the vampire in the film "Only Lovers Will Survive." A year later, the Crimson Peak project appeared on the horizon.
It so happened that the actor and his hero have the same name - Tom. Only Thomas from Crimson Peak is a strange person who scares a young wife with his terrible home and mysterious sister. What secrets Thomas Sharp keeps and what "skeletons" are hidden in his closet, the viewer will find out only in the final of the film.
Charlie Hunnam as Dr. Alan
There is one more person involved in all the events in the film “Crimson Peak”. Actors Charlie Hunnam and Mia Wasikowska play friends - Dr. Alan McMichael and Edith. When strange events begin to happen in the house Edith moved into, she calls Alan to the rescue, and he becomes involved in a whirlpool of the most incredible incidents.
Charlie Hannam shortly before the filming of “Crimson Peak” already collaborated with Guillermo del Toro: he played a major role in his film “The Pacific Frontier”. This project del Toro has collected in the global box office 411 million dollars.
Prior to this, Charlie Hunnam appeared only in little-known films: "Blackbird" by Stefan Ruzowicki, "The Price of Passion" by Matthew Chapman, "The Prison Experiment at Stanford" by Christopher McCurry and so on.
In 2016, Guy Ritchie's action movie Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur will be released, in which Charlie will play Arthur. The expectation rating of this film is very high. And it may very well be that after the premiere, Hunnam will become a real British cinema star.
Other role performers
Almost no other star has appeared in the film "Crimson Peak." Reviews of the film, however, say that the audience was already satisfied. Who else can be seen in the Guillermo del Toro movie?
The role of father Edith went to the American actor and director Jim Beaver. Basically, Beaver starred in the series: Supernatural, Deadwood, and Justice.
Since the film contains elements of a detective story, it could not have done without a private investigator. It was Burn Gorman, who can also be seen as Karl in the TV series Games of Thrones, as well as Philip Streiver in the movie The Dark Knight: Revival of the Legend.
Dr. Alan's mother was played by Leslie Hope, the star of the series Doctor House, Law and Order. Criminal intention ”, as well as“ Woman President ”.
Premiere and fees
74 million dollars - that’s how much “Crimson Peak” was able to collect at the box office. The release date for the film in the United States is September 25, 2015. In October, all the other countries of the world saw the film. On January 8, 2016, Japan (possibly the most recent) will see the Crimson Peak horror movie.
The release of the picture in Russia was scheduled for October 15, 2015. A little over a million viewers came to the premiere. The total amount of proceeds in Russia alone amounted to five million dollars.
Final box office results will be known only in 2016.
Critic reviews
What are the critics' reviews about The Crimson Peak?
The review received on the film from the newspaper “Tomorrow” suggests that after watching the film, the viewer still has a gloomy and heavy feeling. This is because film after film del Toro is trying to convince its viewers that life is exclusively darkness and misery.
Many critics agree that “Gothic horror” is an inaccurate definition for “Crimson Peak.” Rather, it is a melodrama. Moreover, in its center is a well-known love triangle. Every year, directors become more impudent and do not hesitate to speculate on the dirty topics of incest, which, in fact, happens in the Crimson Peak.
There are also positive aspects: these are chic Victorian interiors, funny costumes. Again, mystic fans will appreciate the ghosts flying around the house, the play of light and other techniques used during the production of the painting.
"Crimson Peak": reviews of the movie viewers
The opinions of critics and ordinary viewers often diverge. Did Crimson Peak manage to reconcile two such different audiences?
Reviews of the film from the audience are also not always flattering. The gloomy atmosphere of the picture, which remains with you for a long time after viewing, is pressing. Fans of horror movies will find little terrible and frightening in this tape. But in the frame abound Gothic and melodramatic experiences.
Fans of Mia Wasikowski and Tom Hiddleston praised "Crimson Peak": they left enthusiastic reviews of the film only because they saw their favorites on the screens. But in general, the plot is very predictable from the very beginning. The thriller did not work: the "main secret" is declassified from the very beginning.
What conclusion can be made? If the viewer is a fan of the actors involved in the film, then he will enjoy watching them in unusual scenery and stylish images. Fans of horror films and thrillers have absolutely no need to watch “Crimson Peak”, but fans of Gothic melodramas may really like the surroundings. If you want to see something gloomy and sinful, then the tape of Guillermo del Toro will also come in handy.