Crimson Peak framed as Guillermo del Toro's Gothic romance precursor to Frankenstein

Collider revisited Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 film Crimson Peak, arguing the movie should be read as a decaying Gothic romance that anticipated themes in his upcoming Frankenstein.

The piece notes the film was marketed as a haunted-house horror but in practice centers on Allerdale Hall as a living, rotting character and on love turned monstrous. Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain play Thomas and Lucille Sharpe, with Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing; the article says the ghosts act more as warnings than villains and that Stephen King once called the film "f***ing terrifying."

According to the article, Crimson Peak’s use of beauty as a weapon and its emphasis on human cruelty make it a thematic precursor to del Toro’s Frankenstein. The film is available to rent or buy on VOD services and is listed with a release date of October 16, 2015, a runtime of 119 minutes, director Guillermo del Toro, and writers Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro.

Key Topics

Culture, Crimson Peak, Guillermo Del Toro, Frankenstein, Allerdale Hall, Jessica Chastain