REVIEW: Guillermo del Toro's "Crimson Peak"

In his latest film, director Guillermo del
Toro’s work remains as visually exquisite as his much-beloved Pan’s Labyrinth — even though the story may be less spectacularly original.

Mia Wasikowska plays a young author who follows her new husband to his ancestral home in the wake of family tragedy. This home, the titular Crimson Peak, is possibly the best part of the film: vast and beautifully decaying. Autumn leaves drift down through a rift in its roof even as deep red clay seeps up through its floors. Such grotesquely bleeding earth seems like it would bring ghosts along with it, but it is slowly revealed that what the house is truly haunted by is the new husband and his grim sister (pictured) played by Jessica Chastain. THE WORD:Even if you caught this in theaters, I suspect the film is worth a second viewing in order to unearth the layers of meaning Guillermo del Toro is known for building into his macabre creations. COMING TO: Home Video