CRIMSON PEAK (2015)

Who but Guillermo del Toro could look at Alfred Hitchcock’s NOTORIOUS/’45 and think, ‘If only this film had a scary ghost and a couple of undead souls.’  And he ain’t shy announcing his intentions!  ‘Borrowing’ key elements (in close-up, yet) so you can’t miss references: a secret key (engraved ENOLA instead of UNICA); slow poisoning at afternoon tea, heroine transported to a strange mansion in a strange country; adversary in-law; losing touch with the man who ought to be her savior (he returns just in time to carry her prone body to bed) . . . and so on.  This all comes after a long first act in the States (not Florida, New England) with ideas largely grabbed out of Henry James (think WASHINGTON SQUARE/THE HEIRESS meets THE TURN OF THE SCREW) as rich, naive American Mia Wasikowska (soon to be orphaned) is pursued by brash, sophisticated British con man Tom Hiddleston, accompanied by creepy ‘sister’ Jessica Chastain.  Once moved into the roofless family manse in the U.K., Hiddleston pursues his odd mining project using up his wife’s inheritance*; ‘sis’ plays a grand piano impervious to tuning problems in spite of open roof & snowy conditions; and del Toro plays mix-master with various Gothic literary tropes while allowing (encouraging?) his cast to overact while underacting!  (All but wonderful Burn Gorman, the immortal Guppy from BLEAK HOUSE/’05, alas in a bit part.)

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK:  Why not ‘ghostless’ NOTORIOUS?  OR: Two superb Henry James adaptations. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2019/07/notorious-1946.html  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-heiress-1949.html  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-innocents-1961.html   

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Perhaps if del Toro weren’t such a good interview: smart, funny, film savvy, always ready to grab a bite; he’d get pressed a bit over his flops and would think twice about some of his more dubious projects.  Or maybe, like Tim Burton, success and ever larger budgets stifled rather than expanded artistic imagination.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *BTW, the mining project finally coming in no doubt suggesting the grand gated entry to the property which is straight out of GIANT/’56.