This is Guillermo del Toro’s movie based on the Walt Disney World attraction, right? Oh, it sure does look like his take on the concept of The Haunted Mansion, enough that if that second attempt ever does move forward there’s no longer any reason for him to be involved. Here we have a much better looking ride than anything that could be forced out of part of a theme park aimed at kids.
Of course, it would be interesting to see Crimson Peak, which the filmmaker has described as being very much for adults, followed by a family friendly version later on. He could even go ahead and cast the same actors, since Disney already loves Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston as stars of some of their most lucrative franchises. And every movie should include Jessica Chastain anyway.
The first trailer for del Toro’s latest reminds me that I do enjoy him sometimes, even if Pacific Rim was not for me (I respect that many of my FSR colleagues love it, though). Crimson Peak is more reminiscent of the filmmaker’s non-Hollywood work, but it’s not the sort of story or genre or tone that has me hooked.
I’m drawn in by the look, the production design (by Bram Stoker’s Dracula Oscar nominee Thomas E. Sanders working with set decorators Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau) and costumes (by Kate Hawley) and luscious color palette (the cinematography is by Dan Laustsen).
I saw a quote from del Toro from an interview at Shock Til You Drop (via The Film Stage) where he contrasted this against the movies he’s made in America, which he says are “for the spectacle and younger audience.” Well, this is definitely spectacle too, just of a different kind. Hopefully it also has more substance, as he implies, but so far I’m turned on by what it’s doing to my eyeballs.
Crimson Peak also stars Charlie Hunnam and opens in time for Halloween on October 15th. Check out the official synopsis and poster below.
Legendary Pictures’ CRIMSON PEAK, a co-production with Universal Pictures, is a haunting gothic horror story directed by the master of dark fairy tales, Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy series, Pacific Rim), written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins and starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam. In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Callum Greene produce, and Jillian Share executive produces.
Related Topics: Guillermo del Toro
