By Alan Samuel
Just in time for the witching season along comes Crimson Peak. Full of style and imagination this Universal Pictures blast from the past is. A horror thriller with charm. Enjoy some upscale cads the to enrich their flock at countless Cineplex Odeon theatres around B.C.
Time travel can be a vexing affair. During the industrial revolution a pair of sly Brits wander over to the U.S. In search of more than a business opportunity. Inventor with a cause is dapper Thomas Sharpe. Charm and that British gift for the gab are all easily dispensed in the repertoire of handsome Tom Hiddleston. Mischief aside, our overseas import is accompanied on his “mission” by a snobbish not too friendly sister, played in dragon lady style by Jessica Chastain in a rather unglamorous way.
America is said to be the land of opportunity. The Sharpes set up shop in hopes of finding a financier for their business plans. Mark number one is über successful Carter Cushing. Jim Beaver displays just the right degree of privilege as a hardened business magnet trying to enrich his life and make things good for his daughter Edith.
Demure and delicate this little attractive lady is the ultimate catch and gets the standoffish treatment from Mia Wasikowska. Fat chance she has any hope of fending off the sexual advances of the elegant Englishman who has more than a saintly marriage in mind.
Deep dark secrets mask the true intent of the Sharpe immigrants. A shady past involving ghosts, ghouls and a search for eternal youth figure into their true past. Exposed with relish by visionary director/co- writer Guillermo del Toro Crimson Peak is an elevated experience into cultured fine-tuned mayhem with blood-curdling experiences among the jaded rich set.
