Crimson Peak - My take on the movie with spoilers!

 

PLOT SUMMARY: After Edith marries Thomas, she realizes why her mother's ghost had warned her to never go to Crimson Peak.

Ghosts are real. It's only that the people who believe in them are also given the power to see them. This is the reason why not everyone sees ghosts. However, Edith can, ever since she was a little girl. 

CRIMSON PEAK Movie Plot

After her mother's passing, Edith sees her ghost that very night that warns her to never go to Crimson Peak. 

Fourteen years later, Edith is a budding writer who fancies ghost stories. She meets Thomas who has come to seek her father's approval and funds to invest in his clay mining inventions. 

Her father dismisses him, but Edith is already taken with him, much to her father's and her childhood friend's disapproval. Suspicious of Thomas and his sister Lucille, he has them investigated and upon a startling discovery, blackmails Thomas into accepting money and breaking Edith's heart. 

Thomas does so, but the next morning sends her a letter admitting that his actions were forced. Edith unites with Thomas but finds out later on that her father has died. Her doctor friend is curious about the wounds sustained and suspects murder but Edith doesn't comply with his wishes to conduct a proper examination.

After the funeral, Edith and Thomas are married and they head to his estate. The house is actually a mansion atop a clay mine and, therefore, sinking slowly. Lucille welcomes her but seems cold while Thomas busies himself with his inventions rather than consummate his marriage. Edith is given tea to drink and at night time, is visited by red ghosts. 

 Something is amiss and something is off about the siblings. The truth is disgustingly twisted and by the time Edith discovers it, she starts coughing up blood. 

CRIMSON PEAK Ending Explained with Spoilers! 

Turns out, the tea Lucille would give her, was poisoned. Thomas never loved her, though he has grown fond of her now. Lucille and Thomas actually have an illicit relationship going on which caused Lucille to kill their mother when she found out the deplorable secret and later on, in order to become financially stable, Thomas was seducing rich lonely women and then kills them later on after usurping their wealth.

Edith finds out in a dramatic climax when there is a snowstorm and the whole ground is covered in white and red... Yes, the clay beneath doesn't let the ground stay white for long and it is because of this that the estate is called Crimson Peak. 

 Edith's doctor friend comes to her rescue but is subdued. Thomas realizes he loves Edith but is killed by his jealous sister. Lucille goes after Edith who manages to defend herself with the help of Thomas's ghost.

In the end, Edith escapes with her wounded doctor friend while Lucille is forever condemned to live as a restless ghost in her mansion and playing the piano for eternity. 

 Crimson Peak is an engaging watch provided you have a love for gothic romance and adore movies based on a bygone era. For quite some time, I avoided watching this because I thought it would be unnecessarily gory and cheesy. 

True, Crimson peak in no way frightens and the ghosts are disfigured and look poorly drawn by CGI but it is the story and the acting that is the hook of this movie. It is only in the last few minutes that the appalling truth is revealed. Until then, every scene makes you curious about what the intentions of these strange siblings are. What are they up to? Crimson Peak is a decent watch - not necessarily for those looking for a chilling horror, but more for those seeking an engaging drama.

Scare Scale: 3/5