It is the kind of film that several Indian filmmakers, forever mired by convention, should be made to watch in order to understand how the truly gifted can celebrate classicism instead of being trapped by it.

Little makes sense in this visually rich film from that director of the horror Crimson Peak excess Guillermo del Toro, that has ideas as wispy thin as the ghost — or is it ghosts? — that populates it.

Del Toro creates an effectively eerie atmosphere in the spooky period piece. Skirting the shock tactics and jump scares commonplace in horror movies nowadays, Del Toro opts instead to build up a poetically imagined nightmare.

Crimson Peak is a story of ghosts, both real and metaphorical. Its flaw is that the “real” ones are far more fascinating than the “metaphorical” ones. The most compelling films in the horror genre have humans who’re at least as interesting as the ghosts they’re haunted by, if not more. InCrimson Peak, that sadly, isn’t the case.

There’s plenty of doom and Gothic gloom in here but at its heart, this is a beautiful story (albeit a rather unusual one) of courage, and love.

Del Toro’s brilliance is unquestionable but his talent doesn’t always come through with a completely credible experience. This one is somewhere close to brilliant but in experience falls well short.

If you’re looking for a tragic romance wrapped in a gigantic canvas of epic production design and photography, Crimson Peak is your fix. It’s always a special moment when a Del Toro film hits theaters and there’s always something fascinating to look at in every one of his frames. In an era where cheap horror films seem to be the big formula, it’s nice to have a big budget horror film playing in 2D IMAX screens for a change.

These computer-generated images along with that of the fine smoky textures of ghosts in 3D effect, merge with Dan Lausten’s cinematography seamlessly, giving the film an aesthetic feel.

But overall, the film does not tug at you emotionally.

Crimson Peak will not be counted among del Toro’s best works but deserves a watch for sure.

Crimson Peak is a strange mix of gothic romance, horror film and, in its frenetic last moments, giallo. It’s yet another advertisement for Guillermo Del Toro’s supreme visual imagination, something that’s informed all his films…Yet, too often, one gets the feeling of being haunted not by ghosts but by tropes.

This is when del Toro finds his true playground, painting every frame with intricate details and colour coding even the apparitions. With his core team of production designer Tom Sanders, cinematographer Dan Laustsen, costume designer Kate Hawley, editor Bernat Vilaplana and composer Fernando Velázquez, del Toro creates haunting and visually arresting images. Even when the ghosts appear, you find yourself unable to look away.

…go ahead; venture into the shadowy halls of Allerdale Hall, open the creaking doors and immerse yourself in the devilish delights of this film.