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.

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.