Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak Really Opened My Eyes To Brooding Gothic Romances, And I Need To Talk About It

When we look back on co-writer/director Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, the first thing most think of is how the picture went from being a box office dud to a cult favorite. For me though, I like to think of that project as one of the first to properly expose me to the world of a sub-genre I’ve grown to love quite a bit: the gothic romance. As we wait for the 2025 movie schedule to deliver us del Toro’s spin on Frankenstein, now feels like an appropriate time to dig into why this came to be, and how successors like Nosferatu benefited from the film.

I will say before we start that this feature will be rife with spoilers. But if you haven’t seen Crimson Peak, you’re in luck! Peacock subscription holders can catch not only this Mia Wasikowska-starring beauty for themselves, they can also make it a double feature with Robert Eggers’ recent vampire tale.

Crimson Peak’s Deceptive Marketing Was A Slight Blessing In Disguise

For a kid that couldn’t get into Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre when they were assigned in high school English, Crimson Peak’s story might not have grabbed me if it wasn’t for one of the factors that Guillermo del Toro credits with sinking the movie at the box office. To speak to that point further, please enjoy the teaser trailer that started a campaign of terror:

Crimson Peak - Official Teaser Trailer [HD] - YouTube

Watch On

Did you notice how that teaser felt more like it promised either threatening ghosts and/or the possibility of possession? I think a lot of people did, which may have led to Crimson underperforming at the box office. Though I agree that selling Mr. del Toro’s follow-up to Pacific Rim as a pure horror experience was definitely misleading, I will begrudgingly admit that it helped hook me in.

Edith Cushing’s Story Is A Tragic Romance With Horror Touches

At this point we were all familiar with del Toro’s genre spectacle fare, so we all probably expected something as outlandish as Hellboy, but in period costumes. However, the trio of Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Mia Wasikowska were embroiled in a very human drama throughout Crimson Peak.

If anything, young Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) and her romance with Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is one of great tragedy. When you arrive at the movie’s big reveal of what’s actually going on in Allerdale Hall, there’s a sadness that tinges the rest of the picture, with no character escaping its influence.

Digging back into the archives a bit, I was able to pull the audio from the movie's press conference I attended back in 2015. From that treasure trove of information, I pulled these remarks from del Toro, as he explained what he felt was the true romance of this tale:

We’re going to have to jump into spoilers a bit more from this point on. So consider this your last chance to avoid the twists and turns involved, and a great opportunity to read my Crimson Peak review from 2015. As for those of you who remain, it’s time to talk about those ghosts.

The Ghosts Aren’t The Villains Of Crimson Peak

Would it really be a Guillermo del Toro movie if there wasn’t at least a touch of the supernatural? The man literally published a book with the title At Home With Monsters, so there was bound to be something not of this world included. But, just like in the real-life ghost story that inspired Crimson Peak, the ghosts aren’t really here to hurt us.

Edith’s ability to see spirits isn’t something that terrorizes her in this story, quite the opposite. Ghosts of various figures that died at the hands of the incestuous Sharpe siblings, as well as Edith’s late mother, are actually warnings meant to protect her from winding up like all the other victims.

When her mom’s warning isn’t enough to shoo her off, Thomas’ dead wives show her the literal evidence to what’s been going on this whole time. Spectral interference isn't meant to trip up our young female protagonist here, but rather it serves as an influence to secure her from the horrors that seek to prey upon her.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Latin Influences Feel Like Taking Part In My Own Roots

Chastain’s Lucille Sharpe gets one of the best lines of dialogue in this film, as she talks about how her love for her brother is a type of romance that “makes monsters of us all.” While that moment can universally be understood, it takes me back to how del Toro spoke at the press conference about his approach to making this particular movie. That explanation was as follows:

I know that Latinx people are not a monolith, but cultural evidence shows that the “Latin temperament" is something we’ve seen time and again in fiction. Seeing The Shape of Water director take that influence and apply it to what feels like an episode of The Gilded Age makes me happy as both a fan of fiction, and as someone with Latinx roots myself. It also kind of explains why my father and I both enjoy the romance at the heart of Gone with the Wind.

Crimson Peak’s Outlook On Love Is A Refreshing Contrast Of Victorian Tradition

There’s one final piece of knowledge I want to share from the press tour, and it’s something that underlines what really works about this story for me. Guillermo del Toro’s knowledge of Victorian drama really shined through when he shared with us the following breakdown of how fiction from that era treated the subject of sex, and why subverting it was key:

Taking a classic form of storytelling and updating it for modern times, with a heaping helping of gore and distress, is not easy. A steady hand is needed to achieve such goals, as we saw with Robert Eggers’ mastery over Nosferatu. I think del Toro would be proud to know that Crimson Peak still hits as hard for me as it did when I first saw it.

While scrambling to read Frankenstein when sick in junior year cracked the door open on gothic romance for me, Edith’s battle for survival threw it wide open for future enjoyment. Recognizing that in 2025 is apt timing, as the del Toro adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic will be hitting Netflix at some point in the year to come.

That means now’s the time to start digging further into the sub-genre, as I prepare for what’s to come. So if you haven't taken a trip through the secrets, the terror, and the bittersweet romance that Crimson Peak offers, you officially have one less excuse not to correct that.