"Normal" is not typically a word associated with the works of Guillermo del Toro, and it seems that trend will continue with his his upcoming haunted house thriller Crimson Peak. How do we know this? Because del Toro really even refuses to call it a "haunted house movie," instead seeing it as something much, much more.
Crimson Peak is expected to have a presence this week at San Diego Comic-Con, and it was while discussing the film with Entertainment Weekly that del Toro explained it's not merely the story of a residence inhabited by ghouls. Instead, the movie's titular mansion is instead much more of a metaphorical representation of the sketchy, shadowy characters that dwell within it. Said the director,
The house is a rotting representation of the family that has inhabited it — it’s like a cage, a killing jar that you use to kill butterflies. The house basically is a sinister, sinister trap.
In the past, Guillermo del Toro has talked about getting inspiration from Robert Wise's The Haunting, Jack Clayton's The Innocents, and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and it's easy to see how his view of Crimson Peak is reflected by those titles. Taking a more modern example, it will be interesting to see how this movie operates in relation to Drew Goddard's brilliant The Cabin In The Woods, which is another title that can be seen as operating like a "sinister trap" for its inhabitants. Of course, del Toro's movie has the gothic vibe going for it, so that really should immediately set it apart.
Based on an original script by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, Crimson Peak follows a young author (Mia Wasikowska) who finds herself swept away by a mysterious and seductive stranger (Tom Hiddleston) to a house on top of a mountain. What she doesn't realize until it's too late, however, is that there is a deep secret and deep evil that rests within this home, and she must find her way out before it's too late. The fantastic cast also include Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Doug Jones, and Burn Gorman, and the film will be arriving in theaters courtesy of Universal and Legendary Pictures on October 16th.
Those of you who are very excited for this title should do themselves a favor a pay close attention to the news this week, as there are surely big things in store for the movie. Legendary Pictures will have its very own San Diego Comic-Con panel in the infamous Hall H on Saturday afternoon, and it's expected that Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak will have a significant presence (if not only because the Comic-Con crowd loves the director). Of course, we'll be covering the event from on the ground in San Diego, so stay tuned!
