Crimson Peak Film Analysis

Perhaps the most effective element director Guillermo del Toro incorporates in his film Crimson Peak is the stark juxtaposition of common fairytale and nightmare motifs. Del Toro redefines the haunted house genera with his strong use of both. He uses a combination of characters, colors, costumes, architecture, and symbols. All of which create a mystical environment for the story to develop. From the beginning we are introduced to the reoccurring theme of fairytale turned nightmare. One of the first scenes we see is a flashback of when Edith is young and her mother appears to her. The creature that approaches to deliver a warning to her young daughter. Edith’s mother’s role is similar to a fairy godmother, however, her creepy appearance …show more content…
Every scene is filled with contrasting colors. A major contribution to this is the use of costumes. All major characters follow a specific color scheme that plays into the fairytale/nightmare tropes. In typical fairytales when a character is depicted they wear a color that matches their type of character. For example, almost every villain’s wardrobe consists of cold dark colors such as blue, black and, gray. Which happen to be the only colors that Thomas and Lucille wear throughout the entire movie. With the only exception being when Lucille is first introduced, however, even that dress resembles the shape of an exoskeleton. Another, typical color scheme seen in fairytales are light colors often worn by characters that are perceived as “good” such as a fairy, princess, or an angel. In Crimson Peak this role is played by the virginal Edith, who prances around in yellow flowing dresses much like a princess. While any less significant characters like Dr. McMichael and Edith’s father are assigned to more neutral colors such as browns and …show more content…
The film has a strong motif of butterflies and moths. Due to their majestic movements and bright cheery colors butterflies are often present in fairytales. On the contrary their counterpart the moth is typically present in haunted house films due to their lack of such qualities. Throughout the house we see sharp corners paired with butterfly wallpaper, alluding to way butterflies are captures and pined to a board. Drawing a parallel to what Lucille does the Edith during her stay at the house. As she poisons her only to keep a bit of her hair as keepsake. The presence of both the butterfly and the moth in Crimson Peak adds emphasis to the fairytale-like world we see through Edith and the nightmare-like one we se in Lucille. This theme is also further emphasized in the architecture. The house, Allerdale Hall is large and decadent but at the insides are deteriorating. The cracks are bleeding red clay and there is a giant hole in the celling where mysterious leaves fall. Giving the house a feel like it was once a castle that has degenerated to a nightmare. The use and emphasis of fairytale/nightmare qualities in Crimson Peak add emphasis to the ambiguity of whether it was all made up or if Edith wrote it after the fact. They do so in a subtle way, with the qualities only being present in things like color schemes, décor, minor characters, symbols, and