Today’s Prayer Focus
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MOVIE REVIEW

Crimson Peak

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for bloody violence, some sexual content and brief strong language.

Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Supernatural Fantasy Horror IMAX
Length: 1 hr. 59 min.
Year of Release: 2015
USA Release: October 16, 2015 (wide—2,800+ theaters)
DVD: February 9, 2016
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Relevant Issues
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About ghosts in the Bible

Supposed haunted houses

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What is the Occult? Answer

THE OCCULT—What does the Bible say about it? Answer

murder and death

final judgment

demons in the Bible

incest

polygamy

fornication in the Bible

SEXUAL LUST—What does the Bible say about it? Answer

lust (WebBible Encyclopedia)

FILM VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

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Featuring Mia WasikowskaEdith Cushing
Jessica ChastainLucille Sharpe
Tom HiddlestonThomas Sharpe
Charlie Hunnam … Dr. Alan McMichael
Jim Beaver … Carter Cushing
Burn Gorman … Holly
Leslie Hope … Mrs. McMichael
Doug Jones … Edith's Mother, Lady Sharpe
See all »
Director Guillermo del Toro — “Pan's Labyrinth” (2006), “Hellboy” (2004, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008)
Producer Legendary Pictures
Distributor

“Beware of Crimson Peak”

“Crimson Peak” opens with the bloody image of a young woman Edith (Mia Wasikowska) and narration stating, “Ghosts are real,” she then flashes back to her youth as she attends the funeral of her mother and how her mother’s ghost was the first ghost she ever saw. It carried a warning for her, “Beware of Crimson Peak!”

We now see Edith as a young adult and aspiring writer, who has been criticized because her writing lacks a love story. Edith despises that cliché, until a mysterious stranger and his sister arrive in town. Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) arrive in town seeking funding for an engineering idea for Edith’s father, among other investors, only to be denied and rejected. Edith is attracted to Thomas, but her father forbids Thomas from pursuing a relationship and even goes as far as to pay him off. Thomas and his sister accept the money and plan a return to their home, but Edith’s father is soon murdered, leaving Edith to marry Thomas, and there the story truly begins.

I went to see this film because of the horror visionary Director Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Orphanage”) and the acting of Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain. I was underwhelmed by all three—and Mia Wasikowska. The story was complete, a beginning middle, end and a little back story. It is beautifully filmed, and the cinematography is notably precise. However, the trailer led me to believe that this film was to be a scary horror movie, and it wasn’t at all. To quote the film, “It’s a story with some ghost in it.” There is a predictable twist, which brought an anticlimactic climax.

As for objectionable content, there is a minimal amount of foul language. However, there are a couple of scary images and heavy violent and bloody scenes. There are two sexual scenes, but not too graphic.

As for a biblical perspective, the film often depicts a ghost as spirit of a person who has died and their spirit lingers on Earth bound by emotion. This popular idea is not biblical.

“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The film has great cinematography, but the story is a bit dull, as well as dark and perverse (incest, lustful, violent murder, and occultic), with nothing to recommmend it to followers of Christ. Also, if you are looking for a great scary movie, this is not that.

Violence: Heavy to extreme / Profanity: f-word (1), s-word (1) / Sex/Nudity: Heavy—cleavage, passionate clothed kissing, man and woman in bed with man kissing down her clothed body and exposing her legs and kissing up to her thigh, woman in bathtub—bare back, drawing of a couple in a sexual position, R-rated sexual intercourse with movement and view of naked male buttocks, later a woman puts her hand down a man’s pants while cuddling

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I love Guillermo del Toro’s films, so I was looking forward to seeing this. It was nice to have a film that didn’t focus on the cheap scare tactics and tried to reach into multi-genre territory. That being said I cannot recommend this movie to everyone. I liked this movie, and I know of many others who will enjoy it, as well. The movies deals with death and shows a very graphic killing. Also, the siblings in the film practice incest (which anyone who watches can deduce before it’s brought to the surface), and there is a sex scene between the two main characters. However, even with all this, I still liked the movie.

Visually the ghosts were awesome, they were not as graphic as ghosts you see in today’s horror films but that ties in with the theme of the movie (they’re more emotional ghosts than demonic ghosts). Plus there is some scrumptious eye candy with the sets and costumes which art enthusiasts would love. The house itself is amazing to see, and I think the only way to appreciate these facets are in the theater.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Katherine, age 25 (USA)
Positive—I liked a lot this film, but what about the leaves. Where are the leaves coming from? The leaves that were falling inside the house through the rooftop. Everything else is quiet awesome!!!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Jonathan, age 22 (Mexico)
Neutral
Neutral—I will start by saying that from a Christian perspective there is not much to recommend “Crimson Peak.” The R-rating is quite correct, in that there is considerable gory scenes, brief strong language, 2 sex scenes (1 explicit with brief nudity another semi-explicit with no nudity).

From an entertainment level, “Crimson Peak” works as an excellent ghost story that is a treat for both the eyes and ears. If “Crimson Peak” is forgotten at Oscar time and doesn’t receive nominations for art direction, costume design, cinematography, sound, sound effects, and film editing, then it is most likely the Academy members neglected to watch this film. The visual look of the film alone is enough to recommend this film. The theater I watched “Crimson Peak” was undergoing construction and only had the film playing in IMAX. It was worth the extra money. The look, the way scenes are photographed (not a wasted space in any frame I could see), the camera movements(especially in a waltz sequence that is elegant, but also fast moving, suggesting the turmoil that is to come), the costumes, the special effects, the sounds(never have keys jangling and locking things up effected me so deeply as in this film). See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Andrew, age 39 (USA)
Neutral—After a few years of passing on this film, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give it a watch. Currently, I have very mixed feelings about it. I don’t regret watching it, and it was redemptive. That said, I’m very hesitant to recommend it. The violence and sex all fit reasonably into their context, and the murder and immorality were frowned upon, but don’t think I’m kidding when I say it was unnecessary to show as much as it did.

This is one of those rare films that, despite its very offensive lack of restraint, I felt still managed to be mostly “good” in the end. Just like good wins over evil in the story, I feel like the good qualities of this film win over its bad qualities. I’m hesitant to even write that statement, though, for fear hopeful viewers will be too hasty to give the benefit of the doubt. The film is for adults ONLY, and even many of them should just not try to watch it. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Gabriel Mohler, age 27 (USA)
Movie Critics
…it just about Gothics itself to death… The setting is spectacular, but its ghosts underwhelm. …
Sara Stewart, New York Post

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