Registering disappointing box office receipts after its October 16 release is “Crimson Peak,” (billed in Mexico as “La Cumbre Escarlata”) a period piece gothic horror movie directed by acclaimed Guadalajara-born filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.   

Del Toro’s return to a genre that he’s most comfortable with has generally been welcomed by mainstream critics, though the US$55 million production could turn out to be a financial flop.  While lauding “Crimson Peak” for its stunning visuals, art direction, costumes and acting, some reviewers have been less impressed with the rather mundane script and several massive plot holes. The story involves an aspiring author (Mia Wasikowska), who is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider (Tom Hiddleston).  In true gothic style, she is swept away to an isolated mansion in England that soon starts to reveal its bloody and terrifying past.

Diehard del Toro fans will no doubt be enthralled by the director’s remarkable visual creativeness, clever use of cinematic metaphors and references to haunted houses of movies past.   Less well-versed moviegoers may feel, however, they are not getting enough “scares” or “gore” throughout the somewhat slow-moving moody/erotic yarn.  

In recent interviews, del Toro has been keen to stress that  “Crimson Peak” is not really a horror film but a gothic romance.  That is something his army of fans will relate to: his dark masterpiece “Pan’s Labyrinth” worked on many levels – fantasy, terror, historical – but could never be described as an outright horror movie.   

“Crimson Peak” opens October 30 all across Mexico.