Crimson Peak would probably have been a much more effective film if it hadn’t telegraphed it’s ghost reveals so early into the story. I’ll say that right now.  Most of the chills I expected to experience were watered down by my knowing exactly why the ghosts were there, and what they wanted.

But there’s some serious awesome here to take your mind off waiting for the climax.  The dripping, oozing gothic mansion is a dastardly delight.  Speaking of, Hiddleston, Chastain, Wasikowska and Hunnam all have solid careers in the gothic genre if their star-power careers ever bore them.  Bonus points for casting Supernatural’s Jim “Bobby” Beaver as “Mr. Cushing”.  That’s so cool on so many levels.

Peak is definitely overkill, from the hyper-stylized costumes to the hammy yet still engagingly creepy performances.  And riffs on The Shining, Jane Eyre, The Haunting and many other classics sometimes feel a bit too obvious.  Still, for all it’s bombastic excess, Crimson Peak manages to deliver a creepy good time, with director  Guillermo del Toro spinning a Hammer films-like Gothic with a 21st Century heart.  Good, bloody, chilling fun, and a perfect Halloween haunted house.  Grade: B