History Film / CrimsonPeak

** There are also obvious parallels between this movie and "Literature/TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher", what with a brother and sister living together in a cumbling old mansion, with an added dash of incest (implied in the Poe story, explicit in the movie) for good measure.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Edith and Alan survive their experiences at Allerdale Hall and manage to get away, the village now has the Clay Extractor for the brickworks to hopefully bring them prosperity, and Thomas has apparently redeemed himself and can move on to whatever comes after death. But -- if we're going with the standard del Toro view on the afterlife in his films -- Lucille and her victims are probably trapped as ghosts forever, just as miserable and despairing in death as they were in life. Though Edith's narration at the end implies that with the violent murders that tied the ghosts to the mansion now being discovered and the murderers killed, it's possible the other ghosts were able to move on, while Lucille will be trapped there forever.]]

** One of this movie's trailers features a cover of Creator/NickCave's song "Red Right Hand". Another cover was featured in Del Toro's earlier ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}''.

** [[spoiler:Thomas']] ghost shares the same appearance as [[Film/TheDevilsBackbone Santi's]] : skin that looks like cracked porcelain, yellow eyes, blood pouring out like smoke from the wound that killed them...

* BrotherSisterIncest: Edith notices how unusually close her new husband is with his sister. Lucille is a spinster and lives with him in the house and the two always travel together. Edith starts to suspect they're actually husband and wife pretending to be siblings. [[spoiler: They're actually incestuous siblings, and they murdered their mother after they were discovered]].

* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:Lucille. When she realises Thomas actually loves Edith, she resorts to killing him too.]]

* FanDisservice: [[spoiler: Thomas and Lucille caught in a romantic embrace inside their childhood bedroom. With Lucille singing rather eerily than romantically into Thomas'ear as she runs her hand down onto his crotch. Considering that they're really siblings.]]

--> '''Lucille:''' [[spoiler: How sweet... ''(rips the ring off of Edith's wedding finger)'' I am.]]

** The plot about Edith stealing the cellar's key in a ''Literature/{{Bluebeard}}'' fashion, and the cellar containing the proof of illicit activities. Also [[spoiler: her drink is ritually poisoned by an evil in-law and then she's saved in extremis by a former suitor]]. All of this comes straight from Creator/AlfredHitchcock 's ''Film/{{Notorious}}''.

* AllThereInTheManual: The artbook in particular includes truncated versions of character backstories that Guillermo del Toro wrote out and gave to the actors. The originals were apparently much much longer.

* KnifeNut: [[spoiler: Lucille]] uses a knife to threaten Edith and [[spoiler:murder her brother]].

* LettingHerHairDown: Lucille in the film's last act, when she shows her true nature; her hair goes from a severe bun to a braid that falls [[RapunzelHair to her knees.]]

* AllThereInTheManual: The artbook in particular includes truncated versions of character backstories that Guillermo del Torro wrote out and gave to the actors. The originals were apparently much much longer.

* OtherworldlyCommunicationFailure: [[spoiler:The ghosts haunting Allerdale Hall? They aren't trying to hurt Edith but war her and protect her from Lucille and Thomas, the latter marries wealthy young woman and the former kills them so they can inherit the wealth.]]

* RomanticRunnerUp: Alan is Edith's childhood friend and clearly has romantic feelings for her, but she chooses to marry the mysterious Sir Thomas. [[WordOfGod]] states that, while he's in love with her, she has only ever seen him as a dear friend.

* OurSpiritsAreDifferent: While Edith may be spooked by the various ghosts throughout the film, none of them bear any ill intent towards her.

* QuestionableConsent: [[spoiler: Lucille's]] affair with [[spoiler: Thomas]] began before [[spoiler: Thomas]] was twelve years old, and he is shown with his eyes closed when the two are in bed together, something that had previously been described as a defence mechanism during uncomfortable situations in order to make them pass more quickly.

* RomanticRunnerUp: Alan is Edith's childhood friend and clearly has romantic feelings for her, but she chooses to marry the mysterious Sir Thomas. [[spoiler:However, the film's ending implies that [[FirstGuyWins Edith and Alan will get together after all]]]].

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:Thomas is complicit in multiple murders, but is ultimately revealed to be a deeply tragic character shaped by his traumatic experiences at the hands of his AbusiveParents and an incestuous relationship with his equally abusive sister]].

''Crimson Peak'' is another approach of Creator/GuillermoDelToro to {{ghost stor|y}}ies, released in October 2015. It is - in his own words - a classic [[GothicHorror gothic horror romance]] with a modern take. The film stars Creator/MiaWasikowska, Creator/TomHiddleston, Creator/JessicaChastain and Creator/CharlieHunnam.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Edith and Alan survive their experiences at Allerdale Hall and manage to get away, the village now has the Clay Extractor for the brickworks to hopefully bring them prosperity, and Thomas has apparently redeemed himself and can move on to whatever comes after death. But - if we're going with the standard del Toro view on the afterlife in his films - Lucille and her victims are probably trapped as ghosts forever, just as miserable and despairing in death as they were in life. Though Edith's narration at the end implies that with the violent murders that tied the ghosts to the mansion now being discovered and the murderers killed, it's possible the other ghosts were able to move on, while Lucille will be trapped there forever.]]

** When the McMichaels brag about Thomas' aristocratic status as a baronet, Edith refers to him as a "parasite". The Sharpes are able to survive in the early 20th century by [[spoiler: taking advantage of young women who fall in love with Thomas]].

* OnlyAFleshWound: [[spoiler: Justified: Thomas points out that since Alan's a doctor, he'll be able to tell him a place on his body to stab that will look convincing but do no real damage. Later, Lucille stabs Thomas in that same spot - only then to stab him again ''in the face.'' ]]

* SexlessMarriage: Thomas and Edith have one because Thomas is respecting her decision to [[spoiler: mourn her father]]. [[spoiler: They later consummate the union at a local inn after being snowed in, although it turns out that Edith's mourning wasn't the only reason he was initially holding off being intimate with her - he didn't want to [[ClingyJealousGirl make his sister angry]]]].

* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: Obviously the Sharpes couldn't account for the fact that Edith can see ghosts, meaning she finds out what they're planning thanks to evidence that the spirits help her discover. However, even more crucially, Thomas wasn't supposed to fall in love with Edith - "But it happened."]]

* TravellingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Once Alan begins to suspect something's fishy, he sets off for England from Boston - and somehow manages to get there in about a ''day,'' judging by the amount of time that's passed at Allerdale Hall.

[[caption-width-right:333:''"Beware of Crimson Peak...!"'']]