15. Crimson Peak. I remember reading an interview with Guillermo Del Toro about this film while it was still in production, and he said something along the lines of Crimson Peak being halfway between the sensibilities of his Spanish language films, and his American films. I think that statement is an apt on for this film, as it is his best since Pan's Labyrinth, but still only halfway to greatness. While the story brims with freudian undercurrents of repressed sexuality, and is rife with thoroughly Del Toro imagery (with visual homages to Pan's, The Devil's Backbone, and one scare is even straight from PT(!)), his signature dark fairy tale style of storytelling is actually one of the things that holds this film back. Pan's Labyrinth was so successful in this regard because Ophelia had her own childlike view of the world, but it was clearly delineated by the very very real world around her. While this film still makes humans out to be the true monsters of the tale, the fantasy and reality is blended together such that the protagonists fairy tale viewpoint is enmeshed in the entire narrative, so the characters never truly come alive or have any depth to them; they simply feel like they are playing roles in a young woman's story. Which certainly makes it feel like this is the best alternative to Twilight ever, but falls shy of the complexity of his best work.
The script is further hampered by not placing enough trust in the audience, it dolls out clumsy exposition frequently, and it drops so many obvious hints that the central mystery is anything but mysterious. Despite this, I was still engaged with the story. Like I said, there are enough Del Toro touches in the script, full of symbolism, and the moments that do feel very real (often punctuated by rather shocking violence, or--not often or shocking enough--bits of sex) really do make it feel like it's kin to his Spanish films. It's also fitting that Fall of The House of Usher was my previous watch, as this film felt particularly inspired by it. But, unlike Usher, it doesn't have someone like Vincent Price to pull you in. All the actors are capable and fine here (thankfully Charlie Hunam doesn't bungle his role like he did in Pacific Rim) but they are all far too reserved. Jessica Chastain comes the closest to being an enigmatic screen presence, but for most of the film she's again, too reserved. A bit more camp, liveliness, and trimming of extraneous expository scenes (like whenever we pull away from the mansion) could have really helped with the uneven pacing.
Now, is the film scary? No, not really. There are some jump scares, some violence, some ghostly stuff. It's not scary, but at the same time I really did like the supernatural elements in the film. I know a lot of people have complained about generic CG ghosts, but they feel thoroughly Del Toro to me. They feel like his version of something from the Haunted Mansion, and his blend of real actors, CG, and Del Toro quirks to their design and sound, make them a treat whenever they're on screen. They worked for me. Speaking of visuals, the set for the mansion is gorgeous. Seriously impressive stuff, and if creaky gothic mansions are of any appeal to you, this is the movie to see. The costumes are just as impressive as the sets. Overall, the movie is lovely to behold.
I liked the movie quite a bit despite my many qualms. For every stretch of generic, lifeless scenes there's have a moment that is pure Del Toro that reminds me why I faithfully watch all his films. Those moments, as sparse as they can sometimes be, really elevated the film for me. There's a visual late in the film where thousands of moths flap their wings along a dilapidated mural of children playing, in the mansion's attic-nursery, and one of those moments of dark reality soon follows, and it felt like I was watching the follow up to Pan's Labyrinth I'd always hoped he'd make. All told he doesn't succeed, but he's halfway there. Maybe next time.
16. Wes Craven's New Nightmare. This was the weakest of the three Craven Nightmare films for sure. It was too long, and it was almost all build up for an unsatisfying climax. Gone are most of the creative visual effects, stylized visuals, frequent kills, and much of the urgency and fun. Craven seemed to have gone for a more stripped down, darker and meaner version of Freddy as he invades reality. Thankfully, the movie still has plenty going for it. The meta story is a great premise (even if it doesn't live up to its potential, thanks to 90% of the film being spent with Heather--and her annoying kid) and pure Wes Craven. Some of the scare scenes are pretty good, even though they are stripped down or re-used Freddy abilities from the past films. But they are too infrequent, and too stripped down to really make the almost two hour film as engaging as the it should be with such an awesome premise.
