Crimson Peak: 10 Things To Look Forward To
9. Red Means Run
When it comes to upping the scares, some swear by gore. Others rely on a dramatic soundtrack and ear-busting shrieks. Del Toro, on the other hand, prefers colour-coding.
In what has become one of the director's most effective trademarks, particular colours tend to mean specific things in a del Toro film.
Good things come with happy, solar colours, while evil tends to take earthier, darker hues.
This technique was used to splendidly atmospheric effect in films like The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth.
Crimson Peak, as the title itself suggests, goes a step further by focusing on the colour red. Del Toro had already done this to a lesser extent with Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, but this time round red is unequivocally evil.
All the ghosts are colour-coded red and - get this - the grounds of the house also sport the same shade due to the clay that is mined right beneath it. Because why have boring snow when you can make your protagonists walk on a sea of blood instead?
The more the film progresses, the stronger the presence of the colour, until even the walls, the water taps and the floor bleed red.
Rather tellingly, Lucille is the only one in the film who shows up in a crimson dress. Make of that what you will.