Perhaps the most surprising visual asset when Crimson Peak's trailer debuted was that his undead spirits floating through the many halls have a vibrant, blood-red tint to their colour pallet. Obviously, as that colour is highlighted in the title, that detail has a level of significance, but the story behind the inception is quite fascinating. Rather than merely playing for style, Del Toro continues his long-reign of substance cinema by burrowing deep into history as his source for inspiration. If you are a fan of ghost stories and legends, there isn't a better reference than M.R. James, and the great filmmaker pays a particular ode to the man with his film. In a recent interview with IGN, the director explains the methods behind the colours, quoting a particular literary passage as his most cherished asset:
"I felt it was important for the ghost to be rather unique in appearance, and I chose to colour-code them in a way that has never been done before. There is a story... after M.R. James died, they found some papers of his and one of them was a sketch for a story that seemed to scholars to be quite autobiographical because the setting reminded them of a childhood property of his parents. And in it, he said he saw a ghost behind a little wooden door and its the only time he didnt describe them like crumpled linen, as he did in Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad or as featureless thing, as he did often he described a ghost with features which while seemingly human were of a bright pink colour. That struck me very strongly."
Film and UFC obsessive with a passion for scribbling words about them. Avid NFL fan and big Chelsea supporter too.
Film Studies degree graduate from the University of Brighton.
