Crimson Peak: The Official Movie Novelization

"Crimson Peak" is an amazing movie, a gorgeous gothic feast - love story/character study/fairy tale/horror/thriller, all rolled into one. I'm normally not that crazy about novelizations of movies, but this one is a complete exception - it's beautifully done, totally engaging from beginning to end. Del Toro really crafted a film that was like a classic Victorian gothic novel, but filtered through his fantastic, unique imagination. Obviously, the author of this book (Nancy Holder) is highly skilled, but also inspired by the material. This is one of the most absorbing and entertaining reads I've had for some time - a perfect compliment to a classic film.

The most important thing to know about this novelization is that although it is written well enough, the ending of the book is in complete contradiction with what the writer/director Guillermo Del Toro intended for the story. The book does not end the way the movie ends, and more importantly, in the special feature commentary to the film, Guillermo Del Toro very specifically explains why he did not end the film in that way and that his not ending it in that way was very important in relation to the characters. The female characters that are created here are the hero and the villain - not the male characters. Guillermo wanted to give his female characters that power. What does not happen in the end of the film does not happen for a very specific reason - because it is not how the story ends, and because it takes away from the power of the female characters, specifically Edith. There are only two love stories here - not three. The author of this novelization trivializes the entire story by adding a third love story and changing the ending. I suppose she wanted to make it all more mainstream, more "happy ending". This is not a happy ending story. The author also has toned things down to an incredible degree, obviously to make the story less shocking to readers. The disappointment of the last two pages of the author's version takes away from anything else she might have added as far as more depth of character via backstory and giving more character to the house itself. It trivializes it. Do yourself a favor - watch the film, and then rewatch it with Guillermo Del Toro's commentary. Everything that you wanted to know more about the characters will be given to you there, and you will understand why the story does not end the way the author has chosen to alter it, and you will feel satisfied with the way the story was intended to end and how that empowers rather than trivializes the female characters. If you are a woman, I believe you will also come away with the distinct impression that Guillermo Del Toro is a genius and a champion for women, and that the author of this novelization should take a page out of his book as far as how to depict women and empower them. I would really love to specifically say what those last two pages have in them that should never have been there, but that would be too much of a spoiler. Go ahead and read the book. I think that if you don't find it disappointing in the end, you didn't really understand this story at all. Or you wanted a different story, which is certainly what you will get. Which is unfortunate. Because a story should be told the way the original story teller intended, whether or not it conforms to mainstream ideals.

I loved this "gothic romance" a lot and definitely have to see the movie, too!

Chrimson Peak is a story where you`ll walk full force into the gray area. - You`ll find true evil... but at once you`ll also see behind.
There is love. A lot of love.. but not necessarily the good kind of love. It's twisted and trapped. -You'll feel sorry and in another second you`ll feel joy.

These story is a beautiful/sad drama. Shakespear would`ve loved it!

I absolutely adored the movie and was very excited to see a novelization. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters as portrayed in the film, especially Jessica Chastain's Lucille and was pleased to see her psychology better developed in the book. I highly recommend the novel if you're a fan of the movie or are just interested in the Gothic romance or suspense genre.

Crimson Peak was quite the unexpected delight for me in many ways. I didn’t get a chance to see the movie while it was running in theaters, but the desire to do so had been there. A swoon-worthy British gentleman like Tom Hiddleston stars in it, after all, how could you not want to relish his dashing presence for a couple of hours? However, after reading the novel I find that I’m rather pleased I was able to experience the story in this medium first, as I don’t think I would have enjoyed myself nearly as much if I had seen the flick first.

There I was walking the aisles at my local big-chain bookstore when Hiddleston’s snow white skin and brooding eyes caught my attention. Before I could blink, my hand had snapped out like the tongue of a starving frog and snatched up the book with girlish glee. I went home that evening and began reading right away (with a giant mug of tea as a fine accompaniment), and much to my surprise I found myself being compelled to just keep going and going and going. The reason for this is a relatively elementary one: the writing. It was so damn fluid that my eyes remained glued to the words like a leaf flowing with the river’s current. Cheesy, I know, but I feel it’s such an apt way to describe my inability to stop reading this book!

Crimson Peak is very much a period piece. What that means is that it’s set during the beginning of the 1900s and is true to that period. There was an arrogant elegance and pretentious sophistication during this time, especially where the wealthy and whiny were concerned. Nancy Holder, the wonderful author of this novelization, did a fantastic job of retaining the era’s atmosphere with her writing. Whether it was with the sumptuously visceral scene descriptions, or flowing and natural character interactions—the writing is considerably well-done.

As far as the premise of plot is concerned, I found it inadvertently predictable. Within the first ten pages unto the very last page, I foretold what was going to occur with succinct detail. It may purely be that I’ve encountered such a plot-line in many other movies and books that I’ve experienced, mostly of the international vein, but whatever the reasoning: I totally saw that coming. Normally when this sort of thing arises, I’m disinclined to keep reading, at least with much active interest. Yet, notwithstanding the knowledge of what was to derive, I simply couldn’t put the damned thing down.

While I feel compelled to provide a basic synopsis like I routinely do with my book reviews, I will skip the urge to do so this time. I feel that if I were to try and provide a snippet, I may spoil it in one form or another. All I will say about the story is that it’s a romantic love story (when I say romantic, I refer to it in its truest definition: gothic and dark), concerning sinister stimuli. So, in short: horror and love swirl together for paced story about a couple of intriguing individuals.

It’s been so long since I have encountered a novel that has kept me vehemently awake through the night, quickly flipping page after page. Again, the credit for this is wholly on the authoress, who did a fantastic job of arranging her words in such a manner as to build suspense and to hold said suspense regardless of the story’s obviousness. When I arrived at a point that I expected to pop up, I still found myself struck with slight astonishment. Only a true writer can muster such a reaction from an audience that has foreshadowed the entirety of the plot from page one, okay maybe page seven. But still!

While the tale itself is mediocre, the inscription made this experience wholly worth the insomnia it gave me. Also, to be fair, the story isn’t a bad one at all. If anything, it’s a tad bit overdone. With Nancy Holder penning it, my final judgment on the novelization of Crimson Peak is three and a half ghosts.

Crimson Peak captures the turn of the century world, and is an impressive adaptation of the film. This well written Gothic tale would have high appeal to young adult readers, but is also a great read for fans of traditional Gothic. Crimson Peak takes a page from the Twilight series with its fatal attraction and the classic lover triangle minus the vampires. This is a more sophisticated read that harks back to traditional Gothic. Both the film and novel have the quality of the ghost story.

The film’s dialogue is largely transcribed onto the page. Although the novel sometimes lacks the dramatic embellishments that the film treats viewers to, the novel engages with more subdued and restrained scares, and is a well-crafted tale. True fans of Gothic horror and the tortured romance will appreciate this story with its ominous foreshadowing and the way Nancy Holder creates mystery and menace around Thomas and Lucille Sharpe. As shadows lurk and Edith becomes more isolated she falls helplessly into the clutches of the freakish siblings escalating reader anxiety. The theme of doomed love is played out in more than one way.

Staple Gothic features are clearly recognisable, such as the haunted house on the hill, the Ghosts’ ambivalence. Clichés and the sometimes twee touches jar, but it’s easy to read past these as Crimson Peak doesn’t disappoint.