***
DVD Release
Swept off her feet by the charming Thomas Sharpe, naïve Edith returns to his family home with his sinister sister in tow. But this is no ordinary home: this is Allerdale Hall, an ancient building seated on top of a red clay mine, and it soon becomes apparent that the house, and Edith's new relatives, aren't as they appear.
Well, where to begin? Whilst the poster and trailer promise a dark, scary, sexy Gothic romance to leave you quivering in your seat, the film itself is a very empty vessel, being all premise and no content. To begin, the ghosts just aren't scary. We see the first one not two minutes into the film, which rather destroys the tension for the rest of the movie as we already know what they look like. The ghosts themselves are more skeletal figures than paranormal apparitions, and certainly lack any of the 'horror' aspect you'd hope for in a film of this ilk. Secondly, it is not nearly 'sexy' enough. If you look at source texts, such as the work of the Bronte's, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or some of Anne Radcliffe's novels, they are all laced with deep-seated sexuality and longing. Indeed, whole novels are based on fleeting glances and the slightest brushes of hands as two people longing to unite, as it were, struggle to repress their feelings. There is no such chemistry or passion here between Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and Edith (Mia Wasikowska) - their snatched kiss in the attic is rather lifeless, and their sex scene wholly devoid of any sexual tension. Similarly, the inevitable 'twists' are so obvious you see them coming a mile away, destroying any sense of mystery or anguish, whilst the final act descends into such lunacy that it was almost impossible not to laugh.
It isn't a total failure, however. The set is an amazing masterpiece, and feels like a very real and immersive structure. You really believe that it is the 'living, breathing thing' that Thomas describes it as, and long to wander off to explore the many closed off rooms. The costumes, too, are impeccable - each of Edith's dresses is beautifully finished and intricately patterned, and in the ballroom scene, there must be hours and hours of work alone. These two factors alone are worth one of the stars I have awarded this film. Even the cast do admirably with wholly one dimensional characters and a shoddy script, with Tom Hiddleston pulling at the heart strings, and Jessica Chastain channelling her best 'deranged woman' caricature as Lucille Sharpe. It's a shame, it had so much promise.
What starts as a promising premise soon descends into overly strained clichés that you've seen hundreds of times before. It is neither scary nor sexy enough to be a proper Gothic romance, and whilst the sets and costumes look incredible, they are not enough to lean a film on. Terribly disappointing.
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