Crimson Peak Monologue

Crimson Peak, released in 2015 and directed by Guillermo del Toro, opens with a monologue by the film’s protagonist, Edith Cushing. This monologue continues for four minutes, encompassing a flashback which includes events of Edith’s childhood. Her dialogue introduces ghosts into the story and establishes many of the film’s most prevalent trends. During a flashback to her childhood, Edith’s mother comes to her in the form of a ghost. The syuzhet in this opening scene presents ghosts as terrifying and unwanted antagonists that exist to terrorize the hapless Edith. The film’s primary twist is that the ghosts are actually there not to terrorize Edith, but rather to save her from doom. Horrifying sound effects and music correlate with one another

Edith’s dialogue reveals her personality and character traits early on. While on her way to get her book published, Edith runs into some upper-class women. They ridicule her for being an author, a generally low-paying profession. They compare her to Jane Austen, who they acknowledge died a spinster. In response, Edith states, “I would prefer to be Mary Shelley. She died a widow.” By the conclusion of the film, Edith is a widow. Edith reveals the film’s conclusion while exposing her own feisty personality. Afterward, in one extended bit of dialogue, Edith hints at more of the film’s future content. She explains that it’s not a ghost story, but rather “a story with a ghost in it.” She states, “The ghost is just a metaphor. For the past.” This scene, coming after the first appearance of a ghost, prompts expectations for what the rest of the film will involve. Also in the beginning of the film, both Thomas and Lucille say, “I insist” to Edith at some point. “Insist” sounds similar to “incest.” Initially this is subtle, but at the end of the film, after the syuzhet reveals their incestuous relationship, Alan says to Lucille’s face that he “insists” Edith go to a hospital. Here, “insist” is nearly indistinguishable from “incest,” and the world play is obvious with the revelation of their relationship. This is just another small cue the syuzhet provides to set up Thomas

By the time Edith arrives to Allerdale Hall, the syuzhet has already established a feeling of unease, as if something suspicious is going on. The sounds the house makes and the words the character’s use to describe the house amplifies these suspicions. One of the first things Thomas says at the house increases this fear: “There’s no other house for miles. And the town’s half a day’s walk away.” Immediately a sense of isolation emerges. Later, Thomas and Lucille tell Edith more of the house’s flaws. The house is always open to the outside since there is a massive hole in the roof. This creates perpetual wind noises, as if the house is breathing. Furthermore, the floor of the house regularly creaks since it lays over a clay mine and is always sinking down further into the earth. The wind and the creaking produces an uninterrupted off-screen noise ongoing in almost every scene in the house. Furthermore, it rains and snows all the time on their property, creating steady ambient background noise for many scenes. With so many problems, the film begs the question: why do they live here? The characters never provide a convincing answer. Since a majority of the film takes place in this eerie setting, there is an ever-present feeling of suspense. Surprises frequently follow the more intense periods of suspense, usually in the form of a sudden appearance of a ghost.