Crimson Peak

In Buffalo, N.Y. circa 1890, a freethinking young woman (Mia Wasikowska) is swept off her feet by a mysterious Englishman (Tom Hiddleston); returning with him to his remote, sinister estate, she is alternately haunted by ghostly visions and tormented by his equally mysterious sister (Jessica Chastain). Director Guillermo del Toro (who co-wrote with Matthew Robbins) serves up an amusing, sometimes hilarious parody of a Victorian Gothic horror story—think Rebecca crossed with The House That Dripped Blood. Alas, the parody seems to be mostly unintentional, though it's not easy to tell. Certainly everybody manages to keep a straight face (god knows how). The ghostly apparitions are like nothing ever seen outside del Toro's movies, and the director's bizarre bug fetish is once again on flagrant display. J.L.