Kira Moore

Crimson Peak Clip Analysis

The director of this film, Guillermo del Toro, clearly wants the audience to gain a sense of
tension and fear from this short clip of film. This is done through a combination of things;
mainly sound and mise-en-scene.
At the very beginning of the scene we see a woman awake with a start. That she gasps as
though in pain immediately puts a sense of danger and tension in the scene. It is clear from
her clothes, as part of the mise-en-scene, that the film is set in the past. The fact that her
nightdress is white and billowy creates almost a ghost like way to her movement. Her pale
skin and white hair also adds to the ghostliness of her appearance. Immediately this creates
the subconscious association of something paranormal taking place. In addition to this, it
shows the woman in stark contrast to the rest of the house which is very darkly coloured and
appears almost black. The fact that only her and her dog have any form of light colour also
suggests theyre out of place in regards to the house. This creates tension as they dont
appear to belong in the scene yet it revolves around them; a convention of the horror genre
is that those out of place are the first to get hurt. At the same time as this there is a general
groaning and creaking of the house as though it is alive. This creates fear as it sounds
paranormal and ghostly.
In addition to this the low key lighting creates a sinister look to the house with the only
source of light coming from candles. These candle flames flicker and, as the woman moves
long the corridor, cast changing shadows on the wall again adding a ghostly atmosphere and
adding to the tension. The fact that we can hear the flames flicker adds a mild sense of fear
for them going out because darkness is also generally associated with fear and danger. This
adds to the tension and begins to create the fear the director is trying to get the audience to
feel.
After a door opens by itself with a large amount of creaking (diegetic) we hear a whistle of
wind. This suggest the house is cold and draughty. This adds to the desolate and dark
atmosphere of the house which has the gothic style generally associated with a haunted
house. The groans continue to the point where they sound human and after a presumed
door slam the dog stops barking. This creates tension as it was the only sound indicating
any other life than the woman herself. We then hear a muffled human-like voice coming from
behind a closed door which the woman presumes to be the dog growling. The dog then
starts barking again from beside the door. This immediately creates a sinister tone as it
leaves the question if the dog is in the hall what is behind the door?
This question is soon answered as a bloody face with huge eyes appears behind the door
and pulls it closed with a sort of screeching noise. The use of this red face in pair with some
previously red lighting (mise-en-scene) in the hallway all connotes danger and blood. The
expression on the face paired with the screech is used to dehumanise the creature. We
immediately assume it cant be human because the door is opened again to reveal nothing
there. This creates fear because we see a creature the woman doesnt that then disappears.
We dont know where it has gone which creates tension and fear of this gaunt figure.
After the door is pulled shut an intense high-pitched non-diegetic music starts (classic horror
film pitch to suggest something bad is about to happen). It starts fairly quickly suggesting an
imminent scare at the climax but then it stops when the door is opened to show nothing
there. This gives a slight relief which the director uses to lull the audience into a false sense
of security so the jump scare of another red creature climbing out of the floor screaming has
the desired effect of invoking fear.
 Kira Moore

This is all the more effective with the addition of the high-pitched music again to add to the
moans of the creature. The creature is shrouded in a black mist (an example of the use of
mise-en-scene) and is skeletal without eyes. This, again, is done to dehumanise it and make
it seem all the more frightening; it looks as though it is a rotting corpse. The completely
unnatural nature of this creature creates fear in the audience as it is unknown. The director
plays on the primal fear of the unknown more for the woman it drags itself towards than
themselves.
The tension and fear that has been built throughout is relinquished only after the elevator
ride where it becomes more mysterious. The red in the chamber reflects that of the creatures
which means some tension still remains but the dog barking means relative safety. It is then
more mysterious as there are questions left unanswered. Where is Thomas? What is this
chamber? Who does the inscribed trunk belong to?
Therefore, through a combination of mise-en-scene and sound throughout the clip tension
and fear are created by the director.