Is “Crimson Peak” a horror film? Anyone who's seen the spooky trailer would probably answer “yes.” Thing is? Director Guillermo del Toro doesn't see it that way.
“I made it clear it was not horror, it was gothic romance,” Del Toro told me about his pitch to the studio. “So you are going to have some of the trappings and scares of horror, but you have also the sad beauty of romance. We went and created this, which is a throwback to the lavish Hollywood productions of yore.”
So what are some of Del Toro's favorite recent horror movies? After I asked for his thoughts on the current state of the horror genre (for the record, I was not trying to suggest that the entire genre is in a state of decay but merely picking his brain), the director was quick to shout out a few titles he loved over the last few years — including my personal favorite, David Robert Mitchell's “It Follows.”
Watch the full interview above, and check out the “Crimson Peak” trailer below.
“Crimson Peak” hits theaters on October 16.