Very nice behind the scenes look at the movie with lots of cool pictures and drawings. It talks a little about most aspects of the movie--personally I could have looked at a whole book of just the costumes. It's such a beautiful movie, it's hard to capture in a book, but they do a decent job. There are interviews with the cast, and lots of insight into the process. My area of study for my MA in English Lit was Gothic Fiction, and I really loved the movie for how it really worked on that level but with a more level headed heroine than the traditional novels--reading about del Toro's experience with Gothic Fiction/film was so interesting! ( )

In the beginning of 2015, the trailer of Crimson Peak was released and I fell in love, I even wrote so under it in the comment section and got 173 nods and a few comments of people laughing at me! (you'll have to Google it!)

In any case, I finally watched the movie and understood why it was not available in the Kuwaiti cinema, I thought it was just a classical horror movie but it had incest issues in it (which was pretty disturbing).

Ignoring that part, the decor, art and clothes were fantastic! I ordered this book before even watching the movie so I was finally happy to look through it and enjoy the film and story in a different format. ( )

Marvel started me on these "Art of" books with their excellent, high quality line. While I don't buy art books for every film (not even the ones I really enjoy) I immediately preordered Crimson Peak when it was announced. I loved Pan's Labyrinth and El Orfanato, so I new Guillermo Del Toro's imagery and designs would be unique, creative and macabre. Happily, I wasn't wrong.

While the film has some issues, I still enjoyed it. The book is the same. It has stunning photography throughout from the film, including images from the posters, but there are also a handful of "curiosities" tucked into the pages. These include replica photos featured in the film, letters, biographies, and more tacked onto the pages (they can be removed easily), plus a pocket built into the back cover which holds a poster. The book has beautiful production values: thick, glossy pages, full color and a heaviness to it.

Further, the text is brilliant - enriching the mythology of the film to a whole new level. I cannot wait to watch it again to see some of what I missed and look at other things with new insight. There are chapters on each of the four main characters, including some of their biography to help provide additional perspective into their motivations. But the best sections are easily the house and the ghosts. Simply seeing the house in the film, you marvel at the level of detail and sumptuousness of the set. Del Toro's process for designing it is engrossing. The ghosts, which were my favorite part of the film, also have backstories and purpose. I love how the first and last ghosts we see are black, with the 3 red ones haunting the house and then one, lone, white ghost. The use of color and texture truly sets the film apart from others. Everything here enriches the film experience.

I do have a couple minor criticisms. If you watch my video, you'll hear a slight peeling sound. The book arrives tightly sealed in plastic to keep the extras enclosed. But it is VERY tight so that some of the pages stick together upon opening. Unfortunately, this occasionally results in a ghosting effect where a ink is transferred to the opposite page. Plus, one of the inserts has staples in it that caused an indentation in several pages. Second, this book really needs a slipcase to protect those curiosities from falling out after you've opened it. The Marvel books are sold at the same price point, and include a case, so I'm not sure why one wasn't included. I would have happily paid a bit more to get one, just to ensure nothing is lost.

Overall, the book is beautiful and I do not regret the purchase at all, despite these minor negatives. If you are a fan of Del Toro, Gothic imagery, or art books in general, this is a great purchase. Highly recommended. ( )