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alfredsnightmare:
“Crimson Peak” is clearly one big homage to all possible Gothic narratives in both film and literature. I’ve stumbled upon quite a few lists of movies and books that may have inspired “Crimson Peak”, and while I tend to agree with them, I think there are still quite a few films that have been unmentioned yet either may have been direct inspirations to Del Toro or are just incredibly similar (be it in style, plot, imagery, or all of the above). Particularly, I think these lists tend to neglect mentioning more non-English-speaking titles, which is a pity since Del Toro owes just as much (if not even moreso) to guys like Mario Bava then he does to B&W British/American Gothic horrors.
So yeah, if you enjoyed “Crimson Peak”, you might just enjoy some of these films!
Blood and Roses (Roger Vadim, 1960) Loose adaptation of Sheridan LeFanu’s “Carmilla”. Young Carmilla is fascinated by the stories of her ancestor Millarca Karnstein, a vampire who prayed on the young brides of the cousin whom she loved. Carmilla herself is in love with her cousin Leopoldo, who in turn is engaged to the beautiful Giorgia. During their engagement party, Millarca’s secret tomb is discovered by Carmilla. Shortly thereafter, Carmilla starts behaving in a strange and eventually murderous manner. Is she insane, or has she actually switched places with the vampire Millarca - fresh from the grave to destroy Giorgia and reclaim Leopoldo?
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (Riccardo Freda, 1962) In late 19th century London, the renowned Dr. Hichcock is secretly a necrophiliac who plays a series of drugged funeral games with his wife Margherita. During one such game, Margharita accidentally dies. Sometime later, the doctor marries the beautiful Cynthia, but a series of ghostly apparitions in their house lead Cynthia to believe that Margharita may not be quite dead.
The Whip and the Body (Mario Bava, 1963) The handsome and sadistic Kurt Menliff returns to his family castle - years after causing much tragedy and disdain to it’s inhabitants - and is mysteriously murdered shortly thereafter. His brother’s wife Nevenka - with whom Kurt had a secret, torrid love affair with - is soon plagued by nightly, erotic encounters with Kurt’s ghost. Meanwhile, more murders happen in the castle. Could it be Kurt making his revenge from beyond the grave?
The Masque of the Red Death (Roger Corman, 1964) Based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. In medieval Europe, a grusome plague sweeps the countryside. Devil-worshipper Prince Prospero takes a number of peasants hostage before burning their village down. Prospero, believing his castle is imune to the disease, invites noblemen from all nearby kingdoms to seek refuge with him, in a festival of debauchery which culminates in a masked ball. At the night of the ball, the peasants organize their escape, and a mysterious uninvited guest arrives, turning Prospero’s plans upside down.
The Tomb of Ligeia (Roger Corman, 1964) Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia”. Recluse Verden Fell lives alone in his ruined abbey, tormented by memories of his late wife Ligeia. The beautiful Rowena becomes infatuated by the mysterious Fell, and they marry. Soon after moving into the abbey, Rowena begins to realize that Ligeia’s evil influence still rule over both Verden and herself.
Castle of Blood (Antonio Margheriti, 1964) Alan, a journalist, takes a bet from Lord Blackwood to spend the night of All Hallows’ Eve at a haunted castle. During the night, Alan bares witness to a ghostly ball as the spirits of the dead rise to reenact the moments prior to and during their deaths. Alan falls in love with the mysterious Elisabeth, who tries to protect him as the other ghosts plan to kill Alan to feed on his blood.
Nightmare Castle (Mario Caiano, 1965) Dr. Arrowsmith brutally murder his wife Muriel and her lover, while keeping their beating hearts alive somewhere within the house. Sometime later, the scientist remarries to Muriel’s stepsister Jenny, in order to drive her insane so he can get her money. But the doctor’s scheme doesn’t go quite as planned, as the two dead lovers soon return from the grave to exact revenge.
Malpertuis: The Legend of Doom House (Harry Kümel, 1971) Based on the belgian novel “Malpertuis” by Jean Ray. Young sailor Jan is taken to the cavernous, labyrinthine Malpertuis - the home of his uncle Cassavius, a legendary warlock. Cassavius is dying, and gathers all his greedy family members for a reading of his will: each will receive a great deal of money, as long as they stay forever in Malpertuis. Soon enough, the family members start dying under mysterious circumstances, and Jan goes on a quest to find out the horrifying secret that binds his family to Malpertuis, while also trying to gain the affections of his mysterious cousin Euryale.
Morgiana (Juraj Herz, 1972) (English subtitles) Based on the novel “Jessie & Morgiana” by Aleksandr Grin. A wealthy aristocrat dies, leaving inheritance to his two daughters - the beautiful, kind Klára; and the ugly, bitter Viktoria. After Klára inherits the family’s estate and becomes enamored with Viktoria’s love interest, the insanely jealous Viktoria decides to murder his sister. Bit by bit, Viktoria drugs Klara’s tea with a poison that will lead to a slow, painful death; while also causing a series of strange hallucinations.
Demons of the Mind (Peter Sykes, 1972) Teenage siblings Emil and Elizabeth are kept locked away and apart from each other by their father Zorn - who believes his children are possessed by an ancient family curse. A physician is brought in to try and release this family from their inner demons. Meanwhile, young girls are being murdered in the nearby village, and a handsome young doctor - in love with Elizabeth - plans to set her free.
Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye (Antonio Margheriti, 1973) In early 20th century, teenage Coringa returns from school to her decript family castle in Scotland. Her arrival triggers a series of murders, attributed to an ancient family curse regarding vampires. Meanwhile, Coringa falls in love with her mysterious, brooding cousin James; who also happens to be one of the prime suspects.
Lisa and the Devil (Mario Bava, 1973) Lisa, an American tourist in Toledo, gets lost in the labyrinthine streets of the city. As night falls, she finds shelter in an old villa filled with creepy mannequins. The house is inhabited by a blind Contessa and her son Maximilian, who immediately becomes enamored of Lisa. During the night, Lisa finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of incest, adultery, necrophilia, death and ressurection - all under control of the mysterious servant Leandro, who bears a striking resemblance to an old painting depicting the Devil.
The Legend of Hell House (John Hough, 1973) Based on Richard Matheson’s novel “Hell House”. A dying billionaire engages a group of parapsychologists to investigate the sinister Hell House (supposedly the “Mount Everest of haunted houses”) to find evidence of life after death. It is said that all previous visitors to Hell House have either died or gone insane. Soon enough, the evil presence in the house begins to affect each member of the team in different ways.
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) During a parapsychology convention, renowned clairvoyant Helga Ullmann accidentally reads the mind of a killer in the audience. Later that night, Helga is brutally murdered. Pianist Marcus Daly witnesses the crime, and goes on an investigation of his own to find the culprit. His clues lead him to an abandoned villa in the countryside, where a screaming child is said to be heard crying out at night.
Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) Ballet student Susy enrols at the prestigious Tanz Akademie in Germany. The night of her arrival, a fleeing student is brutally murdered in her apartment. Soon enough, Susy begins to realize there’s a current of supernatural evil going on at the school. She begins to investigate all these strange occurences with her friend Sara, to try and unravel the mysterious secret regarding the secretive headmistress and the whole teaching staff at the academy.
The Savage Hunt of King Stakh (Valeri Rubinchik, 1980) Based on the novel of the same name by Vladimir Korotkevich. In 19th century Russia, a young student arrives at a secluded country manor to write a paper on local folklore. The house and it’s surroundings are said to be haunted by a number of spectres, including a horde of ghostly horsemen who prowl the moors looking for victims.
The Turn of the Screw (Eloy de la Iglesa, 1985) (English subtitles) Semi-genderbent adaptation of the classic Henry James novella (which was also the basis for one of Del Toro’s favorite films, “The Innocents”). A former priest is hired to work at a beautiful seaside mansion as tutor to a young orphan girl named Flora. After the arrival of Flora’s teenage brother Miles, strange things start happening in the house. The priest must struggle against his sexual desires towards Miles, while trying to protect the children from two fiendish spirits haunting the estate.
Gothic (Ken Russell, 1985) Fictional account of the night which supposedly inspired Mary Shelley to write “Frankenstein”. Mary and Percy Shelly -, along with Clair Clairmonte and John Polidori -, gather at Lord Byron’s sprawling estate in Switzerland for a debauched night of drugs, sex, and ghost stories. What begins as a series of kinky mind games take a turn for the worst when their horrific drug-induced hallucinations turn out to be more real then they seem.
The Damned House of Hajn (Jirí Svodoba, 1989) Based on the novel “Invisible Man” by Jaroslav Havlíček. Lower class Petr marries the rich young Sonia Hajn for money. They move into the Hajn estate, where Petr becomes acquainted with her bizarre relatives, including the creepy uncle Cyril, who thinks he’s invisible. Cyril rapes Sonia and is taken away by to an insitituion. The terrified Sonia, however, still believes her uncle is following her everywhere, and slowly finds herself becoming just as insane as he was.
The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro, 2001) Guillermo Del Toro’s first ghost story, and which may or may not take place in the same universe as “Crimson Peak”. During the Spanish civil war, young orphan Carlos is left at a decadent orphanage in the middle of the desert. Carlos is told that one of the boys - Santi - has recently gone missing, and soon, Carlos himself is haunted by apparitions of the dead Santi, warning him of a great evil that will cause the death of everyone at the orphanage.
( @metamorpher @tamarakotova @chickswithcandles @rosebleue here it is, at last!)
Reblogging one last time because IT’S HALLOWEEN and you should totally watch one of these films today ( @schuylerselizabeth might be interested)
Well here’s what I’m doing today bc my halloween has gone to crap