Unsettled family, Gothic house, mysteries upon mysteries. This was mentioned in several interviews with del Toro, and the parallels are clear. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe Ghosts! Feminism! And it’s a short story, so you can knock this out real quick and then be 0.5% on your way to a minor in Women’s Studies. The Yellow Wallpaperby Charlotte Perkins Gilman Jackson is the master of making you feel like something-is-wrong-I-just-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it.

Like Shirley Jackson’s not gonna be on this list. We Have Always Lived in the Castleby Shirley Jackson “Oh, people want to read about heroines with mysterious husbands in isolated houses? BOOM. Because ladies are on TOP of things like that. The pseudo-Gothic genre got a big boost in the 1960s and ’70s, and authors like Victoria Holt and Madeleine Brent ( A Heritage of Shadows, Stormswift) took full advantage. Del Toro himself says Uncle Silas “defines the link between fairy tales and Gothic romance” and that it was “crucial to Crimson Peak.” Two Le Fanus! Because he is that important to this aesthetic. Read Carmilla then come back and we’ll talk about how under-appreciated Le Fanu is. And I left out like half of the super-dramatic things. It’s got extra backstory! And tons of pictures! Pictures + backstory are the way to my and presumably your heart, so I’m not sure why we’re not having a Crimson Peak: The Art of Darkness party right now, complete with dramatic readings and flowy dresses.Ī mysterious castle, a haunted room, and the ghost of a countess. If really really close siblings is your thing, then….here y’go.Ĭrimson Peak: The Art of Darkness by Mark Salisbury

Crimson peak nancy holder