crimson peak's ghosts really were such incredible design work. which is to be expected from guillermo del toro, but it's still impressive, especially when you actually stop to consider how much thought and detail went into them. they're visceral, bloody, resembling decaying flesh far more than the typical vaporous appearance you expect when you hear the word "ghost". they're painful to look at, these half-rotted, twisted, moaning apparitions that at first evoke more terror than sympathy, making edith's initial refusal to accept their warnings very understandable, especially when you remember that she's been seeing them since she was a little girl. they reflect the true horror at the heart of the story - of being trapped by the trauma inflicted on you, in perpetual agony from wounds that will not heal, unable to move on, and begging for someone to see you, to understand your pleas for help and acknowledge your pain, that you were wronged, to break the cycle of violence and ensure that it doesn't happen again and render your suffering meaningless.