I'm 30 minutes in to Crimson Peak and my eyes are closing. I've already spent 20 minutes talking to actual people to get two cinema tickets because it's sometimes nicer than just booking online. The assistant misheard me, gave me two tickets for Hotel Transylvania 2 and it took two more people and another 18 minutes to rectify the situation.
I've already given a Paddington hard stare to the Chatty Cathy behind me and now I'm nodding off.
Not because it's a bad film. It's not, but I'm still on Florida time after a couple of days back in Blighty, and dark cinemas are not conducive to that wide awake feeling.
The first hour of Guillermo del Toro's latest is a sumptuous affair. Mia Wasikowska on fine form as Edith Cushing, the aspiring novelist with a rich father seduced by the Byronic Brit Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) who seeks funding for his clay mining enterprise. A genuine dragon's den this it seems as assorted other potential investors are already "out" and Thomas is desperate.
Then there's his rarely blinking, ivory tinkling enigmatic sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Hard to believe this is the same actress who proved so compelling in The Martian and assorted other films released recently.
Her scenery chewing performance is a joy to behold. Alas, the weak link in the chain is Charlie Hunnam as Ms Cushing's concerned doctor and old friend Alan McMichael.
As with GDT's Pacific Rim, I just don't buy him in either movie.
Crimson Peak looks terrific and like Tom's mining machine, really gets going after building up a head of steam in the third act.
Any jet lag was buried as revelations were revealed and the plot became as clear as Ms Wasikowska's doll-like skin.
There are a few wince-inducing moments here and there, but this is less a horror film and more a gothic romance.
Guillermo is a master of the genre, and after the comedic Hellboy movies and occasionally clunky Pac Rim (as the fans call it), good to see him get his teeth into something a little more adult and full blooded.
Of course Hammer used to do this on a fraction of the budget 50 years ago, but despite the elaborate set, it doesn't overshadow the drama too much. Yes, the house is a key character, like the Nostromo in Alien, but there is much to admire here as well as the fancy costumes and Haunted Mansion-style proscenium.
It's not as good as I'd hoped it would be, and could have done with a serious shot of adrenaline in the first act; it's as inert as a still pendulum at times, but eventually the machinery kicks in and makes you glad you stuck around.
Yes, eventually it does peak.