The narrative draws from classic gothic romance traditions with ghosts as metaphors for family secrets and violence, without altering source material or introducing modern identity elements. Guillermo del Toro explicitly stated at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con panel that he set out to make a film empowering women, and the story features two prominent female leads whose arcs involve agency amid patriarchal family structures and domestic oppression.

Academic and critical pieces frequently apply feminist readings, highlighting subversion of gothic tropes through female perspectives and critiques of home as a site of repression. However, these remain literary extensions of the genre rather than activist framing, with no race-swapping, LGBTQ+ representation, DEI casting mandates, or dialogue on systemic identity issues.

The cast reflects the 1890s-1900s setting without controversy, and reception focused on marketing mismatches (horror vs. romance) rather than ideological backlash. Audience discussions note the lack of diversity but raise no 'woke' complaints, keeping progressive influence incidental to the core ghost story and sibling rivalry plot.