When I heard that Guillermo del Toro was producing a horror anthology for Netflix, I was intrigued and hopeful. He’s done some marvelous things, and some OK things–and typically even the not-so-exciting things he’s done are interesting and visually impressive.
I’m not one who typically binges streaming series, because I prefer to absorb an episode before adding another, but I watched 8 episodes of Cabinet of Curiosities in 6 days, which indicates an atypical level of excitement and appreciation.
Not all of the episodes are of the same quality or even really of the same genre–“horror” encapsulates many sub-genres, of course. The first episode is a typical Twilight Zone/Outer Limits morality play, featuring a monstrous protagonist whom karma appropriately dooms. But “Lot 36” is well-acted and well-produced and sets the tone for the series. It was certainly amusing to see Tim Blake Nelson play a villain.
Episode 2 “Graveyard Rats” is more of a cartoonish Evil Dead 2 goofy gore joyride which had my wife squirming and twisting on the couch as we watched together (she didn’t make it past this episode). This is gimmicky slapstick horror, red meat for the masses, but great fun.
The 3rd episode moves to a new level and differentiates del Toro’s series from previous televised anthology horror. You simply could not do what “The Autopsy” does on network TV, and even on most cable channels it would have been too much. I’ll not spoil it, but it’s as if X Files had hired Tom Savini to helm an episode, and F. Murray Abraham is legit in his role.
And then the art direction takes off into delightful and dazzling dimensions with episode 4. “The Outside” is Cronenberg body horror through the lens of early Tim Burton or Coen Bros. It’s hilarious, incisive social commentary, but also deeply disquieting and disgusting. At this point in the series I was sold that something new and profound for horror was happening.
Episode 5 takes H.P. Lovecraft source material and adds Crispin Glover. “Pickman’s Model” the story leaves a lot unsaid, and the re-write of the idea featured here fills in those ambiguities, but it is fantastically dark and there is none of the humor of previous episodes–this is gruesome, merciless cosmic horror. Again, the series reaches new heights and achieves a brutal, shocking finale.
Episode 6 “Dreams in the Witch-House” is another HPL story. I found it slightly less horrid than the previous, but still exceptionally well-crafted. It’s reminiscent of a John Carpenter film from the 70s or 80s (The Fog, for example).
I don’t know what to say about episode 7. “The Viewing” is simply beautiful, and viewing it is a pleasure all its own. There is a Solaris/Blade Runner sci-fi edge here, and the Boogie Nights feel and production quality is magical. I loved every second, and even when the plot falls thin the performances and the look of this episode again take the series to a new frontier. The ending is really only the beginning of the true horror.
The closing episode, “The Murmuring,” is simply beautiful. Mournful and elegiac, this is a classic haunting, where the spirits find a connection to the past experiences of a living protagonist and use her to their advantage. Other classic haunting films (The Shining, The Haunting, The Innocents) are referenced, but the atypical ending is unexpected and quite moving. The source material is a short story by del Toro, who also wrote “Graveyard Rats.”
If you are a fan of horror, whatever your sub-genre preferences, Cabinet of Curiosities has something for you. Prepare to have your spine tingled.
Happy Halloween!
Mysterium Coniunctionis 