Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities will launch with two episodes on October 25, followed by two new episodes each day until October 28.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is marketed as a departure from traditional horror. Presented as a collection of stories from handpicked talented directors, each story is set to excite the audience in a unique way. However, this desired outcome is elusive as Cabinet of Curiosities struggles to deliver a nightmarish experience.
Guillermo del Toro’s Wardrobe of Curiosities is a horror anthology show along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Del Toro himself offers teasers for all eight episodes, with the original Cabin of Curiosities also present, stepping out of the shadows to provide clues to what’s to come. A few turns of a crank reveal a secret chamber that houses an item attached to the current episode and a small miniature representing its director. In the pomp of all this, it’s clear that del Toro is having fun as host. He believes in the value of every story. This belief is contagious; Fancy accessories and codewords help build anticipation.
This installation is more than a nod to the old anthologies. By acting as a means of erecting certain expectations, it allows each department to more easily circumvent predicted outcomes. A Girl Walks Home Alone’s The Outside, directed by Night filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour, is a prime example. It welcomes various philosophies about the state of its characters in relation to an electronic device. Most people will understand that something is wrong, thanks to the disturbing messages that permeate most of the dialogue. But the real horror is subtle until it isn’t, at which point all preconceived ideas are shattered.
Almost all episodes are presented this way. Some are more frightening than others, especially those with more classic depictions of a particular monster. But the overall emphasis seems to have been placed on conveying intriguing concepts in new, disturbing ways, essentially creating something to linger in one’s mind long after the credits roll.
Having an hour of runtime helps with this. Characters are given room to breathe before they are plunged into darkness, making it easier for us to invest in their plight. Kate Micucci’s awkward portrayal of Stacey in The Outside is memorable not only because of her solid acting, but also because her character has been given time to lean in; The person he was at the beginning is drastically different from the person he turns into towards the end. Essie Davis and Andrew Lincoln do a great job portraying bereaved parents in The Murmuring, while Rupert Grint’s heartfelt performance in Dreams in the Witch House is certainly notable, though somewhat ironic given their past roles.
All the episodes share the benefits of what would be deemed a reasonable budget given the suitably long runtimes, solid acting, and most of the ghosts, witches, and various spooky creeps look great. The directors do not ignore violence either. Stimulating, yet believable images are the norm. However, not every episode reaches the highest of the bars. The Graveyard Rats episode, directed by Vincenzo Natali, proves to be pretty mundane. Most of the study time is spent on lengthy explanations before they result in an anticlimactic and predictable ending.
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The same is true for Lot 36. The dialogue between the characters is much better, but ends in a forgettable way. Still, the biggest culprit would be The Viewing. Based solely on an “elevated” concept and well-written but extensive dialogue, this movie betrays the rest of the series by being utterly boring. Its chaotic end hardly justifies the time spent building it right.
There’s also the idea of being a collectible that defies this genre – a set of stories that will somehow reshape the way fans view horror. But a few of the episodes do the opposite, clinging to old tropes. As fun as Dreams in the Witch House is, it sadly reduces Black’s characters to helpers and/or sacrificial lambs. This is not to say how other people of color are portrayed or rarely seen in the first place.
Fortunately, most of the eight episodes are entertaining. Body fright, a foreboding atmosphere, intriguing concepts expressed in eerie ways – there’s a lot for horror fans to enjoy. The erratic nature of Del Toro’s Cabin of Curiosity prevents the series from being the gruesome journey it was meant to be. That said, on the whole, that was enough to warrant several late-night viewings of the anthology.
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