Anthology of horror and the occult

CONSTANTINOS PSILLIDES looks at what to expect from Del Torro’s Cabinet of Curiosities

An eight-part anthology of mystery, fantasy, horror and the occult, Cabinet of Curiosities debuted on Netflix just in time for Halloween and is perfect for weekend binging.

Like Hitchcock from Alfred Hitchcock presents or Rod Sterling from The Twilight Zone, horror master Guillermo Del Torro appears in the beginning of each episode to introduce the story.

Curated by Del Torro – who also wrote two episodes – Cabinet of Curiosities brings together some of the bigger names in the horror film genre, allowing them to show off their talents.

Let’s dive in!

Lot 36

The always welcome and consistently underrated Tim Blake Nelson stars as Nick, a bitter alt-right-winger who slowly descends into fascist territory, in a story that comes straight from the mind of Del Torro. Deep in debt, Nick tries to claw himself out of the hole he found himself in by selling off the contents of abandoned storage units. One day Nick stumbles upon a unit that holds much more than anyone could imagine…

Graveyard rats

A gothic horror tale plucked out of a claustrophobe’s deepest nightmares, Graveyard Rats tells the story of Masson (David Hewlett) who decides to rob the grave of an aristocrat to get his hands on a valuable ceremonial sabre. Deeply in debt and fearing for his life, Masson visits the grave only to find out that rats have dragged it away in an underground maze. Desperate to get the sabre, Masson follows and finds himself faced with his worst nightmares.

The Autopsy

F Murray Abraham stars as Dr Carl Winters, an elderly pathologist who is called upon to perform an autopsy on the bodies of 10 miners who died in an apparent explosion. The meticulous doctor starts examining the bodies but soon discovers that things are not as they seem and that unspeakable horror is just a cut away…

The Outside

Directed by the talented Ana Lily Amirpour and starring the endearingly awkward Kate Micucci, The Outside asks a simple question: How far will you go to gain the approval of others and be accepted?

Stacey was always an outsider at work and never managed to quite fit in. Ignoring a loving partner who accepts her for what she is, Stacey decides to try a miracle skin lotion that hurts and irritates her skin. She soon learns that she should be more careful about what to wish for as sometimes, you get it.

Pickman’s Model

Based on the short story by HP Lovecraft, this cosmic horror tale tells the story of young, talented painter William Thurber (Ben Barnes), who finds himself tormented by the paintings of another artist, a dark and mysterious man called Richard Upton Pickman (Crispin Glover). Thurber manages to tear himself away from Pickman’s work but once an idea settles in, is there really an escape?

Dreams in the Witch House

Another story from Lovecraft, Dreams in the Witch House stars Harry Potter alumnus Rupert Grint as Walter Gilman, a man who saw his twin sister die in front of him when he was kid. Even worse, his sister’s spirit was dragged into the Forest of Lost Souls. Walter spends the rest of his life trying to find a way to free his sister’s spirit, and one day decides to brave the haunted home of a malevolent spirit, the dreaded witch Keziah Mason…

The Viewing

Director Panos Kosmatos (Mandy) presents a horrifying story of indulgence gone awry, a cautionary tale of what happens when the pursuit of a unique experience sometimes goes too far. Starring Peter Weller as Lionel, a reclusive billionaire, who invites four people who are the top of their field for what promises to be an unparalleled experience found in the depths of Lionel’s massive mansion…

The Murmuring

Arguably the best episode in the series, The Murmuring masterfully uses the supernatural as a setting to explore the process of grief and acceptance. It tells the story of Edward (Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead) and Nancy (Essie Davis), a pair of ornithologists who find themselves secluded in a haunted house. Nancy stubbornly refuses to deal with the couple’s recent loss of their child, instead focusing on uncovering the secrets of the house.