✦Elzary
Cinema·7 min read·👀 Watched 2022.12.12

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Eight episodes, each a different director and a different story. Not amazing, but the frames, the settings, and the little allegories in each are a treat.

2022 · A different director each episode · American horror anthology · Netflix

Eight episodes in all, each a different director, each adapted from a different story. Guillermo del Toro loves Lovecraftian myth, so there's no shortage of Cthulhu-mythos elements throughout.

Aside: "Graveyard Rats" feels like a pun?! The graveyard has man-eating 🐭, and the grave-robber = 🐭 too (much like a "mountain rat" / illegal logger?).

Ep. 1 — Lot 36

Probably my favorite episode. To pay off a debt, the winning bidder earnestly digs for treasure in the storage unit he won — and really does dig up some rare treasures, more than enough to clear his debt when sold. Little does he know these priceless items also bring fire down on him, triggering a destructive power; in the end his stubborn mouth and impulsiveness invite disaster. I love the mystery it builds and the lead's world-weariness, but this episode never answers what the mysterious old man went in to do — leaving lots of room to imagine.

Extra: after a storage-unit renter dies, the manager has the right to auction the unit to the highest bidder — and one mysterious old man would, in life, enter his unit daily with an eerie gait, staying over an hour before coming out.

Ep. 2 — Graveyard Rats

Pacing is so, so slow, and with little tension the episode is slightly boring — the graveyard keeper's conversation with the debt collector is especially long-winded. But that he, despite his claustrophobia, slips underground to grab gold and silver to pay his debt does stir a bit of pity (?🥺). Ultimately, though, it's a sacrifice made for his own ugly greed. Ironically, during the grave-robbing he keeps praying to God, begging forgiveness for his sins — but an insatiable greedy heart will, in the end, sink a person into darkness (as the outcome shows). I like the underground evil-church setting; a pity this too gets glossed over without explanation, hahaha — a bit of its backstory would've helped.

Ep. 3 — The Autopsy

Skip if you have a fear of blood or of clustered holes. Rather than a psychological jolt, this episode focuses on the "visual jolt" — I'm impressed I could eat while watching, wearing a 🫣😵 face the whole time. The best-told episode; the dialogue with the alien creature is thought-provoking: is the wise-but-sacrifice-others-for-itself alien more compelling, or the equally wise but greatly loving human, who'll sacrifice himself to save others, more admirable? Welcome to today's Joe-versus showdown (jk).

Ep. 4 — The Outside

Is it worth gaining fake friendship at the cost of losing real love? The lotion-man is a bit macabre — representing temptation? It expresses, in an extreme and ironic way, modern people's "appearance anxiety" and the psychology of doing anything for approval? The husband is quite sweet — even disapproving of Stacey's methods, he still supports her; sadly Stacey pushes away the one person who truly loves her, instead feeling smug about gaining a crowd of fake people's approval. It's a pity, but I feel that before you learn certain things, you always have to endure some pain. Ending with Stacey smiling, surrounded, makes you wonder: is that a smile from the heart? After the laugh, might what she gains instead be endless emptiness? I rarely find images a bit nauseating; this episode might be the first — the last 20 minutes had me wearing a 🤨 face throughout.

Ep. 5 — Pickman's Model

Personal humble take: those terrifying things might be the lead's own delusions? In an age of closed-off information and mores, suddenly seeing an unimaginably dark work would understandably frighten you — maybe leading to paranoia? Like a kid who accidentally sees a horror film, has nightmares, and needs a soul-calming ritual the next day? P.s. those art-academy hotties are so easy on the eyes, hahaha.

Ep. 6 — Dreams in the Witch House

Brave but reckless, foolhardy courage. After nearly ten years in a paranormal-research society, having found key information, he doesn't do his homework before charging in? With no thought for the consequences, he single-mindedly wants to "save" his already-dead sister — isn't that too obsessive and too foolish? Ron is way too rash 🤣; luckily he's the lead so he must survive (?). Then again, maybe he just wanted a reason to give up or find peace, without overthinking (making excuses for him). The big bads in the shows I've watched lately are all on the weak side 😅, moving impossibly slowly, and in the end he's killed by a part of himself — leaving me with nothing but a big "huh?"

Ep. 7 — The Viewing

Curiosity killed the cat. I didn't quite catch what it means to convey, but the visuals are among the best in the anthology! The building holds an orange tone from start to finish, as if perpetually bathed in sunset. This episode has many symmetrical shots like The Grand Budapest Hotel — though for refinement, Budapest still wins, no question.

Ep. 8 — The Murmuring

Communication, letting go. The episode where the fast-forward urge popped up most — yet also the warmest. The eerie interior palette, plus the still framing shot inside the house, builds such an uncanny mood that you can't help suspecting these shots hide something. The lead, Nancy, is an ornithologist, usually a rational thinker, not good at expressing emotion; after losing her beloved daughter she shuts herself away, burying herself in work, which leaves her deeply loving husband feeling helpless — but even so, his every gesture is so heart-warming! 👍

Overall (subjective)

Not super amazing. The plot skeletons and settings are all very distinctive, the visuals a real pleasure, and nearly every episode carries an allegory — but the detailed direction and plotting are a touch rough, and some episodes drag their setup too long. Without explaining backstory, it can't help leaving viewers with a headful of question marks. So I'd say — is calling it "the year's must-watch masterpiece" maybe a bit of an overstatement? Haha.

#series#horror#anthology#netflix
Back to all writings