The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mexican horror master launches new series on Netflix
Most TV and movie viewers, regardless of age or background, can remember one creature, movie plot or moment that has haunted their dreams and caused them great anxiety. Whether it’s the shark from “Jaws” (1975), the titular space critter in “Alien” (1979) or old school haunts such as werewolves and vampires, horror directors have taken pleasure in scaring audiences since the dawn of film.
One of this generation’s greatest horror masters, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, brings a new set of frights to the small screen this fall with “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.” Premiering Tuesday, Oct. 25, on Netflix, this new eight-episode series is sure to scare more than a few souls leading up to Halloween.
Perhaps best known for his 2006 film “Pan’s Labyrinth,” del Toro has made a name for himself in the realm of ghouls and monsters. From that film’s Pale Man to the Amphibian Man in the four-time Academy Awardwinning “The Shape of Water” (2017) — both played by Doug Jones (“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,” 2008) — and the Jangly Man (Troy James, “The Flash”) in his 2019 adaptation of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” del Toro knows what he looks for when it comes to nightmare creatures.
“I am in love with monsters in a way that is very intimate and spiritual to me,” del Toro told The Talks interviewer Rüdiger Sturm. “I am still moved by the creature of Frankenstein, by all the classical monsters in a way that is very close to religion.”
He goes on to explain: “They [monsters] represent everything outcast. I can be an outcast by my race, by my gender, by my sexual preference, my politics, whatever — but monsters are simply outcasts . ... [They] are the patron saints of the outsiders.”
Del Toro brings this intimacy to horror once again in “Cabinet of Curiosities.” An anthology series similar to “American Horror Stories” and “Creepshow” in composition, “Cabinet” is divided into eight nightmare tales: “The Murmuring,” “The Autopsy,” “Lot 36,” “Pickman’s Model,” “The Viewing,” “Dreams in the Witch House,” “Graveyard Rats” and “Some Other Animal’s Meat.” While del Toro has brought on a series of horror writers to tell their unique tales, the director himself executive produces, coshowruns and directs the series. Two of the works are also del Toro originals.
The series begins Oct. 25 with a double episode release — featuring tales created in conjunction with Jennifer Kent (“The Babadook,” 2014), David Prior (“The Empty Man,” 2020), David S. Goyer (“The Sandman”) and late American author Michael Shea — and continues releasing two new episodes each day of the week up to and including Oct. 28.
“We hand-picked and curated a group of stories and storytellers to deliver these tales, whether they come from outer space, supernatural lore, or simply within our minds,” del Toro said in a statement. “Just in time for Halloween, each of these eight tales is a fantastical peek inside the cabinet of delights existing underneath the reality we live in.”
While episode-specific plots have yet to be released, several sources, including Syfy.com’s SYFY Wire, have speculated at least two of the tales — “Pickman’s Model” and “Dreams in the Witch House” — to be adaptations of stories by influential scifi/horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.
Furthermore, the series’ trailer, which is almost more of a featurette explaining the method behind the macabre, shows plenty of gruesome footage from exciting and terrifying new monsters, to dark magic, humanturned-supernatural experiences with death and more.
During this trailer, del Toro explains: “’Cabinet of Curiosities” is a show that I’ve always wanted to make . ... Each of the episodes has a whole world. They present you with different delights, some are savory, some are sweet. You get a surprise from each of the bites.”
“With ‘Cabinet of Curiosities,’” del Toro notes, “what I’m trying to say is, ‘Look, the world is beautiful and horrible at exactly the same time.’”
The first episodes to be released, “The Murmuring” and “The Autopsy,” star Essie Davis (“The Babadook,” 2014), Andrew Lincoln (“The Walking Dead”) and Hannah Galway (“Sex/Life”) as well as F. Murray Abraham (“Moon Knight”), Glynn Turman (“Super 8,” 2011) and Luke Roberts (“Black Sails”).
Other series stars include Ben Barnes (“The Punisher”), Crispin Glover (“Back To The Future,” 1985), Tim Blake Nelson (“Watchmen”), David Hewlett (“The Shape of Water,” 2017), Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” 2001), Ismael Cruz Cordova (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”), D.J. Qualls (“Supernatural”), Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” 2002), Kate Micucci (“Scrubs”), Eric André (“The Eric Andre Show”) and many more.
J. Miles Dales (“Nightmare Alley,” 2021) joins del Toro as coshowrunner and executive producer throughout the series.
Don’t miss your chance to open the cabinet when “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities” premieres Tuesday, Oct. 25, on Netflix. And for those del Toro fans who may be exercising caution heading into this production, rest assured that the director himself has noted he still has many new and classic tricks up his sleeve: “I am as weird today as I was when I made my first movie.”