Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities is the perfect collection of horror stories to binge-watch this Halloween. DelToro gathered some of the most promising names in the horror scene to give their voice to his stories, and the result is a terrifying mosaic of creepy tales revolving around witches, demons, ghosts, and all sorts of other bizarre creatures.
One of the most important film directors of his generation, Del Toro doesn't hide his influences and each episode of the series delivers exciting references to horror movies.
Lot 36 - The House Of The Devil (2009)
"Lot 36" starts off quite slow, giving viewers a lot of space to speculate and try to guess what horrors are hidden in the mysterious Lot 36, a storage locker just bought by a bitter and nationalist ex-vet. The lot belonged to a peculiar old man with valuable antiques and the ex-vet, uninterested in the meaning of the objects, and worried only about money, gets more than he bargained for as it becomes clear the old man had mysterious connections with the unknown.
The slow-burn narrative and climax of Lot 36 are extremely similar to Ti West's The House Of The Devil. In the film, a young girl struggling with money decides to babysit for a strange couple harboring a terrifying secret. As she gradually begins to suspect there's something wrong going on in the house, she's swept into a bizarre ritual involving demons, sacrifices, and lunar eclipses.
Graveyard Rats - Graveyard Shift (1990)
"Graveyard Rats" is the perfect mix of Graveyard Shift and Nightmare Alley, a movie directed by Guillermo del Toro himself. Director Vincenzo Natali hasn't opened up yet about his influences for this episode, but there are several scenes that seem to recreate some aspects from the most terrifying movie about rats, which is based on a Stephen King story.
While "Graveyard Rats" has a totally different setting and a much more stylized format, the protagonist's descent down a graveyard infested with rats summons up what makes the movie a classic. The best thing about both "Graveyard Rats" and Graveyard Shift is how well they utilize the supernatural for a final shocking twist, including a terrifying rodent entity and plenty of horrifying gore.
The Autopsy - The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
"The Autopsy" is easily one of the most grotesque episodes of the show with a gruesome showcase of body horror. In fact, the body is the key in this cosmic horror investigation, with the police blowing their minds as they try to link cases of missing persons with a mysterious underground explosion, while an ordinary legist doesn't take long before connecting the dots.
The episode shares a lot of similarities with the classic sci-fi body horror The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Both the episode and the movie count on a seemingly small-scale threat from outer space that takes huge proportions. In the film, a strange seed drifts from space to Earth and harvests extraterrestrial beings capable of replicating the human body. In "The Autopsy," things also get quickly out of hand due to how hard it is to identify the alien's host, thankfully, the protagonist had an excellent, yet painful trump card up his sleeve to trick the creature. The message that lingers is also the same: some fates are truly worse than death.
The Outside - Three... Extremes (2004)
Three... Extremes is a horror anthology counting on three distinctive films, which makes it the perfect movie to watch after Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities as it shares the same format and energy. One of the stories in particular, "Dumplings," presents a shocking statement on beauty patterns just as gross and horrifying as "The Outside."
Disgusting and highly revolting, "Dumplings" introduces Mrs. Li, an aging actress capable of anything to regain her youthful beauty, stumbling upon a local chef and his miraculous rejuvenating dumplings, prepared with a terrifying secret ingredient: human fetuses. Just like in "The Outside," the protagonist goes against all her morals in the search for beauty and continues to seek out the ingredients regardless of the consequences.
Pickman's Model - The House With The Laughing Windows (1976)
Based on a story by the master of horror H.P. Lovecraft, there's really no way to guess what is "Pickman's Model" aiming at for most of its running time. The episode counts on several time jumps, mixes the supernatural with creepy hallucinations, and each character's motivations remain blurred until the final climax. The villain or villains of the episode are rarely truly seen, but the terrifying power they have over the main character is alarming; viewers can't help but pity his pointless attempts to carry out a peaceful life.
"Pickman's Model" shares some exciting similarities with The House With The Laughing Windows, especially how both narratives lean on the artistic world to effectively frighten viewers. The film is one of the best Giallo of the '70s and follows a young restorer summoned to save a fresco in a small village. The fresco, which depicts the martyrdom of a saint, was painted by a mysterious and deceased artist that resorted to horrifying methods to convey his art. As secrets begin to unfold, tensions begin to rise and a shadow from the past threatens to put everyone's life in danger.
Dreams In The Witch House - Insidious (2010)
Fans of Insidious will be happy to know that "Dreams In The Witch House" seems to be made for them as it counts with many of the elements that made the film, and the franchise overall, so famous: supernatural rescues, paranormal realms, and scary entities lurking in the dark.
However, "Dream In The Witch House" isn't only that, the episode also offers great hints of humor and viewers can even argue there are some Ratatouille references spread throughout. The episode will give rise to heated discussions not only because of how well it mixes horror with dark child stories; but also because it delivers an enchanting performance by the beloved Rupert Grint.
The Viewing - Color Out Of Space (2019)
"The Viewing" is hands down something that could've been created by Lovecraft's mind if he made it to the 1970s. The episode introduces an idyllic, lavish reality as four highly intelligent guests attend to a wealthy host's invitation for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that quickly turns into a psychedelic nightmare.
With a weird, immersive ambiance and typically saturated cinematography from Panos Cosmatos' movies, "The Viewing" mixes plenty of different movies and genres, feeling sometimes like A Cure For Wellness. However, as soon as it addresses an unimaginable horror, Color Out Of Space immediately comes to mind; a Lovecraftian story about a seemingly innocent meteorite that crashes near a family yard and begins to mutate every life form it encounters. The best thing about both the episode and the movie are how something apparently small takes catastrophic proportions in the end.
The Murmuring - The Orphanage (2007)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities's final episode is a bone-chilling ghost story about grief. Directed by Jenniffer Kent, the episode shares plenty of similarities with her breakout movie, The Babadook, from the psychological horror to the same stylish choices, although "The Murmuring" decides to focus much more on the heart-rendering redemption of the main character, surprisingly enabled by the haunting and the horrors she witnesses, similar to what The Orphanage did.
The movie, produced by Guillermo del Toro himself and directed by a close friend of his, J. A. Bayona, follows a woman returning years later to an orphanage she used to call home. Settling down with her family in the place, her son begins to communicate with a mysterious invisible friend.