“The world is beautiful and horrible, at exactly the same time…”
The best time of the year is quickly approaching. In case you’re confused, I’m talking about Fall, the month of October to be exact. Not only does the weather begin to cool down, but our favorite hoodies make their long-awaited appearances along with all the monsters and general spookiness. Aside from the anticipation of costumes and candy for Halloween and Halloween parties, all of the scary shows and films that are curated for the month’s ambiance are the best part. That being said, Netflix and Guillermo Toro have something particularly eerie, chilling, supernatural, macabre, and wonderful headed our way. It is the highly anticipated anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. The horror genre may just be getting the jolt of life that it needs to elevate. Showcasing eight sinister stories based on short stories by various authors and original works by del Toro himself, I think it’s safe to say that we’re in for a beautifully spooky time. Fans of American Horror Story are about to have a new favorite horror experience. Here’s what the Nightmare Alley director had to say about the project:Cabinet of Curiosities, we set out to showcase the realities existing outside of our normal world: the anomalies and curiosities. 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.
He follows it with:
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.
Debut Date & What to Expect
If you know me, you know I love all things horror and I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty damn excited. With del Toro leading this endeavor as the co-showrunner along with J. Miles Dale, it’s sure to be fantastic. So, the horror series will debut Tuesday, October 25, launching a special four-day, double-episode Netflix & Chills Halloween event. Two all-new Cabinet of Curiosities tales will debut daily through Friday, October 28, when the entire collection of eight stories will be available to Netflix members around the world. Here’s a quick and official rundown of the anthology series:In Cabinet of Curiosities, acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmaker and creator, executive producer and co-showrunner has curated a collection of unprecedented and genre-defining stories meant to challenge our traditional notions of horror. From macabre to magical, gothic to grotesque or classically creepy, these eight equally sophisticated and sinister tales (including two original stories by are brought to life by a team of writers and directors personally chosen byNow, let’s get to what you really want to see. Below is the first peek inside of the cabinet and an image from each episode along with the titles and all the info that is available about each one. They are not in order of release but simply listed alphabetically.
The Episodes
DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSERupert Grint (Servant, Harry Potter franchise), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Undoing, Miss Bala), DJ Qualls (Turning Point, Supernatural), Nia Vardalos (Love, Victor, Station 19, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Tenika Davis (Jupiter’s Legacy, Titans) star in an episode written by Mika Watkins (Origin; Black Mirror; Troy: Fall of a City) (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen; Lords of Dogtown; Twilight)
GRAVEYARD RATS
David Hewlett (SEE, The Shape of Water; Stargate: Atlantis) stars in an episode written (based on a short story by Henry Kuttner) and directed by Vincenzo Natali (In The Tall Grass; Splice; Cube; Hannibal)
LOT 36
Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Elpidia Carrillo (Predator; Bread & Roses; Euphoria), Demetrius Grosse (Fear The Walking Dead; Boon; Lovecraft Country) and Sebastian Roché (The Man in the High Castle; The Young Pope) star in an episode written by Regina Corrado (Deadwood; The Strain) (based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro); and directed by Guillermo Navarro (Godfather of Harlem; Narcos)
PICKMAN’S MODEL
Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone; Westworld; The Punisher), Crispin Glover (Rivers Edge; Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland; American Gods; Back To The Future; Willard; Charlie’s Angels), and Oriana Leman (The Whale; The Detectives) star in an episode written by Lee Patterson (Curve; The Colony) (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft) and directed by Keith Thomas (Firestarter; The Vigil)
THE AUTOPSY
Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest; Homeland; Amadeus), Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Fargo; The Wire) and Luke Roberts (Ransom; Black Sails) will appear in an episode written by David S. Goyer (The Sandman; Dark City; The Dark Knight; Batman Begins) (based on a short story by Michael Shea), and directed by David Prior (The Empty Man; AM1200)
THE MURMURING
Essie Davis (The Babadook), Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead; Penguin Bloom) and Hannah Galway (Sex/Life) star in an episode written (based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro) and directed by Jennifer Kent (The Babadook; The Nightingale)
THE OUTSIDE
Kate Micucci (The Little Hours; Mom) and Martin Starr (Silicon Valley; Party Down) lead an episode written by Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavor) (based on a short story by comic book author Emily Carroll) and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night; Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon; The Bad Batch)
THE VIEWING
Peter Weller (upcoming The Colosseum; Naked Lunch; Star Trek Into Darkness; Robocop), Eric André (The Eric Andre Show; The Righteous Gemstones), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service; upcoming Rebel Moon), Charlyne Yi (Always Be My Maybe; Good Girls), Steve Agee (Peacemaker; The Suicide Squad), Michael Therrialt (Locke and Key; Cult of Chucky) and Saad Siddiqui (From Scratch; DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) star in an episode directed by Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), who also writes, along with Aaron Stewart-Ahn.
I can’t wait. How excited and curious are you? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter. And as always, stay safe and enjoy.