Cabinet Of Curiosities - Series Review

Guillermo del Toro has done it again! The talented film director of Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, Pinocchio (2022) and many others, has given us another horrifying masterpiece. Spanning over 8 unique tales, all of which have morals and imaginative monsters, that will haunt you forever! Although I recommend watching these episodes in chronological order (even though I didn't), because the series ends with a very tragic story, which I wish I saved until the end. Each episode is a completely different horror tale however, so you can still skip around if you like and it wouldn't ruin the continuity of other episodes. Guillermo has a very unique style, everything feels like a dark fairy tale, from the oak furnished environments to the dated wardrobe the characters are often dressed in. Visually; Cabinet of Curiosities has a very old fashioned presentation, which seems to make the stories feel more grand and legendary, making the monsters involved feel more like cruel, ancient Lovecraftian Gods, rather than typical horror movie demons. Not one episode of this show is bad, every story has a unique twist or set up, no two tales ever feel the same.

My favorite episode:

Personally I loved the episode The Viewing the best, although this story has some flaws as most of the episode is of the characters sitting around a table taking increasingly more dangerous drugs, it can be a bit of a bore, yet it still builds tension for the grand finale. It's when the monster finally reveals itself that the surreal, yet comfortable mood turns into absolute nightmare fuel. We sort of experience the bliss of the drugs, but immediately experience a horrific bad trip the moment our comet becomes something far less beautiful. The 1980's style VHS effects and film grain give this short a very retro feeling, and it does a great job at hiding the CGI for the monster, making it look more real and disturbing to behold. Something about this style gave me serious Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday The 13th vibes, which made this entry feel so terrifying to watch. It's also a good twist about a rich collector finally becoming the collected, as this monster is very much like The Thing by John Carpenter.

Scariest Monster:

It wouldn't be Guillermo del Toro if it wasn't for hideous monster designs, and Cabinet of Curiosities does not disappoint! Picking my favourite monster is rather difficult however, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Alo Glo lotion cream from episode 4: The Outside. Although this isn't a monster per se (although it does take physical form as a woman made of the cream), it's more of a psychological beast. Despite Stacey's skin reacting horrifically to the "skin care" cream, she is determined to keep on smothering herself in it, as the advertiser on TV comes alive to personally tell her to keep trying it. The cream manifests into a strange woman creature later and uses all kinds of bizarre manipulations to convince Stacey is doing the right thing, and this eventually ends with our zombified looking protagonist finally bathing herself within the cream, only to come out of it with all of her skin peeling off to reveal a (truthfully) more attractive woman beneath her old weathered skin. When she returns to work; she may look more beautiful, but she's certainly more vapid and just murdered her own husband who was in protest about her using said cream. Although Alo Glo isn't a typical Guillermo beast, it certainly is alive and can manipulate people in terrifying psychological ways, which just gives me the creeps!

So that's Cabinet of Curiosities, there is so much more to see, but overall it's a really fun ride for horror fans alike. The final episode is surprisingly tragic too and it just finishes off the anthology in a neat little bow. Definitely some of Guillermo's greatest works, this series is flawless, not a single episode disappointed me.

Cabinet Of Curiosities is a 5 Star TV show, a must watch!