As a latecomer, I first became aware of Guillermo del Toro after screening Pan's Labyrinth (2006), his masterful Hellboy (2004), and his equally extraordinary sequel, Hellboy II The Golden Army (2008). With only having seen these three films I was forever hooked. Here was my kind of director/writer! An artist that can deftly combine incredibly memorable visions with both dark and light touches of humor. I enjoyed the 2 Hellboy films so much that I went back and watched some of his other directorial works. In no particular order, they were: Cronos (1993), Mimic (1997), The Devil's Backbone (2001), Blade II (2002), Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015), The Shape of Water (2017), and Nightmare Alley (2021).
Which brings me to his recent NETFLIX endeavor, "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)."
Surprisingly, though his name appears in the credits, Guillermo del Toro doesn't appear to have directed any of the 8 one-hour long episodes. Instead, he has apparently hand selected others to tackle the work. Nevertheless, with Del Toro's name and involvement attached to this project, you have nothing to lose. Like Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro has become one of the most anticipated and respected horror/thriller filmmakers today, and I'm confident he recruited some very creative people to support this unique project.
So far, I've watched the first 4 episodes of the anthology, "Lot 36," "Graveyard Rats," "Autopsy" and "The Outside." To be completely honest, episodes 3 and 4 were OVERLY GRAPHIC for my tastes, some scenes actually way beyond disgusting. Usually I can watch a lot without cringing, but I averted my eyes several times during these two fairly intense episodes (Man, I hope it doesn't get more graphically gnarly going forward). I recall some brilliant person once elucidated, "It's what you don't see that makes it scary." Uh huh. But not here.
The "guest" directors (notable for their work in thematic horror) unveil a good amount of scares and thrills with the requisite attendance of dreadful corpses and nightmarish haunted houses. "Cabinet of Curiosities" rises from the shadows of the macabre, which makes this series a genuine treat for fans of this particular genre.
There is no reason to discuss the plot of each episode this early in the series, but with only 4 episodes broadcast as of this writing, I'll absolutely give this a "green light." Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities may not be the big budget presentation other networks have recently released, but you get the sense that the cast, writers, producers, directors and those behind the scenes, are all philosophically and creatively "on board for the big Ride." This isn't just another flash in the darkness, and it will be an enjoyable Halloween feast for all good ghosts and goblins, young and old.
No spoilers here as usual (why spoil the fun?) but I will reveal what Del Toro's legions of fans already know - He is very open about his love and fascination with the unusual, the macabre, and the horrific. In a recent interview the convivial filmmaker stated: "Well, the first thing is that I love monsters. I identify with monsters."
Which brings me to his recent NETFLIX endeavor, "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)."
Surprisingly, though his name appears in the credits, Guillermo del Toro doesn't appear to have directed any of the 8 one-hour long episodes. Instead, he has apparently hand selected others to tackle the work. Nevertheless, with Del Toro's name and involvement attached to this project, you have nothing to lose. Like Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro has become one of the most anticipated and respected horror/thriller filmmakers today, and I'm confident he recruited some very creative people to support this unique project.
So far, I've watched the first 4 episodes of the anthology, "Lot 36," "Graveyard Rats," "Autopsy" and "The Outside." To be completely honest, episodes 3 and 4 were OVERLY GRAPHIC for my tastes, some scenes actually way beyond disgusting. Usually I can watch a lot without cringing, but I averted my eyes several times during these two fairly intense episodes (Man, I hope it doesn't get more graphically gnarly going forward). I recall some brilliant person once elucidated, "It's what you don't see that makes it scary." Uh huh. But not here.
The "guest" directors (notable for their work in thematic horror) unveil a good amount of scares and thrills with the requisite attendance of dreadful corpses and nightmarish haunted houses. "Cabinet of Curiosities" rises from the shadows of the macabre, which makes this series a genuine treat for fans of this particular genre.
There is no reason to discuss the plot of each episode this early in the series, but with only 4 episodes broadcast as of this writing, I'll absolutely give this a "green light." Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities may not be the big budget presentation other networks have recently released, but you get the sense that the cast, writers, producers, directors and those behind the scenes, are all philosophically and creatively "on board for the big Ride." This isn't just another flash in the darkness, and it will be an enjoyable Halloween feast for all good ghosts and goblins, young and old.
No spoilers here as usual (why spoil the fun?) but I will reveal what Del Toro's legions of fans already know - He is very open about his love and fascination with the unusual, the macabre, and the horrific. In a recent interview the convivial filmmaker stated: "Well, the first thing is that I love monsters. I identify with monsters."