It looks like the thumbs up from Stephen King was exactly the omen we all hoped it would be, with Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities having released its first two entries on Netflix earlier today. The embargo has long since vanished, and the reviews have come piling in with plenty of stars to spare.
The anthology series, a selection of short horror films curated by del Toro (two of which the creator dreamed up himself), comes loaded with talent on every creative front, with names like Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) and Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) taking turns in the director’s chair, whilst the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Rupert Grint, and Crispin Glover can be found making turns in front of the camera.
The list of names goes on and on, as do the stamps of approval from just about every reviewer under the sun. Indeed, with del Toro’s legendary eye for the macabre backing each and every story involved in the collection, the end result is the most gruesome goodness that humanity can muster.
Olly Richards of Empire was very happy with the series, noting how, despite how big of a collaboration the project was, del Toro’s presence is palpable in every episode.
Despite their very different tones and aesthetics, each draws something from del Toro’s love of gothic opulence, very black humour, and monsters with an oddly beautiful sculptural quality.
IGN‘s Kenneth Seward Jr. applauded the diversity of the anthology’s eight entries, with seemingly the only commonality between them being their ability to frighten audiences.
Body horror, a foreboding atmosphere, intriguing concepts expressed in terrifying ways – there’s a lot for horror fans to enjoy.
And Leila Latif of The Guardian, in a five-star review, suggested it as one of the most rousing triumphs for the horror that we’ve seen all year; and after all, we’ve been graced with, that’s no small feat.
There seems no better way to countdown to Halloween than this assurance that the state of horror is in safe, if sinister, hands.
The first two of the eight episodes of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities are currently available to stream on Netflix. Additional episodes will release in pairs up until the final two episodes are released on Oct. 28.
