See The First Look At Guillermo Del Toro’s Creepy New Netflix Series
Guillermo del Toro is teaming up with Netflix for a new show, and even the first look promises a whole world of creepiness.
This article is more than 2 years old
We have our first look at Guillermo del Toro’s newest project for Netflix, and in a gift from the scheduling gods, it’s coming to the streaming service in the week leading up to Halloween. According to Deadline, Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is an event series unlike any other, showcasing eight tales of horror as told by eight different teams of writers and directors chosen by the Oscar-winning filmmaker. Del Toro himself will serve as host of the series, seemingly introducing each story, much like famed director Alfred Hitchcock did in his anthology series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS during the 1950s and 1960s. A trailer for the series, featuring del Toro himself, was released by Netflix.
According to Netflix, eight episodes will make up the series, with two episodes premiering each night from October 25th through the 28th. It’s a noted change from Netflix’s usual “binge” release strategy, in which every episode is released at one time. Streaming services like HBO Max and Disney+ have benefitted from releasing episodes weekly, so this may be a modified test of that strategy. The series will cover just about every sub-genre in horror, with two of the episodes written by the Hellboy director himself. “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,” Guillermo del Toro said in a statement. Gary Ungar and Regina Corrado serve as co-executive producers in what will be del Toro’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated film Nightmare Alley.
The episodes announced include “Dreams in the Witch House,” the adaptation of an H. P. Lovecraft story from 1932. It tells the story of a man named Walter Gilman, who rents a room in a New England boarding house where a witch once lived. It stars Rupert Grint (the Harry Potter series) and is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight). “Graveyard Rats” is based on Henry Kuttner’s 1936 short story about the evil deeds of Salem’s rats. David Hewlett, who had a role in Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water, stars in this episode helmed by Vincenzo Natali, who directed Splice and Cube.
“Lot 36” is directed by Guillermo Navarro and based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro. It stars Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen) and Elpidia Carrillo (Predator). It is adapted by Regina Corrado (Deadwood). The episode “Pickman’s Model,” is the adaptation of a classic gothic tale written by H.P. Lovecraft. It stars Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia, Westworld) and Crispin Glover (Back to the Future). It is directed by Keith Thomas, who helmed this year’s Firestarter reboot with Zac Efron. “The Autopsy” is based on a Michael Shea short story adapted by Netflix’s The Sandman scribe David S. Goyer. It stars F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and Glynn Turman. David Prior, who directed the 2020 horror thriller The Empty Man, is behind the camera.
The episode “The Murmuring” features horror vets Essie Davis (The Babadook) and Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead). It is based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro and is adapted and directed by Jennifer Kent, who brought us the modern horror classic The Babadook. “The Outside” stars Kate Micucci (Supernatural) and Martin Starr (Silicon Valley). It is directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, who helmed episodes of Castle Rock and The Twilight Zone as well as the critically-acclaimed vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. It is written by Haley Z. Boston and is based on a short story by Emily Carroll. The Viewing” stars Robocop actor Peter Weller and Sofia Boutella, who played the Mummy in the recent Tom Cruise reboot of the horror classic. It also stars Charlyne Yi, Steve Agee, Michael Therriault, and Saad Siddiqui. It is directed by Panos Cosmatos, who directed the Nicholas Cage horror film Mandy.
Cabinet of Curiosities isn’t the only project del Toro is creating for Netflix. He is adapting a classic tale in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, using stop-motion animation to give the story a gothic twist. It features the voice talents of Gregory Mann (Victoria) as Pinocchio, David Bradley as Geppetto, and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) as Sebastian J. Cricket. Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Ron Perlman, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Burn Gorman, and Tim Blake Nelson also provide voices. It premieres on Netflix in December, after a November theatrical run.
