I was like a kid at Christmas when I woke up this morning. The long-awaited Guillermo Del Toro horror anthology, Cabinet of Curiosities is now starting to stream on Netflix.
I have decided to give this series the love and attention it deserves and will be writing a separate review for each episode. First up is Lot 36. We have two episodes released today, this and Graveyard (the review will also be live today). As far as I am aware, Netflix has changed up the streaming options. It looks like we will be getting a daily episode of Cabinet of Curiosities instead of having to wait for the usual weekly episode.
As a huge fan of del Toro, it was superb to see a personal introduction by the man himself. So much so, it gave me the cinematic chills. He explains the Cabinet of Curiosities and then introduces the first episode and the director he has chosen to bring his tale of terror to life.
Lot 36 is directed by Guillermo Navarro. Navarro is a long-time collaborator with del Toro so it only seems right to tell his story first. He severed as del Toro’s cinematographer on Cronos, Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim and has directed a lot of tv shows including, Sleepy Hollow, Preacher and Limitless.
Cast
In Lot 36, a man who seems on the verge of a psychotic racist break buys a mysterious Lot (a storage unit) not knowing what contents are inside. Of course, the content he discovers in Lot 36 holds very darkly, otherworldly power.
As these are just short films, I will keep the plot details to a bare minimum. Episode 1 did take a while to reach its potential but when it does, it’s exactly like you’d expect, and exactly like we’ve been promised – full-on Lovecraftian horror. I could’ve done with a little more, the thing we get is fantastic looking but get’s just over 5 minutes of screen time. Still, Cabinet of Curiosities is off to a strong start.
Now, for episode 2: Graveyard Rats to follow
As always, thanks for reading.
