Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities ( TV 2022) Classy frights

Ah, there he is, Guillermo Del Toro proudly returning to his horror origins after the stunning but disappointing Nightmare Alley with this charming assembly of nightmares.
The goal here is obviously to create a classy production. That much is obvious from Del Toro presenting each story in a three-piece suit next to the actual beautifully crafted cabinet of curiosities to the gorgeous title sequence…and to the stories themselves which are deeply steeped in Gothic and Grand Guignol traditions.
Classy isn’t something you’ll find a lot of on Netflix, which seems to pride itself on quantity over quality, so it is appreciated when found. But moreover, there simply aren’t a lot of (barely any, really) good anthology series out there.
Creepshow is fun, but what else? Remember Mick Garris’ Masters of Horror? Or Fear Itself? It’s been ages.
Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities I certainly a worthy addition the lineup. Albeit, uneven.
Eight episodes adopt stories ranging as wide as Del Toro himself to the master of cosmic nightmares (two of them) to some unknown/lesser known/old-timey authors. With the exception of episode 7 – by far the tripiest and most Italian stylistically of all – that seems to have had no short story basis.
Del Toro bookends the anthology with his work, two very different stories. First one, of a creepy storage lot with some heavy race commentary, and last one, with a pair of grieving bird lovers stuck in a creepy haunted house. Watch the later if only to see Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes clean-cut and clean-shaven, go all actorly.
Frankly, watch them all, except maybe for episode seven which I really didn’t care for and found overstylized, pretentious, and slow…at least, until the creature shows up.
It stands to mention that all creatures were co-designed by Del Toro himself and are therefore awesome.
Overall, Del Tor’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a visually stunning box of tricks with some genuinely creepy moments. A must see for any horror fan. Not perfect, perhaps not even great, but very, very good. Recommended.