Del Toro’s earliest professional work on screen was for the Mexican horror/sci-fi TV show La hora marcada (1986–89), and he returns to the medium with his fourth foray into series television—after The Strain (2014–17) and Trollhunters (2016–20)—with Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Following in the tradition of Rod Serling’s beloved (if short-lived) Night Gallery (NBC 1970–73), Del Toro’s anthology show presents eight dark fantasies of the macabre and supernatural. Appearing on screen to introduce each film, he identifies their stellar, handpicked directors in the form of doll-like figurines. The monsters, which he took a personal interest in developing for each episode, are state-of-the-art and quite identifiably Del Toro’s.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: The Autopsy. 2022. US. Directed by David Prior. Teleplay by David S. Goyer, based on the short story by Michael Shea. With F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman, Luke Roberts. In English; DCP. 58 min.
Blessed with a career-highlight performance by F. Murray Abraham, this deft combination of alien-invasion thriller and body horror is the Cabinet of Curiosities series at its most harrowing.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: The Outside. 2022. US. Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Teleplay by Haley Z. Boston, based on a webcomic by Emily Carroll. With Kate Micucci, Martin Starr, Dan Stevens. In English. DCP. 64 min.
A ruthless, deliciously stylish satire on class difference, the culture of beauty and the desire to fit in, grounded in the pitch-perfect performances of its leads.