The new horror anthology series Cabinet of Curiosities, created by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, has its episode titles, actors, writers, and directors all unveiled on Netflix. Each episode will have a separate cast, writer, and director (all of whom were hand-picked by del Toro) to present a self-contained tale; two of the episodes will be del Toro originals. The release schedule for the episodes was not specified in the announcement of the names, cast, writers, and directors, thus the episodes are listed below in alphabetical order. The first episode, “Dreams in the Witch House,” is based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft of the same name.
It was written by Mika Watkins (Origin; Black Mirror; Troy: Fall of a City) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen; Lords of Dogtown; Twilight). It stars Rupert Grint (Servant; the Harry Potter films), Ismael Cruz Cordova (The Lord of the Rings The movie “Graveyard Rats” is based on the same-titled short tale by Henry Kuttner. Featuring David Hewlett, the episode was written and filmed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice, Cube, Hannibal) (SEE, The Shape of Water, Stargate: Atlantis).
A del Toro original, “Lot 36” is included in one of the episodes. Tim Blake Nelson, Elpidia Carrillo, Demetrius Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead, Boon, Lovecraft Country), and Sebastian Roché will appear in this episode written by Regina Corrado (Deadwood, The Strain) and directed by Guillermo Navarro (Godfather of Harlem, Narcos) (The Man in the High Castle, The Young Pope). Written by Lee Patterson (Curve, The Colony) and directed by Keith Thomas (Firestarter, The Vigil), “Pickman’s Model” features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone, Westworld, The Punisher), Crispin Glover (Rivers Edge, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, American Gods, Back to the Future; Willard, Charlie’s Angels), and Oriana Leman (The Whale, The Detectives).
David S. Goyer (The Sandman, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and David Prior (The Dark Knight) adapt a short story by Michael Shea into the feature film “The Autopsy” (The Empty Man, AM1200). Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest, Homeland, Amadeus), Golden Globe nominee Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fargo, The Wire), and Luke Roberts also star in this episode (Ransom, Black Sails). ‘The Murmuring,’ based on another del Toro novella, will include Essie Davis (‘The Babadook’), Andrew Lincoln (‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Penguin Bloom’), and Hannah Galway (‘Sex/Life’).
Jennifer Kent wrote and directed this episode (The Babadook, The Nightingale). Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, The Bad Batch), and written by Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavor), “The Outside” stars Kate Micucci (The Little Hours, Mom) and Martin Starr and is based on a short story by author Emily Carroll (Silicon Valley, Party Down). The episode “The Viewing” was written by Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), who will also direct it.
Peter Weller (Naked Lunch, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Robocop), Eric André (The Eric Andre Show, The Righteous Gemstones), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, upcoming Rebel Moon), Charlyne Yi (Always Be My Maybe, Good Girls), Steve Agee (Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad), Michael Therrialt (Locke and Key, Cult of Chucky), and Saad Siddi
Besides creating the programme, del Toro also acts as showrunner, along with Oscar winner J. Miles Dale (The Shape of Water; Sex/Life). Together with Gary Ungar, the pair also acts as executive producers. Co-executive producer Regina Corrado’s credits include this show. In addition to his other roles, Del Toro hosts this show.
Cabinet of Curiosities was created with the intention of showcasing abnormalities and peculiarities that exist in the world beyond our own. Whether they originate in the cosmos, the supernatural, or the depths of our own imaginations, we carefully selected and handpicked a set of stories and storytellers to bring them to life,” added del Toro. Each of these eight stories offers a fanciful glimpse into the cabinet of pleasures existing beneath the world we live in, and they are just in time for Halloween. As part of Netflix’s annual Halloween event, Netflix & Chills, Cabinet of Curiosities will be made available over the course of four days, beginning on Friday, October 25 and ending on Tuesday, October 28.
By deviating from Netflix’s standard practice of premiering a whole season or series at once (a “binge release”), the new series will test out a different distribution strategy. Instead, they will be spaced out, like Season 4 of Stranger Things, which was published in two parts. The premiere of Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is timed to coincide with Netflix’s four-day Halloween promotion, Netflix & Chills, which runs from October 25th to the 28th.