If you’re a fan of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery you’ll enjoy this horror anthology series. There are eight episodes and Guillermo del Toro wrote two of them, “Lot 36” and “The Murmuring,” the first and last episodes.
For fans of Henry Kuttner, “Graveyard Rats” will be a delight as a desperate grave robber finds more than he bargained for. Lovecraft is represented by two classic stories: “Pickman’s Model” and “Dreams in the Witch House.” I was also happy that Michael Shea’s underrated story, “The Autopsy,” fits right into the vibe of this series.
I’m glad I finally caught up with this series on Netflix. If you’re looking for a 21st Century version of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, here it is. GRADE: A
I hope it’s better than either Serling series on average, but haven’t seen it yet. I do like his films I’ve seen. (NIGHT GALLERY was Wildly uneven, but their Lovecraft adaptations were unlikely degrees of decent, vs. the botches they did of some better writers’ work…)
Glad you liked it! (THRILLER was the horror series I loved the most in my youth, even given some of the duller crime-drama episodes.)
And, really, NIGHT GALLERY was more Jack Laird’s series than Serling’s…much to most people’s dismay.
Todd, I loved the paintings used in setting up the stories for NIGHT GALLERY.
Todd, as a wide-eyed kid in the early Sixties, THE TWILIGHT ZONE astounded me. Like you, I was more critical of NIGHT GALLERY in the 1970s.
I enjoyed these. Just wish there were more than 6 episodes. I also grew up on Twilight Zone, Thriller and Night Gallery. Watch del Toro’s Pinocchio on Netflix if you haven’t already.
Steve, I’m hoping Netflix green lights another season of CABINET OF CURIOSITIES.
I jumped right on this when it appeared last year and although the episodes were wildly uneven I mostly enjoyed them. Now, four months later, I’ve mostly forgotten them. To me the most interesting thing about Del Toro is whether he’ll ever succeed in getting his long rumored version of AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS made. I certainly hope so but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Michael, I’m convinced that H. P. Lovecraft’s work isn’t appealing to a mass audience. It’s too weird and scary for mass consumption. But if AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS ever gets made, I’ll be the first one in line at our local AMC Theater to see it!
I think I watched one episode then forgot about it. That is the thing with streaming. So easy to put aside and never return.
Patti, you are so right! I’ve started a dozen different series on HULU, AMAZON Prime, HBO Max, Apple+, Peacock, etc. But since there’s so much to watch, things fall between the cracks…
Todd, your mileage may vary – George gsve it an A, Jackie hated it. I was somewhere in the middle. I liked a couple of the episodes, but others seemed dragged out and less interesting. There were no A episodes to my mind.
Jeff, I set the bar low for TV programs like CABINET OF CURIOSITIES. And, I agree that the quality varied from episode to episode, but all in all, I enjoyed it!
I love Del Toro’s movies too, especially PAN’S LABYRINTH. Also HELLBOY (Jackie’s favorite) and THE SHAPE OF WATER.
Jeff, I’m a big HELLBOY fan, too! I wish there were some more sequels!
We watched one but I remember absolutely nothing about it.
Maggie, a few commentators watched and forgot, too.
I’m not that interested in horror!
Bob, I have to be in the mood for Horror–books and movies and TV shows–to appreciate it.