When the master of monsters Guillermo Del Toro announced he was working on an anthology series for Netflix, horror fans rejoiced. With not much information released upon announcement, but Del Toro's history in horror and his love for the genre are well known, expectations are high for the project.
During Netflix's Geeked Week fans were finally treated to the first teaser trailer for the anthology series along with further information about some of Del Toro's collaborators on the project and the stars attached to the show. With that being said, just how much do we know about the upcoming show?
As fans know, Guillermo del Toro is dedicated to the horror genre as both a consumer and creator. With projects under his belt such as Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth, and Hellboy 2, the Mexican director has a proven track record of crafting eerie and scary fantasy worlds. No stranger to Netflix collaborations, del Toro has been working with them on the popular animated series Tales from Arcadia which concludes this year with Trollhunters: Rise of Titans. Now in a new collaboration with Netflix, the Oscar-winning director has created a new anthology series titled Cabinet of Curiosities, previously titled Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight, after his 2013 book of the same name.
The minute-long teaser doesn't give much away, but it does reveal a list of more of the actors involved in the show. With pulsating piles of worms, old Victorian houses, and clawed monstrous hands, the imagery in the teaser certainly lives up to the description that the show is going to be challenging conventional and classical horror.
The official synopsis of the show from Netflix is "In Cabinet of Curiosities, acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmaker and creator, executive producer and co-showrunner Guillermo del Toro has curated a collection of unprecedented and genre-defining stories meant to challenge our traditional notions of horror. From macabre to magical, gothic to grotesque or classically creepy, these eight equally sophisticated and sinister tales (including two original works by del Toro) will be brought to life by a team of writers and directors personally chosen by del Toro."
Joining del Toro for the series are Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), Vincenzo Natali (Splice), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Guillermo Navarro (Cocaine Godmother), David Prior (The Empty Man), Keith Thomas (The Vigil), Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), and Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night). Del Toro has penned two of the episodes while the further six stories have been written by some of the other astounding talent involved.
Joining the incredible list of creator talents are some huge stars. Crispin Glover (American Gods), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, The Servant), Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), Eric Andre (The Eric Andre Show), and Sofia Boutella (The Mummy) are all confirmed for the show along with appearances from Ben Barnes, Chloe Madison, Charlyne Yi, David Hewlett, Demetrius Grosse, Diana Bentley, Elpidia Carrillo, Essie Davis, F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman, Hannah Galway, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Kate Micucci, Luke Roberts, Peter Weller, Sebastian Roché, and Tim Blake Nelson.
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As for episode titles, five have been revealed. Episode two will be titled The Autopsy and will be directed by David Prior and stars Luke Roberts, F. Murray Abraham, and Glynn Turman. Episode three will be titled Lot 36 and will be directed by Guillermo Navarro and star Tim Blake Nelson, Sebastian Roché, Demetrius Grosse, and Elpidia Carrillo. The sixth episode is purportedly an adaptation of the Lovecraft story Dreams in the Witch House and is directed by Catherine Hardwicke and stars Rupert Grint. Episode seven will be titled Graveyard Rats and is directed by Vincenzo Natali and featuring David Hewlitt. Episode eight will be titled Some Other Animal's Meat, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and starring Diana Bentley and Chloe Madison.
Del Toro has penned the story for two of the episodes. He has written the first episode which is as yet unnamed but will be directed by Jennifer Kent and feature Essie Davis, Andrew Lincoln, and Hannah Galway, and also created the script for the third episode of the season.
While not much is known about any of the plot details for the eight stories in the series, with the roster of talent involved it's safe to bet that whatever the stories the show will be a creepy showcase of new and established filmmakers' stories. Much of the show has been filmed in Toronto, Canada. Filming concluded in February of this year and the show is currently still in post-production.
No official date for release has been announced yet, although it will likely release around the Halloween season along with Mike Flanagans' adaptation of The Midnight Club, releasing October 7. With all that's been announced thus far, scary season is certainly shaping up to be spectacular on the streaming platform.