Eldritch horror is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a slow burn, which means the stories move at an eerie snail’s pace. Though despite this, the scares hit hard in the sense that it isn’t out to scare you but to make you feel uncomfortable and maybe even a bit confused. It is the fear of the unknown, either in the world or cosmos or deep within the darkest reaches of our souls.
Cabinet of Curiosities is an anthology series that is seeped in this kind of dread. And while most episodes pulled it off well, there were some that felt a bit flat, namely the first episode came off as a tad predictable and Episode six was a bit childish for me (even though it was a second adaptation of a Lovecraft book).
The cast were good throughout the series and it was nice seeing someone like Eric Andre or Kate Micucci in a horror, actors who are known for being more comedic. Ben Barnes and Andrew Lincoln are always make anything they touch better. Though it was the type of thoughtful storytelling that impressed me the most.
The horror in these stories were creeping and often brought on either by a character’s greed or insecurities or by a character’s helplessness. This scratched all of my Eldritch/Cosmic Horror itches. I especially liked the first Lovecraft Adaptation, ‘Pickman’s Model’ and while it took creative liberties from the book, it filled me with enough dread to feel quite creeped out by it by the time the end credits rolled after that disturbing ending.
This series will leave you feeling weird afterwards. While not every episode is to everyone’s liking, each provided its own thing that was unique to itself and each directed by different directors.
Hopefully we will get a season two and more anthology horror to keep us sated.
