In the world of 2022 TV, who would’ve predicted that horror would be having such a renaissance? Well, if the popularity of recent releases such as The Baby, The Midwich Cuckoos, Mr Harrigan’s Phone and The Midnight Club are anything to go by, the genre is truly having its moment – and we’re here for it.

Just when we didn’t think our watchlist could get any longer, Netflix has just unveiled a new series release that will be a winner for any horror fans out there. Cabinet Of Curiosities is set to be the Halloween event of the year and it’s just commenced on the streaming platform. Starting from today (Tuesday 25 October), two episodes of the anthology series will be released daily. All of them different but nonetheless terrifying in their own way.

Bid farewell (well, not completely) to reruns of some of our favourites because there’s a new nightmare-inducing TV show in town. 

But what can we expect exactly? 

Well, details are being kept minimal for obvious reasons (it’ll spoil the terrifying surprises, after all) but Netflix have released a breakdown of each of the episodes. Lot 36 and Graveyard Rats are already available to stream and trust us when we say that they’re a creepy look into all things supernatural and otherworldly. 

But the fun doesn’t stop there, horror fans. Upcoming episodes range from a reimagined H.P. Lovecraft short story to tales of witches and wizards, all with the promise of leaving us … positively frightened.

And if that wasn’t enough to intrigue (and excite) you about this series, perhaps the trailer will convince you to add this to your watchlist. Now, word of warning: it’s terrifying. We won’t lie to you. But if you’re a horror fan, this’ll be right up your street. 

Along with a suitably creepy soundtrack playing throughout it, we get a glimpse of some of the tales set to unfold in the series. Most interestingly, though, Guillermo del Toro presents the trailer to us, almost like a Halloween-themed present. He says: “Picture your mind as a cabinet where you lock up your darkest thoughts and deepest fears. What would happen if you opened that cabinet for the world to see? We are about to find out.”

Watch the official trailer for Cabinet Of Curiosities here:

The new series is from Guillermo del Toro, the acclaimed ‘master of horror’ and Oscar-winning director behind major releases including Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape Of Water. While del Toro may be at the helm of the project, each episode’s story is being told by some of today’s most revered horror creators – including the directors of The Babadook, Splice, Mandy and many more.

With the first teaser having been released just one month ago, we got our first look at the horrors in store, and even five seconds in isn’t for the fainthearted.

Each episode involves a different cast, director and plotline, all telling a standalone story and all having been personally picked by del Toro himself. Episodes include Dreams In The Witch House, Graveyard Rats, Lot 36, Pickman’s Model, The Autopsy, The Murmuring, The Outside and The Viewing.  

“Cabinet Of Curiosities is a show that I always wanted to make,” says del Toro in the teaser. “In this anthology, we gave ownership of each episode to the directors. Each of the episodes has a whole world. They present you with different delights – some are savoury, some are sweet. You get a surprise from each of the bites.”

“We wanted to create beautiful, practical creatures with all the artistry that goes into creating a great monster. With Cabinet Of Curiosities, what I’m trying to say is: look, the world is beautiful and horrible at exactly the same time.”

Some of the well-known faces to join the various casts dotted across this project include Ben Barnes (The Chronicles Of Narnia), Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Essie Davis (The Babadook) and Rupert Grint, who will star in Catherine Hardwicke’s (Twilight) episode Dreams In The Witch House.

In the short trailer, we get a small – but mighty – glimpse of what’s to come and if suspense, moments that make you jump and blood aren’t your thing, look away now. 

In the opening scenes, we’re met with snapshots of bloody faces and gauged-out eyesockets. 

As del Toro talks us through the motivations for the series, we see images of snow-ridden graveyards, a mother stroking her baby goodnight only to see another baby’s hand on her shoulder and even get a behind-the-scenes process of creating the monsters we’ll likely be seeing in our nightmares. “We achieved some of the most remarkable images in the series,” del Toro says.

And if you really can’t get enough del Toro content this year, be sure to keep an eye out for his stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio, which also lands on Netflix this December.

Cabinet Of Curiosities will be released across four days on Netflix, starting on Tuesday 25 October and going until Friday 28 October as part of the Netflix & Chills Halloween event. 

Images: Netflix