Guillermo del Toro's spooky Netflix series Cabinet of Curiosities gets rave first reviews

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities - The Murmuring, directed by Jennifer Kent

(Image credit: Netflix)

The first two episodes of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities have finally landed on Netflix – and the spooky anthology series is already earning rave reviews. Billed as a Halloween event, the show will be released in installments across four consecutive days – much like how the streamer rolled out its Fear Street movie trilogy – before concluding on Friday, October 28.

Starring the likes of Eric Andre, F. Murray Abraham, Ben Barnes, Sofia Boutella, Essie Davis, Rupert Grint, and The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln, the episode titles are as follows: The Murmuring, The Autopsy, Lot 36, Pickman's Model, The Viewing, Dreams in the Witch House, The Outside, Graveyard Rats. Some of the directors involved in the project include The Babadook's Jennifer Kent, The Vigil's Keith Thomas, A Girl Walks Home At Night's Ana Lily Amirpour, and Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke.

Lot 36 and Graveyward Rats kick off the series, helmed by Hellboy cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and Splice's Vincenzo Natali respectively. Del Toro co-wrote the first with Regina Corrado.

Awarding the show four out of five stars, RadioTimes' David Craig described Cabinet of Curiosities as "a Halloween treat", full of "interesting ideas, haunting visuals and memorable performances," in his write-up. Elsewhere, AV Club's Manuel Betancourt called it "scary good", adding: "The attention to detail in everything from thrill-inducing soundscapes that conjure dug-up graves to meticulously art-directed spaces that are truly haunting elevates these terrifying short horror tales about such timeless themes as greed, pride, and vanity, all while dredging up devilish takes on zombies, rat kings, vengeful demons, and, of course, the most horrific villain one can think of: capitalism itself."

"Del Toro succeeds in crafting and curating a technically impressive and cohesive anthology," wrote Bloody Disgusting's Meaghan Navarro. "Its commitment to thematic unity means that “Cabinet of Curiosities” plays more like a soothing vintage scary story collection."

"Both a monster mash and a graveyard smash," Slashfilm's Chris Evangelista stated, while Slant Magazine's Niv M. Sultan said: "The horror anthology exudes an alluring air of mystery, rough around the edges but coursing with energy."

Variety's Daniel D'Addario argued that while the outing lacks the signature heart of Del Toro's previous works and often falls into storytelling tropes, it's "good enough to merit a recommendation." Heck, even Stephen King appears to have loved it, having tweeted: "I strongly advise you to open Guillermo del Toro's CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, starting tomorrow on Netflix. Scary, sinister, and beautiful to look at."

Episodes 1 and 2 of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, which is currently rated 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, are available to stream now. While we wait for tomorrow's tales, check out our guide to the best Netflix horror movies in honor of October 31.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.