Ranking the Best Cabinet of Curiosities Episodes

2. The Viewing

How far can a sheer vibe take a capable, yet limited story? If “The Viewing” is any indication then the answer is “very, very far.” There isn’t much to this parable written by Panos Cosmatos (who also directs) and Aaron Stewart-Ahn. In it, a mysterious billionaire (played by RoboCop Peter Weller) invites some of the most interesting and intelligent people he can find to provide their feedback on a curious item he recently acquired. Naturally, the item generates horrors beyond imagining.

But none of that is of particular importance to “The Viewing.” What is important, is the vibe. Oh gods, that sweet, sweet vibe. Fine-tuning a thrilling house style first established in 2018 thriller Mandy, Cosmatos presents an unholy combination of sound, light, and color that absolutely enraptures the senses. Forget the Lynchian alien head Macguffin at its center, the subject of “The Viewing” could have very well been “The Viewing” itself.

1. The Autopsy

“The Autopsy” has just about everything you’d ever want out of a horror story: two old-heads teaming up to confront a mystery, a loquacious intergalactic threat, and oodles and oodles of moldering corpses. Based on a short story by Michael Shea, written by David S. Goyer, and directed by David Prior, “The Autopsy” is just good meat and potatoes horror done right.

F. Murray Abraham’s Dr. Carl Winters is a positively Stephen King-ian protagonist – a down-to-earth professional who turns out to be shockingly capable of confronting true evil. While Guillermo del Toro’s makeup, prosthetic, and VFX teams makes lovely monsters throughout the rest of Cabinet of Curiosities, their work here turning human bodies into piles of organs to be investigated and operated on is second-to-none. Complete with a satisfyingly bittersweet ending, this is the anthology’s best ride from beginning to end.

All eight episodes of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities are available to stream on Netflix now.