Netflix - Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: Graveyard Rat, Vincenzo Natali delivers a scary and memorable episode

By Mulder, 24 october 2022

"I highly recommend opening Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, starting tomorrow on Netflix. Scary, spooky, and beautiful to watch. " - Stephen King

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is an American horror streaming television series created by Guillermo del Toro for Netflix, based on the short story of the same name. The series features eight unique horror stories that challenge the classic horror genre. Two of the episodes are original works by del Toro himself, while the others are written and directed by various filmmakers. The series is scheduled to air from October 25, 2022 to October 27, 2022.

Certainly the director and writer Vincenzo Natali does not cease to surprise us and currently succeeds in a few days of intervals to be present on two different series, The Peripheral, a Prime video series with Chloe Grace Moretz and to the direction of a horrific short film recalling in some ways the considerable influence of Stephen King both in the cinema and on several series. The giant rat will remind us of a short story of this author that was adapted to the cinema in Graveyard Shift (1990) by Ralph S. Singleton. Of course the story is different and once again focuses on witchcraft and monstrous creatures dear to Guillermo del Toro.

The main character here (played by actor David Hewlett) is a grave robber who, due to heavy gambling debts, must surely find something to fill his pockets. Unfortunately for him he will find himself in the depths of a cemetery not only facing a horde of rats but also a giant rat and a kind of mummy. Not devoid of humor, this episode turns out to be as much a claustrophobic nightmare as a journey of a man who not only wants to pay his debts but also to escape from his room in a disgusting brothel.

Once again Vincenzo Natali shows that he is a gifted director with a great sense of rhythm and his episode not only manages to be really scary but also to show us once again that a short film can often be developed into a more substantial movie. Certainly if you are afraid of rats, this episode will succeed in making you afraid, really afraid.

Synopsis:
Masson is a clever but cunning cemetery keeper, who improvises himself as a grave robber. To pay off his mounting debts, he digs up the grave of a rich merchant and gets caught in a battle with the rodents.

Graveyard Rat
Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali
Based on a short story by Henry Kuttner
Cast: David Hewlett
Head of the special effects makeup department: Sean Sansom
Key Makeup Artist: Mike Hill
Special effects makeup artists: Shane Zander, Kyle Glencross
Corpse" prosthetic makeup effects created by Mike Hill Creations
Designer and key artist: Mike Hill
Release date: October 25, 2022