This Halloween saw the debut of a whole new horror anthology in the form of Cabinet of curiosities by Guillermo del Toro. True to its name, the eight-part series featured a collection of macabre tales from various directors, with del Toro as the main host. The anthology was well received due to the variety of stories involved and how it ties into del Toro’s penchant for exploring the real horrors of the world. The fact that it led to Halloween turned out to be the icing on the cake. Whereas Cabinet of Curiosities has yet to receive a series renewal, there are plenty of other horror anthologies for fans to check out. Here is just a selection of sinister series that appeal to horror fans.
masters of horror
The masters of horror series can be called the spiritual predecessor of Cabinet of Curiosities – especially considering del Toro’s connection to her. He was one of ten directors that the series creator Mick Garris invited to dinner. The dinners have grown to involve other horror icons such as Wes Craven, David Cronenbergand even You West. Soon most of them would be writing and/or directing hour-long episodes of Garris, aptly titled masters of horror anthology.
Many episodes are based on short stories, including “Dance With The Devil” by Richard Matheson and “Valérie on the stairs” from Clive Boulanger. And like Cabinet, they exhibit characteristics of their director’s style. Grab the Season 1 finale “Imprint” from Takashi Miike. In keeping with Miike’s penchant for swinging wildly between genres, the episode features a romantic storyline that grows increasingly disturbing over time. Showtime would put “Imprint” aside for its disturbing content, but masters of horror inspired another TV show created by Garris to fear oneself, with a comic book adaptation from IDW Publishing.
masters of horror is available to stream on Tubi and Prime Video.
The Twilight Zone (2019)
Del Toro isn’t the only horror director to get involved with an anthology series in recent years. Jordan Pele contributed to the revival of The twilight zone next to Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez, which debuted on the streamer formerly known as CBS All Access (now Paramount+). In addition to serving as executive producer and writing the Season 2 episode “Downtime,” Peele also served as the mysterious narrator of The twilight zone – go in Rod Serlingthe shoes.
The blurred area revival received mixed reviews when it debuted, but it’s well worth watching. From episodes that explored the cost of fame, like “The Comedian” and “Ovation,” to the remake of the classic episode “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” these episodes stay true to the spirit of the original. Area. And as the various incarnations of the Areathe revival features a star-studded cast including steven yeunwho will later star in Peele’s sci-fi thriller Nope.
The twilight zone (2019) is available to stream on Paramount+.
black mirror
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Cabinet of Curiosities isn’t the only horror anthology to debut on Netflix. One of the most popular series on the streamer is black mirror, which takes a dark look at how technology can affect the lives of human beings. series creator Charlie Brooker threw down the gauntlet with the first episode “The National Anthem”, where the British Prime Minister (Rory Kinner) is being blackmailed into having sex with a pig. Yes, you read that right.
Other episodes continue to play technological horrors, with “USS Callister” standing out. This particular episode features Cristin Miloti as an ensign aboard the titular starship, who learns that she and the crew are actually clones of the programmer Robert (jesse plemons). “USS Callister” takes a dark and often horrifying humorous twist on the star trek mythos, while exploring the toxic fantasies that can develop in the minds of fans.
black mirror is available to stream on Netflix.
Time out stories
Horror anthologies aren’t just for adult viewers. Young viewers have plenty of scary series to check out, including Time out stories. Based on the book series by Annette and Gina Casconethe series features a babysitter (Jennifer Stone) who reads the titular book to his young proteges. However Time out stories is aimed at a teenage audience, it still manages to keep the gruesome elements of the book series intact – especially in the third episode “The Witching Game”, which tackles the urban legend of Bloody Mary. Part of that is thanks to Annette Cascone as showrunner and author of all thirteen episodes. Although the show was short-lived, it’s a great introduction to horror for young adults.
Time out stories is available to stream on Prime Video.
just beyond
Another young adult anthology series worth checking out is just beyond. Based on the BOOM! Graphic novel studios created by R. L. Stine, the anthology features eight separate stories involving witches, alternate dimensions, and curses gone horribly wrong. Unlike other anthologies, just beyond is aimed at a younger audience. It’s also more comedic in nature – the episode “Which Witch” filters the trials and tribulations of adolescence in a world where witchcraft exists, and “Parents Are From Mars, Children Are From Venus” is quite explicit. Stine is perhaps best known for his Goose bumps the books, which spawned their own anthology TV show; with just beyond he proves to be a persistent force in horror for young adults.
just beyond is available to stream on Disney+.
Are you scared of the dark?
The honor of ‘the original horror anthology for young adults’ must definitely go to the Nickelodeon series Are you scared of the dark? The show centers on a group of teenagers known as the Midnight Society, who gathered around a campfire. Each member would tell the others a scary story, with the story unfolding for the viewers. In a twist on convention, many of these stories would end well – though there are still plenty of scares to be found. Are you scared of the dark? became one of Nickelodeon’s most popular series, even spawning a pair of revival series in 1999 and 2019 respectively.
Are you scared of the dark? is available to stream on Paramount+.
Tales from the Crypt
Perhaps the most famous horror anthology series is Tales from the Crypt, based on the EC Comics series of the same name. While it’s renowned for its decrepit host known as Cryptkeeper and its creepy bad puns, it’s also been allowed to push the boundaries in a way that few series of its kind haven’t. Due to airing on HBO, Tales from the Crypt was free from network restrictions involving blood and nudity and took the opportunity to deliver some truly chilling stories. As The twilight zoneit has hosted a number of famous guest stars, including brad pitt and Ewan McGregor. It also led to a number of spin-offs, including feature films like Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight and the anime Tales from the Crypt Keeper. Del Toro has been open about EC Comics’ influence on Cabinet of Curiosities, revealing that he read a lot of comics in his youth. “And I remember when I was a kid, I was very scared of EC Comics’ Graham Ingels and Jack Kirby’s Devil, his superhero/horror comic. It was full of really disgusting and evil characters,” he told the Austin Chronicle in an interview.
Horror Anthologies To Watch After Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities – GameSpot