Cabinet of Curiosities (1×01) Lot 36 Review

Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a horror anthology series consisting of 8 episodes telling 8 stories each helmed by different directors. Based on director Guillermo Del Toro’s intricate titular cabinet, the stories come from the items within it as explained in introductions from Del Toro which precede each episode. As with most anthology series, the next question on most viewers’ minds are whether or not the episodes are connected. The answer to that question remains to be seen, not that it matters. For now, the series delivers a solid start. Lot 36 may not offer the most original premise on paper but eventually becomes a harrowing watch even though it takes nearly 3/4 of the episodes 46 minute running time to get there. While it’s an admittedly tough ask for some viewers, another quality sleazy turn from Tim Blake Nelson keeps it watchable despite it never quite coming together. It achieves the essence of what it intended to do, however, some viewers will still be left wanting more. In the end, its running time was a hinderance.

Lot 36 follows a man named Nick (Nelson) who buys abandoned storage units and sell their contents for profit. A hit-or-miss profession, he currently found himself on a bad string of luck. Not a likeable character by any means as he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, little did he know what he would find in his latest purchase. Looking to make a quick buck, things only got worse from there. Something just wasn’t right about the former owner of his latest purchased unit as its contents implied some involvement with the occult. Hinting at another story spawning from that, it was essentially thrown at the wayside and virtually insignificant in the grand scheme. Ultimately blinded by greed, warning sign after warning sign were ignored in favor of Nick’s pursuit of a profit. He didn’t care about anything else which proved to be a dangerous game for him and an appraiser named Roland (Sebastian Roché). The end result was inevitable and a comeuppance of sorts, deserved or not.

The best part of Lot 36 is Nelson’s aforementioned performance as Nick. While he isn’t the most likeable character, one can still empathize with him even though he didn’t always go about it the right way. He at least keeps it watchable while his chemistry with Roché also make for a somewhat entertaining dynamic. That being said, it’s just them for better or worse.

At the end of the day, Lot 36 doesn’t bring anything new to the table but for what it is, provides decent entertainment with no staying power.

*still courtesy of Netflix*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.