The 8-Part Dark Fantasy Show That Does Lovecraft Better Than Other Netflix Miniseries
Lovecraft’s Complicated Legacy
H.P. Lovecraft influenced writers including Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro, but his legacy is deeply troubled by his racism and explicit prejudice. His work helped establish many of the conventions associated with cosmic horror, making his influence difficult for later writers to avoid.
The article describes how television renewed mainstream interest in Lovecraftian storytelling after True Detective’s first season drew on writers such as Thomas Ligotti and Robert Chambers. Many later shows tried to bring that sensibility into their horror.
An Anthology With Many Influences
Released by Netflix in 2022, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities uses direct adaptations and indirect homages to explore Lovecraftian horror. Episodes based on “Pickman’s Model” and “Dreams in the Witch House” adapt two of his short stories, with a different director for each installment.
Other episodes also echo his work. Panos Cosmatos’s “The Viewing” and Guillermo Navarro’s “Lot 36” draw on tentacled horror, while David Prior’s “The Autopsy” uses body horror and Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Outside” brings a darkly comic edge.
Del Toro’s Long Connection
The series extends a connection visible across del Toro’s career. His films Cronos, Mimic and Pan’s Labyrinth borrow imagery from Lovecraft, while Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army use Lovecraft-inspired creatures and settings.
Del Toro’s planned adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness was canceled. The article says the project could surpass Cabinet of Curiosities if it is ever fully financed, but it remains unmade.
Key points
- Netflix released Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities in 2022.
- The anthology adapts “Pickman’s Model” and “Dreams in the Witch House.”
- Its episodes also draw on Lovecraftian themes without directly adapting his stories.
- Del Toro’s canceled At the Mountains of Madness adaptation remains unmade.