Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 1 (Lot 36) Review

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘In centuries past, when the world was full of mystery and traveling was reserved for the very few, a new form of collection was born. The Cabinet of Curiosities. This collection could be lodged in a building, a chamber, or a piece of furniture. In these private collections, one would find books painting or specimens of natural and unnatural history. A dragon’s tooth, a Fiji mermaid, a unicorn’s horn. And behind each of these, a story”, explains Guillermo del Toro at the beginning of Netflix’s 2022 horror anthology ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’.

While the creator of the show sets a fascinating tone for the horror anthology, the first story takes some time to gain momentum. Titled ‘Lot 36’, it follows Nick Appleton (Tim Blake Nelson) who makes money by buying storage lockers at auctions and selling their content (like the American show ‘Storage Wars’ if you’re familiar with it); his life changes when he comes in possession of lot number 36, owned by a deceased old man since the 1940s. The first half was too political, Appleton is a typical disgruntled white man who resents people of color and owes a lot of money to the wrong kind of folks.

Just when thing begin to get interesting, the ending is sprung upon the viewers and is quite predictable and anticlimactic. The supernatural elements are minimal and there’s just one tried and tested trope running through most of the tale – flickering lights. The actors make ‘Lot 26’ a lot more compelling than it actually is. Hopefully, the other seven stories are more interesting. It’s a 5/10 from me for the first episode.

Also Read: Cabinet of Curiosities Ep 2 – ‘Graveyard Rats’ Review