Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 8 revolves around an ornithologist wife, who starts to experience a ghostly presence in an old house, during her murmuration research. The episode is a fitting end to the series and acts as a perfectly themed finale for the anthology. Moreover, it stars Essie Davis in the titular role and is helmed by Jennifer Kent.
The rest of the cast includes Andrew Lincoln as the husband and Hannah Galway as the ghost. The episode is titled The Murmuring and is based on a short story by Guillermo del Toro. Furthermore, it has a total running time of one hour and three minutes.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities finale episode starts with an ornithologist couple and their presentation of murmuration research. The couple specialises in studying birds and their flocking pattern and plans to explore a different breed on a secluded island. However, the reason why they are so engrossed in their work is because of their deep and personal loss.
The couple lost their daughter a while ago, and have been facing issues with their marriage ever since. Therefore, when they end up moving into an isolated house on the island, the dark past of the place finally collides with their grief.
The episode offers a strong distinction from the rest of the anthology. This time it has more to do with the central theme of grief and loss, than with the spine-chilling horror. And with the help of strong performances and a tight screenplay, the thematic change in dynamics works pretty well.
I believe it’s also a true anthology episode, without a much-hyped finale tag. The Murmuring could have fit extremely well with the series, regardless of any chronology. Notably, the rare and satisfying feel-good end definitely suits the wrap-up.
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The episode sticks to its strong points and paints a transitionary picture of grief, loss and horror. Plus, the backdrop of birds and their soothing sounds, add an element of calm to the episode. This righfully finds its place in the story and eventually transforms into the terror call as the episode progresses to the climax.
Near the end of the final episode, I had different thoughts about the source material of the series. Like HP Lovecraft’s short stories, and Guillermo del Toro’s written work. All of which excites me to read them, and explore the very inception of the original stuff. I believe if an adaptation compels you to revisit the source, then it says a lot about the top-notch quality.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 8 Final Thoughts
The episode is a fitting end to the horror anthology series and scales through the unified theme. It explores the concept of loss and unattended emotions and perfectly interconnects them with a horror tale. The episode will leave you reminiscing about Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities and also the kind of unsaid nostalgia that it brought all along.
Episode eight is available to stream on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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