Graveyard Rats

After the feeble and totally unremarkable first episode, I was mentally preparing myself to sit through the whole "Cabinet of Curiosities" series on autopilot. Because, you know, the other seven episodes probably won't be any good, neither. But here's a good reminder never to judge too quick, as the second installment is GREAT!

What's the difference between "Graveyard Rats" and the vastly inferior "Lot 36"? Well, simply put, everything! It's based on a classic creep-story by Henry Kuttner, the atmosphere and scenery are wondrously Lovecraftian, there's suspense, there's gore, and there are fabulous monsters, monsters, monsters! Grave robber Masson faces gigantic red-eyed rats on the left and materialistic zombies to the right, but his biggest enemy remains his rotten and loathsome self.

"Graveyard Rats" is stupendous horror entertainment! It's mean, it's nasty, and it's straightforward gruesome. Surprisingly enough, this short film was directed by Vincenzo Natali, and he generally isn't known for raw and brutal type of horror flicks. This isn't complex and intellectual, like "Cube" or "Cypher", and thankfully so!

*Note: the review subject line comes from the lyrics of "Rats" by the Swedish metal band sensation Ghost.

"Graveyard Rats" is the title of the second episode of season 1 of the "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities".

This episode written by Henry Kuttner and Guillermo del Toro, and directed by Vincenzo Natali.

Wow. Just wow. This episode was nothing short of spectacular. And after a tremendous first episode of the season, "Graveyard Rats" comes at you like a freight train at top speed.

The atmosphere in "Graveyard Rats" was six feet under, pardon the pun.

I loved this episode, and it was a very claustrophobic and disturbing tale, one that was very well written by Henry Kuttner and Guillermo del Toro.

Leading actor David Hewlett was so well cast for the leading role of Masson, and he really gave the episode so much life - as long as it lasted, that is.

Now, visually then I was in awe over episode two. The visuals in "Graveyard Rats" was just spectacular, and those alone makes it well worth watching this episode.

My rating of "Graveyard Rats" lands on an eight out of ten stars.

Well, this second episode of the new del Toro anthology series is considerably better than the first one! I really enjoyed it actually, and found it a serious and literate adaptation of the Henry Kuttner short story. Kuttner's an author whose pulp era works are rarely adapted for the screen, and I was delighted that they kept things close to the story as well as retaining the early 20th century setting. It's a straightforward tale with little preamble, essentially charting the progress of a grave robber as he comes to a sticky end. The monster design is excellent on both fronts and the claustrophobic underground sets reminded me of the Vietcong.

The themes of this episode are similar to the ones in Lot 36 (greed is bad), thought this time at least the story feels mostly complete.

That being said we again have an unlikable protagonist (though this time at least there seems to be an attempt to redeem the character) and unlikable secondary characters.

The plot moves along at a good pace and the visuals are quite good for the most part. However the music and sound design was a bit distracting to me and the dialogue was just okay (the protagonist speaks to himself quite a lot and likes to monologue to other characters in a grandiose manner that I found a bit annoying).

All said, it's a bit better than Lot 36 but nothing special. Hopefully the quality continues to rise until it reaches levels of good and great.

Grave robber Masson (David Hewlett) owes money to some dodgy types who would happily see him dead if he cannot pay. The latest body to be interred in the cemetery has been buried with a valuable sword, but will Masson be quick enough with his shovel before the rats that live underground make off with the stiff?

This is the first episode of Del Toro's macabre series that I have watched and I enjoyed it a lot (I've heard the first one isn't so good). The plot (based on a short story by Henry Kuttner) is nothing remarkable, but director Vincent Natali (Cube, Cypher, Splice) does a great job in building the atmosphere and horror, increasing the tension and heightening the sense of claustrophobia, bringing matters to a satisfyingly gruesome climax. Along the way, he throws in a giant mutated rat, a few Lovecraftian touches, and a zombie, all of which adds to the fun.