Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (TV Series) The Murmuring (2022) User Reviews

A total change of pace, enjoyable.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 6 November 2022]

Ornithologists Nancy and Edgar head to a house by a secluded waterside spot to make use of their new video camera, it isn't long before Nancy is sensitive to the house's tragic past.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Murmuring, it's a sharp contrast to every other episode from the show, this one is brighter, softer, a much slower pace. The horror vibe was ever present, echoes of The Woman in Black I thought, but there was some real originality here.

Visually quite bright, contrast that to every other episode which was murky and atmospheric, the change up was welcomed.

Essie Davies and Andrew Lincoln were both terrific, Davies best known perhaps as Miss Fisher, but also notably starred in The Babadook, Lincoln best known for The Walking Dead, two great actors who shared a real chemistry here.

7/10.

Phenomenal performances, bravo

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 8/10 · 3 November 2022]

This is the only one out of the lot that I am leaving an individual review for because I thought it was spectacular. The base horror storyline was nothing outrageously original or innovative, but the way they so viscerally spun this traumatic and emotional tale with such finesse and tact, it really was amazingly done. A lot of this had to do with the two main actors... they absolutely killed it. I mean they put their foot into this episode in the best way possible. Their subtly nuanced and down to earth performances made this piece what it is and they should be extremely proud of themselves and their work. Bravo all around.

Beautifully performed mediocre horror

[MadValkyrie · 6/10 · 1 November 2022]

This episode is all about heartbreak and it definitely displays it well. The performances by Essie Davis and Andrew Lincoln, both who have roots in horror films and tv, are very powerful. However, with the general theme of the horrifying and unusual in this series, this episode is kind of bland. Despite being beautifully shot on a set that just lends itself to the supernatural, the horror element is fairly trope-y in the scheme of things. It brings nothing new to the theme and is definitely short on genuine creep factor because of it. That being said, the episode featured some powerful acting and a story that almost better suits it being a standalone short film. Being a part of this series, which has already featured some grotesque and surreal horror, almost does it a disservice.

Goes out on a high.

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 29 October 2022]

Thanks to writer & director Jennifer Kent, "The Murmuring" succeeds (for the most part) in its intentions to utilise horror in a meaningful way here, drawing parallels between the supernatural & the real in order to analyse how 2 people (both of whom have lost a child, one living, the other, not) are practically the same, incapable of coming to terms with their own grief (blaming themselves for the loss of their infant) & moving on from it - which has therefore ensnared either in an endlessly inescapable cycle of self imposed isolation. To see the concept of ghosts act as the motivation for the protagonist's progression (when she's confronted with a visualisation of what awaits her if she doesn't confront her feelings) is a masterstroke of an idea. Hence, it's a beautifully character driven narrative - for the series to end on as a whole - that subverts the audience's expectations by prioritising personal growth & development over cynicism & capitulating to the genre, featuring the usual clichés (that the rest of the series has so often relied upon).

Of course, it's far from perfect, as I am not entirely sold by either of the lead's unconvincing performances & cumulatively, the episode does admittedly feel a bit clunky throughout... But it's refreshing nonetheless to see a filmmaker boldly attempting to imbue depth in to their work & to her credit, she creates some brilliantly crafted moments of tension which are peppered throughout.

All in all, despite the apparent flaws, I'm able to look past the imperfections & appreciate the strengths here - as it's pleasant to find a story which has layers, as opposed to unchallenging superficiality.

At Least "Outside" Was Somewhat Entertaining

[ronaldmsingh · 7 November 2022]

Sometimes a couple, experiencing a significant loss such as a child, can't get past that. The sight of each other just constantly reminds them of their loss, or there maybe underlying feelings of guilt or blame... just horrible, and you wouldn't want to wish it on your worst enemy.

Taking that and using it as the bedrock of a ghost story can work - and "Don't Look Now" obviously springs to mind - but this is so wide of the mark it hurt to watch. A waste of Andrew Lincoln's considerable talent, the cliched desolate house with a hidden past, and ****ing birds as a metaphor for freedom... spare me!!!

Babadook Lite

[breakadawn · 6/10 · 15 June 2023]

Explores similar themes of working through personal demons. The dialogue was tedious and at times like pulling teeth. I get it: scientists are human, too, and capable of making terrible leaps of logic due to personal feelings or bias. But it would have been more interesting if both characters tried to reason through the phenomena, established some connection to the murmurations and reached a resolution. Instead, Ms. Davis dials up another "head case" character, who ultimately confronts her inner pain. Some interesting ideas and great actors but ultimately the payoff didn't work for me. I was hoping for more (poor me).

People will either love or hate this

[Cr0wgrrl · 9/10 · 5 November 2022]

Beautifully shot, directed and acted, The Murmuring is as much a story about grief as it is a mystery or a ghost story. It unfolds slowly in small details, nonverbal gestures, looks between characters - what is not being spoken is as meaningful as what is. The supernatural element creeps in around the edges, building until it can no longer be ignored, in many ways a reflection of the main theme. For those willing to let characters be imperfect and let the story unfold at its own pace, this will likely be a beautiful and moving episode. However, those looking for lots of action, gore or horror, or those who have trouble decoding subtle changes in emotion, may be better served by some of the other episodes.

Good but odd casting

[filmmakersis · 6/10 · 30 October 2022]

Yes it's a story we have heard before but this does have some gorgeous art direction and a fantastic set. Andrew Lincoln is awesome in this, the actress chosen doesn't quite fit. It's rather hard to believe that she recently lost a baby as she seems in her 50s possibly close to 60 (not trying to be ageist just seems a little hard to believe in 1951 someone would have had a baby at 50). She gives a good performance but definitely one note, and almost identical to her role in Babadook (really the only difference is her hair color). I do wish there was a bit more to her character. And it's hard to see how the husband is treated, but it works for the story. This has a slow pace, but that's fitting. A quiet, ghostly vibe. My favorite part is definitely the set design.

The best one saved for last

[ladyliliroche · 9/10 · 28 October 2022]

Masterful and beautifully made. Some of the earlier shots, the one with the birds, was beautiful. It made you forgot you were watching a horror movie.

The horror sequence was perfectly crafted as well. Some classic jump scares that are perfectly shot and framed. The colours grading is also nice.

Story is also strong. A blend of horror and bittersweet drama. The acting is good too. I really like the main characters.

Truly a nice episode to end the cabinet of horror (although made you wish the whole series is this strong). Do hope there would be a second season of cabinets of horror. I love this horror series.

Some of MR James and Hitchcock spliced together?

[mdantzer-24-354056 · 6/10 · 30 October 2022]

It originally looked to me like some sort of unofficial The Birds sequel (like many others I've always thought The Birds had a terrible ending). As someone who does like ghost stories I had a hard time staying with this one. I found it boring. I think it focused too much on uninteresting characters, and the allegory was not very inspired. I like haunted house stories but this one didn't do much for for me. This was really just a sad story with no big reveal or payoff. I suppose it did have an MR James feel to it, the two academics, remote setting, etc and perhaps if I was watching one of those BBC Ghost Story for Christmas adaptations I would feel different than I do about this. Maybe my expectations were off, idk. But that I don't think there was enough creativity here either.

A horribly boring story

[SawrrowfulHorror · 4/10 · 26 November 2022]

Ended the series in a slow burning nothing-sandwich of a horror short story. I almost forgot I was watching something that was supposed to be scary. On the one hand, we had good acting performances and compelling set pieces paired with good cinematography. However, none of these were used with any efficacy to keep the viewer interested. All horror elements evaporated as quickly as they appeared, and the viewer is left with plenty of open air to wonder "what am I missing?" There might be interesting symbolism somewhere in this short film but unfortunately it was lost on myself and those watching along with me. Finally, calling this a slow burn feels generous, if you could ever say that it "burned" at all. There was very little payoff for sticking around for a generous hour-long runtime. I wanted this to be good but left disappointed and confused.

Beautifully Crafted Final Episode

[DanWatches · 10/10 · 29 October 2022]

Directed by the same director as "The Babadook"; this is not a traditional horror story, but a thoughtful meditation on grieving and angst. The two leads (Essie Davis, again from The Babadook; and Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead) are superb, and their acting and chemistry made this my favorite episode. You believe them as a couple, and that draws you into their relationship and the story. The episode really was a testament to the craft of all involved, and Essie Davis again brings exactly what is needed to the table. Not your typically horror fare, and may be a bit slow for some, but well worth a watch if you can just sit with it.

Interesting final entry into the COC series

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 7 March 2023]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Nancy (Essie Davis) and David Bradley (Andrew Lincoln) are ornithologists, who espouse ancient beliefs of how birds transport souls between this world and the next. They are also mourning a tragic personal loss, which Nancy is showing signs of not having addressed. They take a trip to their deserted house by the lake, to try and get away and rekindle their relationship, but before long, Nancy is experiencing strange visions of a woman and child in the house, that threaten to plunge her over the edge.

And so we come to the final instalment in the Cabinet of Curiosities series, a succession of ups and downs that have bounced between mediocre, average and really quite good. It would be nice if the series went out on a high, and writer/director Jennifer Kent is, at the very least, aiming for something distinctive and original with this offering. There are echoes of Stephen King's The Dark Half (1993), with its themes of birds and their role as the transporter of souls between worlds, and even the posters for the two respective works are strikingly similar.

While the previous episodes have served, fundamentally, as a showcase for Del Toro's signature outlandish special effects, this relies on a sense of atmosphere and eerie silence, with the isolation of the lakeside location serving as the backdrop for the story to play out. Sadly, it can rely a bit too much on this, and there are long, dull stretches that become a little too prominent in such a short story. At heart, it's a story about loss and trauma, and facing up to grief, and it's fortunate that the two sole central performances are strong enough to convey a couple struggling with these issues effectively, making it work on this front at least.

The end result is an interesting, curious offering, that works on more levels than it fails, and while it goes through the motions and plays with some familiar horror tropes, it does so in a way that is at least affecting and intriguing enough to work. ***

Unoriginal, slow, lacking any horror.

[hadraniel-26346 · 2/10 · 4 November 2022]

Not sure how this got Guillermo's approval.

This is without a doubt the worst episode.

The story is a trope. "couple with grief problems stays at creepy ghost house. " We've seen this story ad nauseum.

It's horrendously slow. You can see Andrew Lincoln doing everything he can to reanimate this stone dead episode. But to no avail.

The other supporting actors are just .. flat out.... awful.

And it all leads up to this ghost encounter, that again, tropes its way through. And suddenly everything is A-OK at the end.

There's just no danger in this episode. There's no horror. There's nothing original here. It's like the writer and director collectively decided to sacrifice anything potentially interesting, just to make something entirely uninteresting and predictable.

I hope GDT does a better job of vetting episodes like this out if there's another season.

They should have had The Autopsy or one of the Lovecraft episodes be the finale episode.

This was like watching paint dry.

The Murdering: now that's a title that promises genuine horror. The Murmuring? Not so much.

[BA_Harrison · 22 December 2022]

A murmuration is a swooping, swirling cloud of birds, often in their thousands. Married ornithologists Nancy and Edgar, who are mourning the recent loss of their child, travel to a remote island to study the phenomenon. As the days go by, Nancy experiences disturbing supernatural events that lead her to delve into the history of the people who once lived in the house in which they are staying.

Directed by Jennifer 'The Babadook' Kent, The Murmuring suffers from a glacial pace, a lack of scares, and characters it is hard to give a damn about. Nancy is so self-absorbed that it's a wonder that Edgar is still around - she doesn't seem to care that he might also be grieving. It's all about her! Still, Edgar is such a spineless twerp that it's hard to feel sorry for him. I wanted him to stop being so bloody understanding all the time and actually stand up for himself.

The ending sees Nancy helping the troubled ghost of a murdered child to finally find peace, and in doing so, lifting the burden of grief from her own shoulders. It's clichéd and predictable and not worth the slog through the dreary drivel that precedes it.

Decent Ghost Story--Just a Bit Too Long

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 1 November 2022]

This is sort of a cliched ghost story where a couple of ornithologist doing a photo study, go to a home on an island and strange things begin to appear. It is intimated that there has been a tragedy in their lives, but we are not privy to that until three-fourths of the way through. The husband is unable to connect with his wife, who he thinks should be openly grieving. While he is sleeping or off working, she encounters intense images, and when she talks to him, he backs away. The problem is that it takes forever to tell the story, and we must be made to wonder. Oh, and other than the freedom thing, what do those little birds have to do with anything?

The Murmuring

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 12 November 2022]

Andrew Lincoln can give you an entertaining performance as we saw for years on The Walking Dead, but everything was just sort of there with him here. This was a little bit better than a lot of the previous epsiodes of the show, but not by much here. There was a coherent story and there were some good scares, there was a simple resolution to.

It was a refreshing break to not have some monster made out of clay or slime come to life and attack people too.

I doubt this will get a second season, but if it does, go and find some vintage horror or some moral struggles. Save the monster for another program.

Grief, Love, & Fear

[magsancan · 9/10 · 2 November 2022]

This short story by Guillermo del Toro brings back feels of his original work. The emotion and/or lack of emotion when one suffers loss was beautifully and tragically captured by the actors. The hypnotic murmuring of the Dunlins and story behind the house was a lovely way to show how grief kills the love & passion in a couples life. Reaching the grief process of acceptance gives freedom from the pain of loss, and this haunted house story got me right in the feels. In my opinion, a classic haunted house story beautifully executed. Not ugly scary but sad and liberating. Love has its tragedies and love makes people do unfathomable acts that tortures the soul living and dead.

Old-fashioned and beautifully haunting

[jpismyname · 8/10 · 2 November 2022]

Set in 1951, The Murmuring is about two ornithologists, Nancy and Edgar Bradley, who go to an old house to study birds. The house is of course haunted, and Nancy soon begins to feel and see the darkness inside.

First I definitely love the visuals. Probably the episode with the most beautiful cinematography/visuals. Also love the acting. The story is a classic ghost haunted house story, but also with like a deeper meaning. This episode deals with grief and the trauma of losing loved ones. It can be a bit slow-paced, but it was fine for me.

Overall I like this episode. Not my favorite, but it is good.

Episode 8 (UK; Netflix; 28 Oct)

[StudleyDave · 5/10 · 1 November 2022]

A beautifully set and presented piece of filmmaking, with honest, likeable characters. The quiet darkness routed in a family tragedy is palpable, if not immediately understood, as is the yearning and heartache felt by each of the main characters. What is perhaps most beautiful and poetic of all, is how unexpectedly rhythmic and in tune the ornithological cinematography is with the emotions of the couple, as the story develops. Fairly early on, I predicted the main content of the story, and it's outcome... the title helping in this, as well as often-used story points in similar tales. I enjoyed it, but it didn't offer the thrills and chills experienced in other episodes.

Best episode of the series!

[Copterman · 10/10 · 30 October 2022]

I have to admit I was disappointed in this series as a whole. Amazing visuals and production value. The theme was always realized. I always felt what I was supposed to feel.

However, most of the episodes were just gross and unappealing to me. The worst was Witch's House. Totally disrespectful to Lovecraft's work imo.

This episode was by far my favorite. Didn't expect to be moved emotionally by one of these episodes. I'm genuinely scared of ghost stories, but this one was actually tame and I appreciated that. The actors did a great job showing the effects of grief on a marriage. I appreciated that the male character wasn't turned into a antagonist like is often done in stories that center on a female protagonist.

The last scene with the birds was glorious imo. She felt that freedom she always spoke of. Bravo!

My gods, how boring it was

[tombiernacki · 2/10 · 17 November 2022]

Definitely the worst episode of the entire series. I have no idea how it even became a part of the whole "Cabinet", not to mention becoming the last episode - the one that should blow your mind and make you wait for the next season. I mean - where are the CURIOSITIES that were supposed to be the main theme? If the cabinet consisted of stories containing only dull drama and obvious traumas, this episode would be perfect. Here it's NOT. It was so boring that we didn't even pause it when going to the bathroom - it was obvious we wouldn't miss a thing. I hope the creators will learn from their mistakes and not include anything even remotely similar in the future releases.

Beautifully written, acted and filmed

[rhvdvzybdx · 10/10 · 12 November 2022]

This episode has stayed in my head since I watched it. Absolutely gorgeous storytelling, and the actors deserve an Emmy. The director was able to capture the beauty of the environment, of a well crafted haunted house story, and the inner workings of a loving yet grief stricken and tortured couple, intertwining them perfectly and keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats the entire time. It was scary, suspenseful and at the same time a glimpse at how individuals and couples deal with grief. The ending was powerfully poetic, I could feel the emotions through the screen. I will be rewatching it several times.

A hidden gem in a collection of gorefest movies

[sayak_forever · 10/10 · 11 December 2022]

I give this short story a 10 out 10 because of its deep emotional content. Never anticipated such a mature storytelling which doesn't rely on cheap jumpscares or gore effects. Without giving much away all I can say is that the story was spiritually uplifting. The quaint location and the beautiful patterns formed by birds were a delight to watch. Strong performance by the leads help the audience stay invested in the moments.

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus Sturnus, which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas, as well as North America, Hawaii, and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common.

Typical "couple suffered loss and stays in creepy house" story

[fuzzbll · 1/10 · 30 October 2022]

If you read the short episode summary and are into that kind of story, then this episode is for you.

It's cliché: couple suffered loss of child, they stay in creepy house for their work/hobby (in this case birdwatching), the woman starts hearing baby voices and footsteps of children in the night. He tries to be supportive in his own way but she gets snappy because they are beyond the point of communicating properly with each other.

I've never liked these kinds of movies because they all use the same kind of storytelling and same jump-scares. Again, if you like that sort of story, you'll probably like this episode.

For me, it was extremely boring and the second they arrived at the creepy old house it was clear how it's gonna end.