In Between Classicism and Romanticism: A Study on “The Outside” of Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Abstract

Created by Guillermo del Toro, Cabinet of Curiosities is an episodic horror series released during the Halloween season of 2022. The series consists of eight stories, directed by eight different directors, that can be regarded as following the gothic tradition; the image of cabinet of curiosities is utilised as an instrument of storytelling in each episode. Furthermore, ıt is also a convenient for connecting the mysterious and horrific nature of classical gothic themes with that of contemporary; each time del Toro opens up the drawer, a different story is introduced to the audience. In the series, the visual regale through the display of different monsters with various features and appearances makes the audience ponder the relationship between these avant-garde monsters and the classical monster images they are already familiar with. This article will focus on the fourth episode, American director Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Outside” which was adapted from a webcomic entitled Out of Skin, written by Emily Carroll. “The Outside” features the story of the bank worker, Stacey who is gifted with a new revolutionary cream during the Christmas party she is invited by her colleagues. Stacey’s experience with the cream, Alo Glo appears as a representation of the attempt for transgressing the limits of classic beauty in an era where this romantic crave leads the individual to chase after the artificial and illusionary standards of beauty resulting in a communal catastrophe. In that sense, “The Outside” becomes a 21st century interpretation of a classical tragedy, which this time, demonstrates the fall of an eccentric anti-hero. Such an interpretation will pave the way for analysing the relation between Classicism and Romanticism within the frame of neogothic fiction with respect to J. J. Winckelmann’s interpretation of Classicism.