The sixth episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities delves into the world of H.P. Lovecraft, with an adaptation of his short story “Dreams in the Witch House” by Mika Watkins. The story follows Walter Gilman (Rupert Grint), who watches his twin sister die at the age of 12 and sees her spirit pulled into another realm.
“He feels so guilty and heartbroken that he didn’t help her and save her that he spends his whole life trying to get to the other side to get her back,” director Catherine Hardwicke tells Tudum. “He becomes so obsessed that he really doesn’t live his own life at all.”
Grint worked closely with the actors who played the young Walter (Gavin MacIver-Wright) and his sister (Daphne Hoskins) to form a connection to them and the harrowing moment that set Walter on his path. The experience brought back memories of his work as a young actor on the Harry Potter series.
“It is amazing working with somebody like [Daphne],” Grint tells Tudum. “Obviously I started when I was her age, and she looks like me as well. There’s definitely a family resemblance. It’s very strange to imagine that was me once upon a time.”
Watkins’ adaptation of Lovecraft’s story adds significantly more action by making Gilman an occult investigator with a spiritualist society. He spends his time attending séances and talking to mediums looking for proof of the afterlife.
“Mika has this very strong imagination. She knows how to dramatize an internal novel, how to make us feel things instead of just being inside a character’s head,” Hardwicke says. “She really built this story that gave Gilman lots of opportunities to be active.”
Walter’s partner and only friend is Frank Elwood (Ismael Cruz Córdova), but the two have a falling out when Frank suggests getting a more stable job after years of chasing dead ends.
“He’s always been second to Walter, and he’s ready to make his own way,” Córdova tells Tudum. “But they really love each other. They’re siblings. They’re like family.”
The on-screen friendship was helped by the actors quickly bonding.
“Rupert Grint is about the sweetest man I’ve had the pleasure of acting with,” Córdova says. “He’s the kind of person that makes you want to be nicer. He’s very gentle, extremely patient, and it’s been a pleasure to spend this time with him.”
Grint said that Hardwicke was one of the best directors he’s ever worked with, even though the work wasn’t always easy. The role was very physically demanding, as Walter is dragged through an otherworldly forest and even possessed by the titular witch, who wants to use him to escape back into the land of the living. Some of the horror also felt a bit too real.
“For months she was just constantly showing me images. Before I started shooting, I had kidney stones. I’m bedbound, it was the most pain I’ve ever been in, and she was emailing me pictures of rats ripping out chests. It was a lot to take in, but she was brilliant.”
Guillermo del Toro cast DJ Qualls as Jenkins Brown, a rat with a human head and a lot of ambition.
“He came in incredibly crazy makeup and then he really studied rats, too,” Hardwicke said. “He went out with a friend who trains rats, and watched how they sniff and move around. Then he created the voice with our dialect coach out of this Salem voice that would be accurate for the time period. The rat is just creepy and cool.”
Hardwicke says she was honored to work with del Toro on Cabinet of Curiosities.
“It was like a dream come true, because I love the beautiful work and the inventive things that Guillermo has done,” she says. “He’s such an expert at creating these characters that just get under your skin and just terrify you.”
