Graveyard Rats
Episode 2 of “Cabinet of Curiosities” switches the tone to something much more gothic. Grave robbers snatch the trinkets off the deceased body of Catherine Padgett. However, the Steward of this graveyard, Masson, catches them in the act. He points out what they’re doing is disrespectful and goes on to blast a bullet in the air to frighten them. Only… it turns out Masson himself is actually a graverobber, and he’s been hoodwinked by them. ..
Masson, a peddler of oddities, is bitten by a rat while searching for a golden tooth. This foreshadowing event leads to financial difficulties for Masson, as the rats are apparently stealing bodies from their coffins at the shipyard where he works. This problem has been ongoing for some time and it seems that the Salem rats are to blame. ..
After giving his speech, Masson is given a week to follow through on his promise. If he doesn’t, he’ll be in trouble! ..
Masson overhears a couple at the coroner’s office discussing their recently deceased loved one, including how they want him dressed and with a saber given by King George. This will of course fetch a pretty penny and Masson’s eyes practically change to dollar signs upon hearing this! ..
Masson wakes up from his nightmare, and rushes to the grave to find the body being pulled in. He decides that he won’t leave without any treasure, so he crawls through the dirt and follows the sound of rats. ..
As he continues on, an overturned root stabs him square in the head. Naturally, Masson decides to pull it out and a massive cave-in ensues. Thankfully he’s still alive but it’s clear this man is a claustrophobe.
A horde of rats has begun to swarm towards him, and he can only shoot at them with his gun. However, the rat-like creatures are getting bigger and bigger, and soon they’re upon him. He fires his gun again and again, but it’s no use. The rats are too big and strong. He’s about to give up when a giant rat jumps out from behind a rock nearby and starts biting him in the face. Masson fires his gun again, but this time he doesn’t hit the rat; instead he destroys it with a single shot. The rats swarm away in terror, leaving him unscathed.
Masson finds a saber while exploring the remains of a giant rat. He fires it at the rat, causing it to be scratched. This makes Masson realize that he has been looking for this weapon all along and is excited to get his hands on it. He scrambles away from the rat, but is quickly pulled down to its depths. There, he finds treasure including a saber.
The torch-wielding explorer finds a symbol for the “Black Church” on the wall. This religious organization worships Cthulhu, a giant, tentacled creature from horror stories. Unfortunately, Masson’s greed gets the better of him and he takes a necklace from around the neck of a skeleton on the wall. The necklace comes back to life and gibbers “mine.” Masson manages to get away but is confronted by the giant rat from before. Well, that works out about as expected! ..
As Masson climbs out of the coffin, he’s met with a horde of rats. He manages to kill a few, but then realizes that he’s inside a coffin. The rats swarm him and he dies.
The gravediggers find the body of Masson, who is full of rats. They swarm around him and begin coming out of his mouth. The two men rush away, and as the camera zooms in on Masson’s chest, he’s wearing that gold amulet.
The second episode of the series really ramps up the tension, and brings out the same claustrophobic tension that movies like The Descent worked so well to channel. The camera work in particular is fantastic and helps to accentuate that, which of course ties into the lighting too. ..
The setting and ideas in this chapter work perfectly and once again there’s another theme about greed running throughout this episode, along with a slight allegory toward immigration, especially when you consider Masson’s words about Salem rats coming over and taking their treasures.
This was a great episode and set the scene nicely for an enthralling season of horror to come!
