The Murmuring
Episode 8 of Cabinet of Curiosities brings this anthology to a close with ornithologist Nancy giving a speech about bird patterns and their relevance in the world. It seems scientists are in the dark over what’s happening with this, but they’re devoted over finding clues to its origins. Could it be that birds are using telepathy and mind-reading to communicate? ..
Edgar, Nancy’s partner in crime, puts all the congratulations to Nancy, despite being surrounded by businessmen afterwards buzzing with happiness. Edgar and Nancy have quite the sorrowful history, if a conversation with one of the men is anything to go by. But it remains hidden for now.
Edgar and Nancy head to a secluded home on Big Harbour Island to study birds and further their research. They’re shown around by an old man by the docks, who tells them he’ll be returning in a week.
Nancy is uneasy about the old house and its history. She can’t help but hear strange noises and see things that don’t seem to be there. The new sheets do nothing to make her feel better, and she’s sure that the baby crying in the distance is only a sign of things to come.
Nancy decides to head back to the house alone that afternoon to get a head-start on her recordings but once again, she hears footsteps chattering across the hallway. Edgar heads back and decides to get the fire going, while Nancy smiles painfully and tells him she has a casserole in the oven. It’s clear that there’s a serious elephant in the room, and it could well be to do with that child we keep hearing. The passion is clearly gone in the relationship between them, evidenced by Edgar attempting to dance wigh her that night.
Nancy begins to hear strange noises in the attic and the footsteps of a ghost. The voice is telling her that it’s so cold and that it’s time to go to bed.
Nancy starts to worry about the house and wonders just what the previous occupants might have been up to.
Nancy’s hallucinations are getting worse. She sees a baby next to her and a strange figure walking through the house at night. In the middle of the night, she follows the cries to the study, where she finds numerous letters strewn across the ground, each written with the familiar “To My Sweetheart” handwriting as that from the portraits up on the wall. ..
Nancy is more interested in the birds. She’s curious about the child from before, and she’s also concerned about the woman who’s running after her.
Edgar rushes in to help her and encourages her to embrace her feelings and deal with the grief she’s kept repressed for so long. Eventually she speaks to the caretaker about what she’s seen and experienced, but he encourages her not to wallow in other’s misery and chalks it up to morbid fascination. Nancy though, eventually points out to Edgar that she’s been seeing things.
Edgar and Nancy took this trip to try and fix their relationship- but it seems like it didn’t go well. Nancy lost her daughter a year ago, and since then she’s been very distant from Edgar. He agreed to sleep on the sofa so that Nancy could have some space, but when he left she was all alone. ..
Nancy eventually embraces her own fears and insecurities, encouraging the boy to run into the light and be freed, admitting that it’s not his fault and that he’s dead. After, Nancy heads up to the attic and speaks to the ghostly mother, watching as she stares at her hands and utters “what have you done?!” before jumping to her doom. This story mirrors the fears and insecurities that Nancy has been feeling. She heads outside and watches as the swarm of Dunlins fly around her…and then they take off.
Edgar, the morning DJ on the radio station, is having a tough day. Nancy, a regular listener and caller to the show, comes on and starts to speak about her daughter Ava. She talks about how lost she’s been since Ava went missing and how she’s been struggling to cope. As the sun rises over the cityscape, Nancy decides it’s time to talk about her daughter openly on air. ..
The Cabinet of Curiosities episode ended on a high, with strong themes and allegorical visuals blended with effective horror. There are some great scares in here, and it’s helped tremendously by the camera work, which is exemplary throughout.
The acting is solid and what’s particularly good here is how the two leads never quite say what happened to Ava, only that this divide between them has been rotting away in the background and driven a huge divide between them. It’s a fantastic bit of storytelling and the ending, with the sunrise casting over Nancy’s face, helps to reinforce that idea of coming back into the light after being trapped in the darkness for so long.
This is a great chapter to close out what’s otherwise been a really solid horror anthology. This one’s well worth a watch and a highlight for sure.
