Guillermo Del Toro is an avowed fan of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, and many of his works carry Lovecraftian themes. His aborted production of At the Mountains of Madness remains one of Hollywood's great "what ifs" and -- true to form -- the first season of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is rife with the author's work. Season 1, Episode 5, "Pickman's Model" and Episode 6, "Dreams in the Witch House" are both direct adaptations, while others -- notably Episode 2, "Graveyard Rats" -- are overtly Lovecraftian in nature. It's safe to assume that a hypothetical Season 2 would do much of the same. (There has been no word on the show's renewal as of this writing.)

Lovecraft penned dozens of works over his lifetime, not all of which are suitable for adaptation. For example, some of his stories contain problematic content (the author's racism is well-documented) while others are too esoteric or too epic to comfortably manage for a television series. However, that still leaves more than a few that would make excellent subjects for the series' second season. A few suggestions are listed below, and while most have been adapted by other filmmakers -- as the first season's batch showed -- del Toro and his fellow directors have a way of elevating this particular game.

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"Cool Air" Is a Creepy Departure from the Cthulhu Mythos

Guillermo del Toro with his Cabinet of Curiosities

"Cool Air" first appeared in Tales of Magic and Mystery in March 1928. It doesn't involve the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos which comprised, in del Toro's words, "a haunted house of cosmic proportions." Rather, it's more of a straight mad scientist story -- a clever riff on Frankenstein's notion of misguided efforts to cheat death. The narrator discovers a strange doctor living above him in a New York brownstone, using an early (and quite expensive) form of air conditioning to keep the temperature at a strict 56 degrees. Fascinated by his neighbor, the narrator continues to visit him, until he finally learns the horrifying secret of his unique living conditions. "Cool Air" makes an attractive subject for Cabinet of Curiosities in part because it's limited to two central characters, and can generate effective scares with a comparatively tight production.

"The Dunwich Horror" Still Needs the Perfect Adaptation

The Dunwich Horror poster

"The Dunwich Horror," conversely, constitutes the Cthulhu Mythos at perhaps its purest: the tale of an occult family and their dark coupling with a being from beyond time and space. It first appeared in Weird Tales magazine in April 1929, and is considered one of the author's undisputed masterpieces. It was previously adapted by the Syfy Channel in 2009 in a version starring Jeffrey Combs, as well as a psychedelic 1970 version starring Dean Stockwell. They both leaned on strong performers rather than strong productions; however, this is an oversight that Cabinet of Curiosities could correct. The story covers the sinister Whateleys, who seek a copy of the occult tome the Necronomicon from the archives at Miskatonic University for dread purposes. The anthology series already established Miskatonic in "Pickman's Model," making "The Dunwich Horror" an ideal follow-up for Season 2.

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"The Shadow Over Innsmouth" Merits Something More Accurate

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Similarly, The Shadow Over Innsmouth remains a high point of Lovecraft's canon, though Weird Tales didn't think so at the time. According to An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, the magazine rejected it when Lovecraft first submitted it in 1933. He eventually published it as a stand-alone book, and Weird Tales reprinted it after the author's death. The story's narrator -- a student conducting a walking tour of New England -- comes across a forgotten fishing town whose residents worship dark gods of the deep. They have cross-bred with fish-like humanoids known as "Deep Ones" and many exhibit disturbingly amphibious characteristics. It's been the subject of a low-budget film adaptation, and Lovecraft stalwart Stuart Gordon used parts of the story in his 2001 film Dagon, but a faithful and accurate adaptation has yet to reach the screen. Cabinet of Curiosities would be an outstanding place to correct the oversight.

"The Thing on the Doorstep" Delivers One of Lovecraft's Greatest Twists

The Viewing introduces another great Cabinet of Curiosities monster

Rod Serling is another of Cabinet of Curiosities' muses, and del Toro openly emulates him by serving as the show's master of ceremonies. The episodes largely relished the same kind of ironic endings that Serling excelled at, and most of the tales from the first season involved some kind of ironic twist. "The Thing on the Doorstep" is one of Lovecraft's great contributions to the tradition, published in the January 1937 edition of Weird Tales a few months before the author's death. Its narrator confesses to the murder of one of his friends, then unfolds a horrifying explanation as to why he's not guilty of the crime. An updated version starring Heather Graham and Barbara Crampton wrapped in July. A more text-accurate rendition for Cabinet of Curiosities would make an outstanding companion piece.

Season 1 of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is now streaming on Netflix.