Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (TV Series) Pickman's Model (2022) User Reviews

Interesting but ending falls flat

[jessicacanderson-06643 · 7/10 · 29 October 2022]

This story has so much creativity, and amazing artistic visuals. Like most HP Lovecraft stories it leaves much to interpretation, but I feel that the ending doesn't leave the viewers much to actually interpret. Instead it's generic, predictable, and overall obvious. The effects and acting were phenomenal, but I just wished that they'd delve a bit more into the psychology of what's been going on and leave the viewers with something more to ponder about. Were what he was seeing real? Was there more to Pickman than we thought? Also they don't really let you examine and view the art as much as I'd like. I understand they need to have an air of mystery, but constant close ups and movement are frustrating. The Art was very well done, let the viewers see what is antagonizing the main character! But overall a fairly good episode, ranking second for me, just under "autopsy"

Visually satisfying, the story was just a little underdeveloped.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 4 November 2022]

Young art student Will Thurber meets mature artist Richard Pickman, and after he sees Pickman's macabre artwork, his grasp on reality is tainted.

I enjoyed it, I felt like they could have gone further, I understand that these are just hour long productions, and don't have the luxury of a two hour timeframe in which to develop, but somehow it feels a little rushed. Thurber's character felt a little under baked.

The horror is really cranked up at the end, the strongest scene, and it's wonderfully macabre.

Another cracking performance from the very talented Ben Barnes, he's excellent, there was a real sense of Thurber's downward spiral, I'm not sure the same can be said for Glover's accent, which stretches across several states.

Visually, I think it's great, filming, lighting are all on point, hugely atmospheric also, I did enjoy the appearance of the ending, the creature looked great.

6/10.

Needs Some Editing

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 29 October 2022]

I've read the Lovecraft story several times over the years (I am a huge Lovecraft fan). The story is short and packs a real wallop where this video presentation bites off way too much. We meet a young art student, Thurber, who is highly respected by his peers. He is highly sensitive and really gets involved in art pieces. One day, a man named Pickman shows up in the class. He is sketching a nude and his work is violent and intense. He befriends the man but finds out his attention becomes more than he bargained for. Soon the paintings become his reality and they invade his very existence. Lovecraft painted his world with words and left an artist to try to capture it. The point was that mere mortals could never really describe the Cthulhu mythos.

A gothic horror show

[ladyliliroche · 7/10 · 27 October 2022]

I love the gothic horror vibes, reminded me of that Eva Green's show.

The plot and setup is interesting but hard to resist that if Dickie was an artist in the 20th century, he will be one of the most celebrated gothic horror artists. His paintings will inspire and decorates lots of horror novels and movies (kudos to the artists(s) that made these pictures).

Overall it is quiet interesting and it kinda has that innuendo of an ex boyfriend trying to get back together again until it truly turns into a supernatural show.

Would have been an interesting angles if it was all inside Will's head. His rejections of his sexuality and afraid of the unknown caused him to behave that way.

But alas, still a good horror episode.

One from Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Crap.

[BA_Harrison · 20 December 2022]

The most horrific thing about this story from Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is Crispin Glover's Boston accent: it's like half-a-dozen different accents rolled into one, but none of them from New England.

Everything else about the episode is utterly unremarkable - I fought to stay awake during this tedious tale of an artist whose paintings cause... madness? I'm not entirely sure. The pace was so slow and the events so unengaging that I found it a struggle to care about what was happening (I always have that problem when my brain is trying to shut down and my eyelids are drooping).

In short, this one is boring. Skip it unless you're determined to watch the entire series.

Lovecraft is getting some well-earned attention here...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 9 November 2022]

Now with the firth episode of "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities", things are definitely starting to get more interesting, as the story "Pickman's Model" is an original H. P Lovecraft that has received some additional touch-up writing from Lee Patterson and Guillermo del Toro.

This is definitely one of those episodes that I was personally looking forward to getting to watch.

So did director Keith Thomas step up and deliver when it mattered? Yeah he most certainly did.

However, keep in mind that H. P. Lovecraft's storytelling and style of narrative is a slow paced on where the dread is slowly build up in layers. So if you're looking for jump scares, this episode is not for you.

Leading actors Ben Barnes (playing William Thurber) and Crispin Glover (playing Richard Upton Pickman) were nicely cast for this episode.

Visually then you're in for a treat when you sit down to watch "Pickman's Model", especially if you are a fan of H. P. Lovecraft's works. There are some nice nods and references to some of Lovecraft's other works to be found throughout this episode.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of the classic H. P. Lovecraft short story.

Great in some areas, not so great in others

[wntfsgh · 6/10 · 3 November 2022]

Visually, there was a lot to love about this episode. Great camera work, lighting, sets etc and very Lovecraftian monsters giving it a great old school appeal.

However, the storyline wasn't all that clear at times and I'm not sure the depth of the story shone through in the way that was intended.

But, the biggest crime of this episode has to be the great Crispin Glover utterly butchering a Boston accent. The accent wasn't integral to the plot so why use it? It was so bad I couldn't always follow what Glover was saying.

So, good and bad in there but still worth watching. It's dark, it's gruesome, it's bloody and has monsters.

a missed opportunity

[rabbit_13-1 · 4/10 · 30 October 2022]

It is very difficult to do Lovecraft right. It is simply the majesty of his writing; verbose, fussy and intellectual, simultaneously overwrought and highly restrained, that makes these stories so impactful. Pickman's Model is one of the shortest and yet packs a tremendous punch with its implacable drift toward a horrific gnosis. I had a very strong conceptualization of the "model" when I read the story, and while I can understand others creative license, the creature at the heart of this episode utterly failed. It was just a completely generic CGI critter. The music was all wrong throughout, the acting was mediocre and the fake Bostonian accents were a real detraction. I was really looking forward to this one especially and it was a total disappointment. I would suggest revisiting the scene where Ofelia encounters the Pale Man in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth to see how this might have been done, using practical effects, for a much greater impact. The weirdness, the uncanniness, and the sheer menace of the model should have been more like this. Del Toro provided his own model for Pickman's Model, but they missed the cue.

What is real!

[moviefest-90757 · 8/10 · 27 October 2022]

A slow-burn descent into the fiery depths of hell, where the catacombs of fear have been unleashed on the mind of a once promising artist, "Pickman's Model" is a near pitch perfect analogy of the "tortured artist," encased in a moody shell of cosmic horror.

What if the horror stories we love, didn't actually come from somebody's imagination, but instead from the observation of things invisible to most? That's what this wonderfully warped 5th installment of Del Toro's collection of horrors wants you to sit and ponder over. The more thought that goes into believing such things are real, the more likely you'll be to fall prey to insanity. Or is insanity an artistic veil that's hidden from the sane? The more I think about it... the unknown, the more I feel like I'm losing a grip on reality.

Ghastly sound effects, haunting imagery, and Crispin Glover's eerie performance create an intense fever dream atmosphere rife with dread and misery. The short film patiently builds to a climax of wildly disturbing levels. Ben Barnes is almighty fine. This is another successful entry, and it's without a doubt, Keith Thomas' best work to date!

8.5/10

MovieFestUK - IG.

Weird in a bad way (5.5 out of 10)

[herminiobraz-10996 · 6/10 · 2 November 2022]

Another episode that failed to deliver.

I cared little for the characters, the plots moves at a snails pace and the ending feels hollow and meaningless.

That being said, this show does continue to deliver great visuals and the Lovecraftian imagery comes through very well in this episode. Another positive is the actor who plays Pickman, he is just the right amount of creepy and saves the episode from being a complete, failure in my opinion.

In conclusion, this is another middling episode from a show that so far has only delivered one really good episode (The Autopsy,) so it is in good company.

5.5/10.

In the name of all that is holy!

[bhgjwnf · 1/10 · 7 November 2022]

What, in the name of all that is holy, was Crispín Glover trying to convey with that abominable accent? It veered wildly from something resembling cockney to Australian to Brooklyn to Czech. Was it supposed to resemble something like a Boston accent, because I don't believe it came even close. It was disturbingly distracting and removed me from the story to such a degree that I lost all interest. Was there no one on the set who had ever encountered a living being from New England? Old Dick Van Dyke sounded like he'd spent his entire life within earshot of Bow Bells in Mary Poppins compared to Glover's attempt at a wicked Boston accent!

Everyone's a critic.

[richhowardlopez · 8/10 · 3 November 2022]

The reviews for this episode are quite disappointing.

Suddenly everyone is a Lovecraft snob, a Director, an Editor, a horror master. Take your pick.

Coming from a fan of Lovecraft over the last 11 years, I really enjoyed this episode. It's not the directors point to rival or compete with Lovecraft. It's to adapt a story.

People complaining that the episode didn't replicate Lovecraft's writings... Do you hear yourself? Lovecraft is one of the more challenging authors to read. He writes very complex, verbose, and sometimes even convoluted weaving structures.

What does the episode do? It does a great job of presenting that horrifying, unknown darkness. That one-of-a-kind flavor of terror that could only come from Lovecraft. Or adaptations of his work.

It's not a predictable jump-scare 101 presentation. It's a jarring, tense, methodical fall into insanity, blood, and fearful unknowns.

People need to quite trying to be an arm-chair movie-critic and just sit back and enjoy the adaptation.

Enjoy these precious few minutes we get to have in Lovecrafts world. We seldom get to see his works brought to the screens. And, I, for one, hope this can open some more cosmic doors to future possibilities where that can happen more often.

But, it stands less of a chance of happening if some people suddenly decide they are Lovecraft snobs, and want to uselessly shred an otherwise faithful adaption.

Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and be horrified (for all the right reasons!)

Pickman's Model

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 6 November 2022]

Another episode that was stretched out over an hour that probably should have been cut down to a half hour at the most.

Ben Barnes did a good job in this role, and I like how it took place during two time periods, but it got way too crazy in the ending. I don't think the idea of a painting and chaos from it should span such a long period of time.

This show is visually strong episode to episode, but sometimes it needs better editing. We need to cut down the long times, and we need to stop with all of the supernatural stuff each and every time. Give us just one episode that is simply a moral quandary.

Oy! Moy Woyrld

[Coventry · 4/10 · 11 April 2023]

Once more, I wholeheartedly concur with my pal and fellow reviewer BA_Harrison, who previously wrote that the most horrific thing about this story is Crispin Glover's dreadful attempt at speaking with a New England accent. The otherwise marvelous actor Glover talks atrociously and pronounces simple words like "I" as "Oy", "my" as "moy", and "world" as "woyrld". Shudder...

And yet, ironically enough, focusing on Glover's oddly pronounced words was the only activity that kept me awake during this dull and unremarkable installment of Guillermo Del Toro's "Cabinet of Curiosities"; - the worst one since the pilot episode "Lot 36". Based on a H. P. Lovecraft story I'm not familiar with, "Pickman's Model" revolves around an arrogant painter who's driven to madness simply by looking at the artworks of another painter. Don't look would be the obvious advice, but that's easier said than done, since Pickman stalks Thurber for three decades straight.

Lovecraft usually means fascinating characters, obscene monsters, and nightmarish decors, but apart from a few gory highlights (like a severed head in the middle of a buffet) these trademarks are missing. I sincerely hope the other episode based on Lovecraft's work, "Dreams in the Witch House", will be better.

Not so good

[gianmarcoronconi · 6/10 · 5 November 2022]

An extremely messed-up episode that deeply sinks its roots into the stories of H. P. L. In a good but not sublime way. The main problem of the episode is his desire to do everything but still not be able to do it well and this is a difficult problem to overcome as he drags along all the film this inability to be able to tell this story well, perhaps it derives a little also by the fact that it is all terrible confusion and that there are too many plot holes and too many problems. In conclusion, this is the most forgettable and messed-up episode of the entire series, but still it is not the worst and it reaches enough thanks to the beautiful special effects.

Episode 5 (UK; Netflix; 27 Oct)

[StudleyDave · 6/10 · 27 October 2022]

A hungry artist - Thurber, seeking to keep ahead of the curve, is curious about an avant garde creative (Pickman) he meets, and is seduced (maybe even touched) by one of his paintings that relates to his family. Soon thereafter, Thurber experiences visons as dreams, and hallucinations... or are they? Years later, we see that our artist is still being haunted by the same piece of art, and then comes in to contact with its creator once again. Thurber's experiences intensify, as the darkness continues to grab at him - as fear grows. So, scared, he seeks to reconcile this with Pickman once and for all, but falls victim to the darkness, killing Pickman, and then living with the ugliness in more intimate ways than he could have imagined. It is well acted, and presented beautifully. The intimacy with the art throughout, keeps this episode's focus, and gives a continual nod to its dark heart.

Good and bad here

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 November 2022]

The first explicit Lovecraft adaptation of the del Toro TV series, and I was both entertained and slightly disappointed. This one adapts his famous story PICKMAN'S MODEL about a sinister painter, and it stars Prince Caspian himself, Ben Barnes, as a fellow art student who becomes involved with Crispin Glover's sinister Pickman. Lovecraft is notoriously difficult to adapt for the screen and this is far from the best, lacking the depth, nuance and atmosphere of his writings. However, it does have some commendably weird moments (as well as some missteps along the way) alongside good production values and performances.

Watered down version, not the real story.

[ladyvashj · 5/10 · 29 October 2022]

I get, that they wanted to create a new Story, based on the original one by H. P. Lovecraft. The haunter in the dark and Pickman's Model are my two favourite Lovecraft stories of all time. I was looking forward to watch this episode and was utterly disappointed.

No subway, not even the special paintings and the model looks completely different than in the book.

There are no girlfriends, or even kids in the original story. The story takes places after all the artists are professional artists, not at the Miscatonic university. Furthermore Thurber doesn't suffer from hallucinations, so at least 90 % of this episode is generic filler material. What a shame! I like the series in general, but if they use Lovecraft stories, they should tell the real story, not some watered down version.

Nontheless, the music is nice and the Lovecraftian atmosphere is there, 5 out of 10 stars.

Intriguing, well made COC entry

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 9/10 · 12 February 2023]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

It's 1905, and William Thurber (Ben Barnes) is a student at a prestigious art school, along with a group of esteemed alumni. He is engaged to Rebecca (Oriena Leman), the daughter of a wealthy and influential family, and has his future fairly mapped out. Then he meets Pickman (Crispin Glover), an eccentric new student, who's drawn a curiously disturbing portrait of a phantom esque woman, who Thurber finds himself constantly plagued by visions of. Years later, married to Rebecca and with a family, Pickman and his model return in his life to wreck havoc once again.

And finally I'm here, on part five, in what is essentially part two of the debut series of Guillermo Del Toro's series of supernatural mysteries, directed by Keith Thomas and adapted from a short story by none other than the renowned author H. P. Lovecraft. Needless to say, the series brakes from its present course, and we return in this one to a period setting, entrapping the story in a prism free from any of the trappings (and possible setbacks) of modern life. And it definitely elevates this one, framing it in a time and place that gives it a more enthralling and dark edge.

Lovecraft (which the series in general is said to be a nod to) is a strong springboard to bounce from, and although the opening script plays out in a fairly perfunctory way, it is no less engaging and edgy. But the main thing is that it is successfully unsettling, and keeps you on edge. It plays like a variation on The Shining, with a man descending in to madness and wing driven over the edge, with an ending that is reminiscent of Shutter Island. It doesn't skimp on the blood and gore either, so the squeamish might want to look away.

In a series of hits and misses, this is a strong, solid entry, good, effective horror, playing by numbers at times, but even when it is, only in an affectionate, nodding way to a master of the craft. ****

PICKS

[Panper95 · 6/10 · 27 October 2022]

Pickmans model is absolutely no gold horror story,but i gave it 6/10 for lovecraftonian atmosphere and mindbending plot A plot that contains enigmatic painters,haunting paints,psychosis and lights out mansions The ending is predictable but the cgi of the scene is excellent.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO is not Lovecraft. His co workers,Keith Thomas and Lee Patterson,are not so eperienced to achieve a story,like this.

LOvecraft is very tremendous writer to adapt a story of him.

I dont care of a full adaptation of a work,but i dont like the dead time(time that nothing happens).

If Del toro wasdirected this episode, something better could be given.

Bit underwhelming

[hptmbedra · 4/10 · 3 August 2023]

This episode is full of promise but ends up being overdrawn, boring and without much material to tell.

There are no aha moments because it's really obvious what's going to happen. A good suspense is here and there but it is evident the authors tried a little too hard to scare the audience but didn't have the craft to do it properly. As a result I was bored a lot and seeing the characters petrified just wasn't believable.

It's very long. I can easily imagine it taking just half the time with its material. Some scenes telegraph from the very start what's going to happen (final one for instance) but are stretched out which makes them incredibly painful to watch.

A marvelous adaption)n of Lovecraft's tale.

[wtdk123 · 9/10 · 31 October 2022]

A marvelous, well written adaption of Lovecraft's story thst provides extra character development and depth whole eschewing the love story added to the "Night Gallery" adaption, "Pickman's Model" benefits from a genuinely unsettling performance by Crispin Glover.

An art student meets the eccentric Pickman during a drawing study. He's intrigued by the man and his skill as well as his unsettling images. They, however, are conservative and only a taste of what his artwork is like. He also finds that the images having a psychologically disturbing impact on anyone who views them.

The episode is made like a short film as opposed to the traditional TV three act structure of the "Night Gallery' episode. The production design, atmospheric directi0n and writing are top notch.

One small criticism is that the Boston accent for the main actor comes and goes. That may have been an affect that was intended so he would fit in with the other Bostonians in the upper class but the inconsistency does pull you out of the story briefly.

It is OK

[srd-30659 · 7/10 · 8 March 2023]

Why does anyone want to be horrified? For no reason? While knowing it is all make believe? Or fooling you? I am not enchanted of horror and still watched because I read somewhere about writer Lovecraft's stories and Guillermo having brought one on the screen.

Guillermo Del Toro is master of the horror craft. Pickman's Model is not one of his best and still it is riveting. A horror movie requires good cinematography, excellent lighting, fast pace, dark interiors or exteriors,suspenseful music but not great script, superior acting skills, or masterful direction. Pickman's Model has all necessary ingredients.

He needs a new muse.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 5/10 · 29 November 2022]

The only scary thing about this H. P. Lovecraft adaptation is Crispin Glover's scene-swallowing old-timey accent. 'Pickman's Model (2022)' is a real disappointment, a mostly meek and aesthetically inconsequential entry in 'Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities (2022)'. It tells the tale of a man who meets a fellow artist and is struck by the disturbing nature of his work, which seems to have an even more impactful effect on everyone else who lays eyes on it. One of the major issues with the piece is that none of these paintings, which are supposed to be so obscenely unsettling that they could literally drive you to gouge your eyes out, are even remotely frightening or uncanny. They depict the most genetically gruesome subjects in the most genetically grungy way and would've been far more effective had they been kept off screen. Another issue is that it's never quite clear exactly what it is they're doing, whether they're simply so distressing they lead to madness or they're brainwashing those who view them into serving some greater supernatural purpose. It's also unclear as to the role that both the eponymous painter and his equally eponymous model play in the devastation their art causes. The protagonist is mostly uninteresting and the plot just doesn't give him much to do other than gawk at illustrations and go a little mad sometimes (as we all do). The piece just plods along at its own somewhat laboured pace, never really getting out of second gear despite some fleeting instances of fairly assured scares and decently convincing gore. It's not bad, per say, but it certainly isn't good. It's the weakest effort in the cabinet so far.

Predictable but watchable

[jamesrupert2014 · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

Artist Richard Pickman's (Crispin Glover) monstrous images of demons and blood rituals seem to draw people into the worlds of horror depicted in the paintings. The episode is pretty grisly, especially the ending and, typical of the series, the special effects are quite good, but the story is a bit predictable, especially when classic 'shock' tropes are overused (ie talking to the back of someone's head while the audience waits for the 'face reveal'). Glover manages a broody oddness as Pickman despite his oddly transcultural accent and the rest of the cast is OK for what they are asked to do. Always good to drop by the Miskatonic University campus but this story deviates substantially from the original, simple Lovecraft story and lacks the epic weirdness that make the macabre author's tales so disturbing.