Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Cabinet of Curiosities episode “Dreams in the Witch House.”
There’s a veil trapping the living and the dead in separated dimensions. But sometimes, a door is opened, and we can peek at the secrets that hide in the beyond. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), “Dreams in the Witch House” is an episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities that dives deep into humanity’s obsession with death and our refusal to let go of the loved ones who die, especially those who depart too soon.
Written by Mika Watkins (Black Mirror) and based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, “Dreams in the Witch House” stars Rupert Grint (Servant) as Walter Gilma, a man who keeps chasing shadows while trying to find his dead sister Epperley (Daphne Haskins). Walter’s quest is mostly unfruitful until he finally unlocks the door to the Forest of Lost Souls. Unfortunately for him, evil creatures are hiding in the forest and willing to do anything to cross the veil and come into the living world.
The Forest of Lost Souls
“Dreams in the Witch House” begins when Walter is still a child (Gavin MacIver-Wright), playing piano while his sister lies sick in a bed. Walter promised Epperley that he would always keep her safe, a vow that’s shattered after disease takes her life. However, before departing, Epperley appears as a ghost in front of Walter before being dragged by some invisible force into a dark forest that her brother cannot reach. This supernatural event shapes Walter’s entire life, as he dedicates every waking moment to finding a way into this forest, so he can find his sister and maybe bring her back home.
In his adult age, Walter becomes a member of the Spiritualist Society, an organization dedicated to finding proof of the supernatural. Together with his friend Frank Elwood (Ismael Cruz Cordova), Walter is sent all over the country to investigate possible supernatural events, but after many years of charlatans and fake mediums, Franck decides he will get an actual job instead of just accepting the scrapes of the Spiritualist Society. Walter, however, refuses to let go and prefers to live in poverty than abandon the search for his sister.
Walter goes to the Spiritualist Society headquarters on the following day to beg for funds so he can look into supposed mediums who have been performing far away. His request is refused, as the organization doesn’t have much money anymore after failing to show their benefactors any kind of tangible progress. Walter’s visit is not in vain, though, as he crosses paths with Mariana (Tenika Davis), a painter who’s been tormented by strange visions since she moved into the old house of Keziah Mason (Lize Johnston). As legends tell, the house was built over a Ley Line and used by Keziah to perform profane rituals and explore different dimensions. Keziah was persecuted, tortured, and hung to death when witch hunts ravaged the U.S., but her body was reportedly recovered by followers, never to be found again. While Keziah’s story sounds interesting, Walter has too much on his mind to worry about it at the time. Nevertheless, the witch house will become central to his research after he has a new supernatural experience.
While working as a bartender just to make some money on the side, Walter hears two Navajo men discussing dimension traveling and the Forest of Lost Souls. Walter begs the men to reveal their secrets and learns that the forest is the home of all spirits who are not yet ready to move on to their final resting place. They also have a unique drug, “liquid gold,” that can transport people to the forest. Walter uses the little money he has to buy the drug, opening a portal to the forest. There, Walter finds his sister, still looking like a child. Before they can talk, a branch pulls Walter out of the forest, and he wakes up in the basement where he took the drug.
Walter visits Frank in the middle of the night to share the fantastic news. Frank, however, doesn’t believe his friend. The two men part ways on bad terms, but Walter is still determined to explore the forest alone. That’s why he buys a second dose of the drug. During this second journey to the alternate dimension, Walter sees Mariana, who’s painting in the woods. Before he can process this, he encounters Epperley again, and this time they can talk. Epperley tells her brother she’s trapped in the forest because she was too afraid of dying when her time came, and there’s no way out of this dimension. Even so, Walter vows to bring her back with him, and when a branch comes again to pull him out of the forest, he grabs his sister's nightgown. The tissue rips, and Walter brings a piece of the nightgown back with him. It’s the proof he needs to know it’s possible to bring things from the other side.
Walter decides to go to the witch’s house, from where Mariana can cross dimensions without using any drugs. He also tries to get the support of the Spiritualist Society but is instead expelled for drug abuse. With no one else to help him, Walter goes alone to Keziah’s old residence, renting a damp room in the mansion so he can study the witch's rituals. But as Walter soon discovers, the witch has her own plan, and the young man won’t be safe even in his dreams.
Dreaming in the Witch House
Walter’s bedroom is half-claimed by the forest, with branches and vines growing on every wall. There’s also an ugly humidity stain on the ceiling above his bed, from where dark water drips at night. Finally, inscriptions are carved on the walls, ancient rituals that were left behind by the witch. Some of these inscriptions describe a key capable of bringing the dead back from the Forest of Lost Souls. Walter also begins to have dreams in which he’s tormented by Keziah and her familiar, Jenkins Brown (voiced by DJ Qualls), a rat with a human face. In his nightmare, Keziah reveals the key to the ritual is twins, two siblings connected by a bond stronger than death. Jenkins is thrilled with the news, hoping that Walter will be the one to free them from their torment.
Inspired by the visions the witch showed him, Walter buys another dose of liquid gold to use inside the witch’s house. He crosses the door to the Forest of Lost Souls, finds his sister, and tells her that since they are twins, he can bring her back to life. Their escape is interrupted by the witch, who wants to use Walter’s powers to resurrect herself. The two siblings fight to escape the forest, chased by Keziah and Jenkins. They successfully crossed the door, and once they are reunited in the living world, Walter decides to ask for help from the painter who lives in the same house.
Mariana is surprised to see Epperley in the world of the living and recognizes the girl from one of her paintings. By putting her work art together, Mariana realizes she has been painting the future through coded messages. As it turns out, for Epperley to become flesh again, Walter must die, and his sacrifice can also revive Keziah and Jenkins. The witch and her familiar have also crossed into this world and are after Walter to kill him and finish the ritual. Epperly doesn’t want her brother to sacrifice himself and runs away from Mariana’s bedroom.
Guided by Mariana, Walter tries to hide in a church, hallowed ground the witch cannot cross. He also calls Frank, who comes to help his friend. Despite their best efforts, Keziah is too powerful to be stopped. After shattering windows and doors, the witch pulls Walter’s body from inside the church, teleporting him to her house again. Just as Keziah gets ready to stab Walter with her ritualistic knife, Epperly saves her brother by grabbing the blade and stabbing the witch instead. Keziah is defeated, and Epperly convinces her brother to let go of the past. She’s finally ready to get out of limbo and wants her brother to be well in the living world. The siblings say their farewell before Walter collapses on the floor.
Frank finds his friend's body and takes it back to bed. Then, he decides to investigate the black stain on the ceiling. Frank and Mariana go to the attic, where they find the skeletons of Keziah and Jenkins. When they return to Walter's room, the man screams in pain while something eats his insides. Jenkins emerges from Walter’s chest, ripping his organs on the way out. He had entered Walter’s mouth after he collapsed on the ground, and by killing the man before sunrise, Jenkins completes the ritual and gains new life. Mariana and Frank leave the witch’s mansion, and Jenkins reenters Walter’s body to use it like a puppet. It’s a happy ending, for Jenkins at least.