Tamal Kundu
The sixth episode of ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities,’ titled ‘The Dreams in the Witch House,’ is based on the namesake short story (written in 1932 and published in 1933) by H. P. Lovecraft. It’s the second episode of the Netflix horror anthology series after ‘Pickman’s Model’ (episode 5). The plot revolves around Walter Gilman (Rupert Grint), who loses his twin sister when he is a child and witnesses her spirit being pulled into a vortex. Walter subsequently devotes his entire life in search of a way to reunite with his sister, finding answers in an infamous house of a witch. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ episode 6. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 6 Recap
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the episode begins with the narration from Jenkins Brown, assuring the viewers that this story has a happy ending. Walter’s twin sister, Epperley, is on the verge of death. As she starts to see ghosts, Walter tries to assure her, reminding her that he promised her that he would protect her. But she does die, and suddenly there is wind outside and cracks of thunder. Walter sees his sister’s spirit standing by the bed before she is pulled by an unknown force. Walter tries to follow, but a vortex opens, pulling Epperley into what looks like a forest. as a stunned Walter looks on, unable to move, the vortex closes, and the storm is gone as fast as it came.
Several years pass, and Walter spends all of them looking for a way to get his sister back. He was prodigiously talented at the piano, but he stopped playing the instrument. It’s 1933 when the story resumes, and Walter is in Boston. He attends the performance of Madame Levine, a woman claiming to be a Medium, but she is revealed to be a fraud. Frank, Walter’s friend, and colleague at The Spiritualist Society, believes it is time to give up and pursue a conventional job. He has one lined up at Time magazine and even reveals to Walter that there is one for him.
However, for Walter, this is much more than a mere obsession; it’s the manifestation of his desperation to fulfill the promise he made to his sister all those years ago. The head of The Spiritualist Society, Mr. Labuschagne, makes it clear to him that the organization can no longer pay him for fieldwork, forcing him to exclusively rely on his other job — bartending.
It is at that very bar that he makes his breakthrough. He comes across two Native Americans speaking about affecting another dimension and learns from them that the place he saw when the vortex opened is called the Forest of Lost Souls, a limbo for people who aren’t ready to move on. Walter is taken to what is essentially a drug den. He pays and receives a small vial of Liquid Gold, made from the extract of a cactus flower.
It doesn’t take long for the drug to have effects after he gulps it down. He soon finds himself in the Forest of Lost Souls and reunites with his sister. But before they can say much to each other, Walter is pulled back to the world of the living. He goes to the forest again and manages to bring back a small piece of his sister’s dress. This makes him believe that he can bring his sister back to life.
Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 6 Ending: What Happens to Epperley?
Walter’s desire to bring his sister back from death is the main driver of the plot. This leads him to make certain decisions that are proven to be catastrophic. He first hears about the Witch House when a painter named Mariana visits The Spiritualist Society and speaks about it to Mr. Labuschagne. According to Mariana, the house was built on a ley line and has undeniable powers. Later, Walter discovers that Keziah Mason, a 17th-century herbal healer, used to live at the house. She claimed that she could travel between dimensions. Hopeful that he will be able to get his sister back, he visits the Witch House to spend a night there.
During that night, Mason visits him, along with her familiar, Jenkins Brown, a rat with a disturbingly human face. The following morning Walter realizes that the key that allows matter to travel between dimensions is the link between a pair of twins. But the next time Walter visits the forest, Mason follows him, causing ripples.
Walter manages to bring Epperley to the mortal world and travels to the Witch House to meet Mariana, who tells the twins how their fates are interconnected with Mason. If Walter wants to bring back his sister, he has to die. And if Epperley comes back, so will Mason, Ultimately, Epperley kills Mason by stabbing her with her own wand. As she has come to terms with her death, Epperley doesn’t return to the forest but moves on to the next stage of her life.
Is Walter Dead?
It’s really great to see Grint in another project revolving around witchcraft, and he is effortlessly good as Walter. Before Mason’s defeat and Epperley’s departure, Mariana reveals that her paintings show that Walter will die by sunrise, asserting her painting are never wrong. As Walter rests, Mariana and Frank find the corporal remains of both Mason and Jenkins. Meanwhile, Walter wakes and realizes that Jenkins is inside him. It burrows out of his chest, instantly killing him and fulfilling the truth revealed by Mariana’s paintings. As the dejected Mariana and Frank look on, the Sun rises in the east. After their departure, Jenkins takes control of Walter’s body, intending to use it until it rots away completely.
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