Stacey is shy and awkward and enjoys taxidermy for a hobby, but longs to be included in the workplace clique. When a shopping channel body lotion promises to answer her prayers, she unwisely puts all her faith in the mysterious ‘Alo Glo’.

I’ve been enjoying Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and after three episodes it has proved to be beautifully crafted, but pretty standard horror fare – parasitic aliens and greedy humans getting their just desserts – so I’ve been waiting for one of the dramas to explore darker and more complex themes.

As if GDT could hear me tapping my fingers, sure enough, The Outside, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), is by far the most interesting of the curiosities so far. With a teleplay by Haley Boston, based on a webcomic story by Emily Carroll, we have moved into darkly satirical territory exploring the inner human cost of pursuing superficial beauty. Kate Micucci as the mousy Stacey is, one minute, a convincing comic klutz; the next, a desperately sad middle-aged woman fighting the collapse of her self-esteem and the crippling depression that goes with it; and, finally, something else altogether. It’s a perfectly pitched performance, and while The Outside is less graphically gory than the first three, it’s the most painful to watch because we care so much about this central character.

Verdict: The Outside is my favourite item in the Cabinet to date – rooting its horror in the inner complexities of a sympathetic central figure. I’m hoping there will be more of this rich character driven material in the rest of the series. 8/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com