Cronos (1993)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Plot:

In 1535, an alchemist builds an extraordinary mechanism encapsulated into a small golden device. The invention...

Plot Keywords:

Tycoon | Blood | Vampire | Scarab | Alchemist

Awards:

21 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Federico Luppi	...	Jesus Gris
Ron Perlman	...	Angel de la Guardia
Claudio Brook	...	De la Guardia
Margarita Isabel	...	Mercedes
Tamara Shanath	...	Aurora
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Tito
Mario Iván Martínez	...	Alchemist
Farnesio de Bernal	...	Manuelito
Juan Carlos Colombo	...	Funeral Director
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Narrator (voice)
Luis Rodríguez	...	Buyer
Javier Álvarez	...	Bleeding Man
Gerardo Moscoso	...	Drunk
Eugenio Lobo	...	Stoned Man
Adriana Olivera	...	Tango Student
Clementina Rojas	...	Tango Student
Tzinia Salgado	...	Tango Student
Luis de Icaza	...	Tango Student
Jorge Bolada	...	Tango Student
Ignacio Raiz Oviedo	...	Tango Student
Napo	...	Mimo (as Francisco Sánchez)
Laurencio Cordero	...	Watchman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Guillermo del Toro	...	Man Walking Dog (uncredited)

Directed by
Guillermo del Toro

Writing credits
Guillermo del Toro		(screenplay)

Produced by
Rafael Cruz	....	associate producer
Arthur Gorson	....	producer
Bertha Navarro	....	producer
Bernard L. Nussbaumer	....	co-producer
Jorge Sánchez	....	associate producer
Julio Solórzano Foppa	....	associate producer
Alejandro Springall	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Javier Álvarez

Cinematography by
Guillermo Navarro

Film Editing by
Raúl Dávalos

Production Design by
Tolita Figuero

Art Direction by
Brigitte Broch

Costume Design by
Genoveva Petitpierre

Makeup Department
M. Carrajal	....	makeup artist
Rigo Mora	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joaquin Silva	....	second assistant director
Sebastián Silva	....	assistant director

Art Department
María Figueroa	....	art designer

Sound Department
John Asman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fernando Cámara	....	sound engineer
David E. Fluhr	....	sound re-recording mixer
George R. Groves Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric A. Norris	....	sound effects editor
Santiago Núñez	....	cable person
Randal S. Thomas	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Laurencio Cordero	....	special effects (as Laurencio 'Chovy' Cordero)

Visual Effects by
William Koshowany	....	optical line-up

Camera and Electrical Department
Carlos Silva	....	electrician swing

Editorial Department
Jennifer Dolce	....	first assistant editor
Phyllis Housen	....	assistant editor
Paul O'Bryan	....	associate editor
Chuck Winston	....	color timer

Other crew
Pablo Buelna	....	location manager
Mariana Gironella	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• CNCAIMC
• Fondo de Fomento a la Calidad Cinematográfica
• Grupo Del Toro
• Guillermo Springall
• Iguana Producciones
• Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)
• Servicos Filmicos ANC
• Universidad de Guadalajara
• Ventana Films (as Venta)

Distributors

• October Films (1994) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cineplex Odeon Films (1993) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1995) (Canada) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA (1995) (Canada) (VHS)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
• Prime Films S.L. (Spain)
• Vidmark Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Chronos
La invención de Cronos

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and for language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Spain:18 | Denmark:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

CNCAIMC

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Guillermo del Toro] [insects]The cockroaches in the statue and the Cronos Device.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jesús searches for Aurora after she has taken the Cronos, as he walks through two doors, he stops. Behind him, reflected in the glass of the door, is crew and equipment.

Quotes:

Jesus Gris: I am Jesus... Gris... Jesus Gris... Jesus Gris.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Masters of Horror (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Die Schöne Müllerin

A Film That Harbours The Essence Of Horror

Severely underrated on this website, Cronos is an engaging tale that captivates the viewer for the entirety of its duration. Guillermo Del Toro's first ever film is a thoughtful, heart-wrenching story which above all manages to be fresh, intriguing and unique while managing to captivate the feel of horror films in the same mould as The Shining, whereby it is a film about family first, and a horror film second.

Cronos is most definitely not associated with the slasher end of the horror market and nor is it anywhere near the filthy attack on the sense provided by goreography. What Cronos manages to achieve is an attack on the mind and the soul, the essence of what a horror film must succeed in doing if it wishes to leave a lasting impression. Given this I can, to an extent, see where the mediocre rating has derived from, it's not a blood fest it doesn't provide a scare a second and nor does it have gratuitous scenes of eyes being gauged out by rusty pick axes, but as every true horror fan knows is these are merely sideshow attractions to the superior horror films like The Shining, like The Fog, and Cronos if not completely at the top, is very close indeed.

There are three things which notably stand out about this film and make it undoubtedly worth watching. The most subtle is the commentary on US-Mexico relations that Guillermo Del Toro has littered throughout his film. It provides an interesting portrayal into how he, and undoubtedly many Mexicans, feel about their encounters with the US, that they are always trying to be dominated and they must stand up on their own, to strive to succeed. The most obvious is that of the highly notable Christian references and intentional name play. Our protagonist, the antique dealer, is named Jesus for simple reincarnate issues, but there a great deal of "my God", "my Lord" and more comments of that ilk in the film, there is undoubtedly a side plot on the directors behalf of pointing out the good that still emanates from our protagonist. Jesus' granddaughter and wife are named Aurora and Mercedes respectively, and by knowing the meanings of their names which are "the dawn or first light" and "mercy" provides the films finale with a sense of completion. Lastly of note is the acting on the part of Federico Lupi and Tamara Shanath, who provide the necessary gravitas even in motion if not through vocals to convey the deep emotional tie between grandfather and granddaughter which when all else is removed is the main driving force of this story, and the one that will have you coming back for more. It's innocence is soul-wrenching, yet Aurora's ability to see what is happening with unclouded eyes, provides the cornerstone for the emotional drama to take hold.

One critic in 'The Daily Telegraph' claimed this to be as "scary as hell", and to be honest he is wrong. This film isn't scary in the 'popping out from behind the bushes with a meat cleaver' manner, this film is an attack of that which makes us, and indeed Jesus, human. It is a cerebral assault which plucks at your heart strings and confuses the soul, and for it is severely likable and very watchable while occasionally disconcerning. Cronos is human drama at its most wonderful, emotional and chilling and more importantly a wonderful debut by a director who will build in stature and promise greater things, but this is a debut with bite to it, and once it grabs hold of you, it's very difficult to get it off.