Cronos (1993)
Cronos
”A Gothic horror with tragic characters and a mysterious device.”
Available at home
Rent or Buy
&plat_logo=https://media.filmelier.com/images/plataformas/icone_mobile/365599cc6c68bb404af36411d40a866c.png&link=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fmovie%2Fcronos%2Fid474354682%3Fat%3D1000loWU%26mt%3D6 "Apple TV (iTunes)")
Why watch this film?
It is, quite simply, the feature-length debut of Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“Pan's Labyrinth,” “The Shape of Water”), marking his first collaboration with actor Ron Perlman ("Hellboy"). From the start, “Cronos” showcased the director's style and thematic interests, his fondness for Gothic horror and tragic characters that walk the line between human and monster (with an ideal protagonist embodied by the first Argentine actor, Federico Luppi), and clear aesthetic inspiration from Hammer monsters. A must-see classic for both followers of the filmmaker and fans of horror.
Filmelier
Our suggestions
Plot summary
A mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life resurfaces after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.
To share
Do you want to watch something different?
Watch full movies now!
Press play and be surprised!
Where to watch?
Available at home
From the same director
Crimson Peak
A tribute to classic gothic romances, such as "Wuthering Heights", but with the unique touch of filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. It brings a simple yet very dark and engaging plot, with great attention to detail in the set design and costumes - as well as Jessica Chastain's performance. Selection from SXSW Festival.
The Shape of Water
The most acclaimed and awarded movie of 2018, winning four Oscars - including Best Picture and Best Director. 'The Shape of Water' is a whimsical story, almost a dark fairy tale, that speaks to inclusion, diversity and love, using the Cold War as its backdrop. It's a beautiful feature film, full of details and with all the plasticity of Guillermo del Toro - in addition to being nostalgic in showing references to Hollywood's Golden Age, using the catchphrases of musicals.
Hellboy
Guillermo del Toro adapted the comics, by Mike Mignola, into this great production, starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and John Hurt. Hellboy is a demon, an anti-hero, breaking away from the standards of superhero stories, yet still fighting supernatural threats. The story is intriguing, well developed and the movie's visuals are very beautiful - as in other productions of the Mexican director.
Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece, blending real facts like Franco's dictatorship in Spain with the culture and fantasy of the country. The photography and aesthetics are amazing, bringing this dark weight to the story. The feature film was extremely awarded, winning the Oscar in the categories of Best Art Direction, Best Photography and Best Makeup. The final result is touching.
Pacific Rim
As a self-proclaimed fan of anime and manga, as well as cinematic monsters, 'Titans of the Pacific' (‘Pacific Rim’) seems like a logical product within the filmography of its director, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, even if it seems totally atypical after films like 'Cronos', 'The Devil's Backbone' and 'Pan's Labyrinth'. We are faced with what is simultaneously a crossover and a tribute to the ‘mecha’ genre anime (like 'Mobile Suit Gundam', 'Mazinger Z' and similar ones) and Japanese kaijū cinema (whose most famous exponent is, of course, 'Godzilla'). The result is a movie that may lack, for the most part, the thematic and emotional complexity of previous (and future) films by its director, but in exchange offers a dramatically solid blockbuster and visually spectacular, with the minute attention to detail that characterizes Del Toro, achieving robots and giant creatures that feel heavy, real. It has its flaws (is the fight scene with sticks really necessary?), but when it comes to 2010s blockbusters that do not belong to franchises, 'Titans of the Pacific' is undoubtedly one of the best.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The sequel to 'Hellboy', also by Guillermo del Toro and following the same dark atmosphere of the first movie, 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' is another adaptation of the comics of Mike Mignola and follows the adventures of the antihero Hellboy. The movie manages to be as good as the previous one, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup, rightfully so, given the great work.
Nightmare Alley
Guillermo del Toro has two great passions, both very clear in his filmography: cinematic art (mainly from the Golden Age of Hollywood) and the worst of humanity. However, if until now he has hidden this perception through metaphors about imaginary monsters, in 'Nightmare Alley' the Mexican leaves aside these subterfuges and embraces his own human monstrosity. In the story, which is a remake of the classic noir 'Lost Souls Alley', we meet Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a man with a dark past who, when joining a circus, learns the art of human manipulation. From there, the feature touches on heavy topics such as addiction, degradation, violence, corruption, arrogance, guilt, abortion... All while we pass through real or figurative alleys, created from the great art direction. In the performances, Cooper brings a more naturalistic interpretation, exploring all the nuances of the various changes in the protagonist. The rest of the cast is stellar, with names like Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara and Ron Perlman, but it is Cate Blanchett who steals the show. A sad, pessimistic, melancholic and dark movie, yes. However, a portrait of cruelty and human bestiality that, sooner or later, we must face.
Mimic
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, 'Mimic' has the curious distinction of being the first movie from the Mexican director produced in Hollywood, although it is well documented that it was an unpleasant experience for him, as he was almost fired and unable to reconcile his recognizable artistic sensibilities with the studio's expectations. Nevertheless, the result still bears some of his stamps, and is still a horror and science fiction movie that manages to entertain. The story is about an epidemic caused by cockroaches that affects children in New York, so an entomologist (Mira Sorvino, after winning an Oscar for 'Mighty Aphrodite') manages to develop a species of genetically modified insects to infiltrate the cockroach ecosystem, imitate them and eradicate them. All good until, years later, after they were thought to be eradicated, the insects adapt and evolve to hunt humans.
Blade II
Guillermo del Toro's second foray into a Hollywood studio production (after his scabrous experience with 'Mimic') was, curiously, with a property drawn from Marvel Comics. 'Blade II' (also known as 'Blade II: Vampire Hunter' or 'Vampire Hunters II') sees its eponymous protagonist (Wesley Snipes) in an uncomfortable alliance with the Shadow Council to face a common enemy: the Reapers, a lethal race of vampires that attack both humans and their own species. Contrary to what happened with 'Mimic', Del Toro managed to imprint this 'Blade' sequel with a bit more of his characteristic aesthetic marks, in a story that fits well enough with his thematic interests, with an antagonist that seeks to escape his own decadence.
Pinocchio
A version of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, adapted by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) and master of stop motion animation, Mark Gustafson (The Adventures of Mark Twain); could only result in one thing: a masterpiece of animation full of contrast that embraces the darkness of the source material, but also the innocence of fantasy to tell a magical tale of pain and loss, fear and fascism, family and joy. With the brilliant music of Alexandre Desplat as the icing on the cake, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is simply a cinematic marvel (undeniably superior, it must be said, to the lazy remake that Disney decided to release in the same year).
Horror
Abigail
Abigail demonstrates why we should keep an eye on the director duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, especially when they have original material at their disposal (they also directed Scream 5 and 6, with mixed results). Abigail is a film that manages to balance the terror and tragedy of its characters with the absurdity of its premise, thanks to a clever script that plays with the conventions of vampire literature, careful direction, and a phenomenal cast (led by Mexican actress Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens) that fully utilizes their roles. The plot follows a group of kidnappers tasked with a delicate job: to kidnap a millionaire's daughter for ransom. However, it all turns out to be a trap: beneath the guise of a 12-year-old girl, the victim is actually an ancient vampire who likes to play with her food. Like Ready or Not in its time, this film is self-aware, pushing its story and violence to the most absurd and fun limits without falling into self-parody. It won’t change the history of horror cinema, but it’s an excellent (and even stylish for a film of its genre, I dare say) choice for a fun time at the movies with friends.
28 Days Later
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs – and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
The Jack in the Box Rises
When Raven is sent to an all-girls boarding school, she unleashes a demon from a mysterious vintage jack-in-the-box hidden on the school grounds. Will the students make it out alive, or will the demon claim the victims it requires to remain alive?
Nudus
From director Gibrán Bazán, pupil of legendary cult filmmaker Juan López Moctezuma (Alucarda), NUDUS is a science fiction thriller that, with few resources, aspires to create the worst conceivable dystopia of our digital age: a world in which everyone's data is accessible to everyone, and for any purpose, after a major global hack. The plot follows a woman (Carla Hernández) who, upon waking up from a prolonged coma, is confronted by a stranger (Álex Crusa) who seems to know everything about her: everything she has written on WhatsApp and Facebook, all the videos she has sent to her contacts, all the humiliating information she has said in private. From this moment on, NUDUS seems more concerned with the mystery of its characters than with the greater background of their situation, so it becomes more about the exploitation of its female protagonist than a reflection on technology and data privacy. However, despite the plot going off the rails, the situation lends itself to exemplifying a catastrophic scenario of these breaches in privacy.
