Cronos

Movie Information

Score:

Genre: Horror
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Tamara Shanath
Rated: R

The library concludes its Movie Madness series with the debut feature of Guillermo Del Toro — which ranks as possibly his best film.

Even more than his subsequent and ultimately too horrifically tepid The Devil’s Backbone, Del Toro gives us in Cronos a horror film that Luis Bunuel might have made, had Bunuel made horror films (though it could be argued that he did in many cases). Cronos is an odd and unnervingly original film, doing something that many movies have laid claim to, but rarely achieved — it reinvents the vampire myth. And it does so in ever-surprising ways.

Cronos‘ main character — Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), a kindly old antiques dealer — becomes a vampire when he inherits a strange, golden, partly organic clockwork scarab that latches onto him, injecting him with a fluid that makes him immortal … and imparts the other more or less traditional aspects of the vampire to him in the bargain. But that’s only part of his problem, since this alchemist’s creation is much sought after by a dying industrialist, Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook, who, incidentally, appeared in a number of Bunuel’s films), who’s seeking to stave off death while he sits in a strange warehouse-like setting surrounded by religious statues and grisly reminders of the disease that’s killing him. And so Dieter sends out his goonish nephew, Angel (Ron Perlman), to secure the scarab.

The film is beautifully crafted, and brilliantly blends horror with very black comedy, along with some amazingly sad humor and a genuinely touching relationship between Jesus and his granddaughter (Tamara Shanath), who remains devoted to him even after his transformation. Cronos is unlike any vampire flick you’ve ever seen, and should be high on any genre fan’s list. It’s also a must-see for moviegoers who think horror films are just stupid trash.

The film will be introduced by series host and coordinator Peter Loewer.

— reviewed by Ken Hanke

SHARE
About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.