A mysterious device, said to grant its owner eternal life, returns after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. In an interview included with the Criterion edition of this film, Ron Perlman tells us that Angel is supposed to be fluent in Spanish. Ron Perlman tried, but Guillermo del Toro found his reading completely useless. So the character was turned into an American expat who hates being in Mexico so much that he deliberately speaks little Spanish. When Jesús goes to look for Aurora after she takes Cronos, he stops as she goes through two doors. Behind him, reflected in the glass of the door, are the crew and equipment. [discusses why Deiter wants Cronos] Jesus Gris: He thinks it will help him live longer. Angel de la Guardia: [laughter] This motherfucker does nothing but shit and piss all day and he wants to live longer? Several explicit nude scenes were added in the US video release. While the main US version of the film will feature the prologue and parts of the dialogue in English, the secondary version in Masters of Horror (2002) will be entirely in Spanish. Die Schöne MüllerinFranz SchubertArreglov: Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley) BMIEditor: Software Music BMICortesia de Capitol Productions Music – Ole Georg. Often underrated on this site, Cronos is a compelling story that keeps the viewer hooked throughout its entire running time. Guillermo Del Toro’s first film is a thoughtful, heartbreaking story that is first and foremost fresh, intriguing and unique, but also manages to capture the atmosphere of horror films in the same style as The Shining, making it a film about family and horror in the second. Cronos is definitely not associated with the slasher end of the horror market, and is nowhere near as filthy as goreography. Cronos succeeds in an assault on the mind and soul, the essence of what horror must do if it wants to leave a lasting impression. That being said, to a certain extent I can understand where this mediocre rating comes from, it’s not a blood fest, it doesn’t scare you for a second, nor are there any unnecessary scenes judging rusty eyed pickaxes, but as any true horror fan knows, these are just sideshows to better horror films like «The Shining,» «The Mist,» and «Cronos.» If they’re not at the top, they’re very close. There are three things that stand out about this film and make it undeniably worth watching. The most subtle is the commentary on US-Mexico relations that Guillermo Del Toro sprinkles throughout his film. It provides an interesting portrait of how he, and no doubt many Mexicans, feel about their encounters with the US, that they’re always trying to be dominated and need to stand on their own two feet to succeed. The most obvious is the striking Christian commentary and the deliberate play on names. Our hero, the antiquarian, is called Jesus due to simple reincarnations, but in the film there are many «my God», «my Lord» and more comments of this kind, undoubtedly there is a subplot on the part of the directors, pointed out to highlight the goodness that still emanates from our hero. Jesus’ granddaughter and wife are called Aurora and Mercedes respectively, and learning the meaning of their names, namely «dawn or first light» and «mercy», gives a sense of fulfillment to the finale of the film. Finally, it is important to highlight the acting of Federico Lupi and Tamara Shanath, who even in movement, if not in song, provide the necessary seriousness to convey the deep emotional bond between grandfather and granddaughter, which, if you put aside everything else, is the main driving force of the story and the one that leaves you wanting more.