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Cronos (1992)
Thirty years before he wielded the keys to Castle Frankenstein and saw his name festoon the title of his Pinocchio adaptation, Guillermo del Toro’s dream began with some rotting flesh and a golden scarab. His debut film, Cronos, follows a Mexico City antique dealer (Federico Luppi) and his young granddaughter (Tamara Shanath), who unearth an alchemical immortality device. Like all immortality devices, this one begets some unintended consequences.
Despite its independent production, Cronos is the turnkey to countless del Toro-isms to come. It has everyday people caught in a modern fairy tale, a monster imbued with longing, and practical effects that outpunch their budget by a kiloton. But it’s also a pleasure to see del Toro work out his early ambitions in a world he didn’t design. There’s trash on the streets and clutter in the antique shop, and the most memorable shot of the movie is horrifyingly, literally grounded—the afflicted antique dealer lowers himself onto a public restroom floor to lap up a drop of blood. Cinema 21 in restored 4K, Jan. 23 and 24.
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