Cronos (1993)

[NicoleMayCanaday]

Damn, I've been waiting for this flick to come out on netflix quite awhile. I heard it was a vamp movie, and being a lover of vampires, I had to check it out.

Cronos is Guillermo Del Toro's first long film. After an ancient device attaches itself to his body, aging antiques dealer Jesús (Federico Luppi) struggles to cope with an insatiable thirst for human blood, a menacing brute (Ron Pearlman) dead set on retrieving the mechanism & gradual realization Jesús cannot die.

I was surprised to see Ron Pearlman in this obscure, half spanish/ half english sub-title vampire flick, but of course he starred in Del Toro's Hellboy movies. I wasn't sure if he would fit into this film, but his performance was a much needed comedy relief & Pearlman does a great job being an a-hole..as usual.

I have to warn u if u watch this film, have ur patience panties on....the first 45-60 minutes was slooooow to build up the story. However, Guillermo is a great story teller and tells his stories in picturesque shots. The music was very beautiful as well. Definitely a good twist on the vampire story, like Let Me In.

[Dr. Briggs]

I'm inclined to disagree as a horror fan, and even to an extent as a general film fan. The film was slow, and to me, it never really went anywhere. Though Jesús' transformation is somewhat unsettling, the fact that he never exactly makes a violent move until the end (and the horror doesn't really emerge from anywhere else) kills most of the film's horror factor. And honestly, as just a film-fan, I felt that the transformation was underexplored for that very reason.

I think it's a good film, but not the masterpiece that some say. I'd give it a 6.5/10 on a general scale, but a mere 3.5-4/10 as a horror movie.

Just a note from my end: if you've ever heard of a film called Ganja and Hess, I think it pulled off a bit of what Cronos was going for in a lot scarier of a way. I'll have to remember to make a topic for it.

[Chainsaw Brutality]

I've always dug Guillermo's story-telling, and Cronos is no different. Although I feel Pan's Labyrinth is his best work, this film is still pretty good.

Yes, the movie is slow - but the build up to the transformation scene makes it more effective, imo.

[anothermasque]

I like Cronos, but I admit I never thought of it as a horror film. Not one of del Toro's best but good, and the slow pace wasn't a problem. And I do enjoy watching Perlman - he's more versatile than he gets credit for, I think.