Cronos [4K UHD]

Studio: The Criterion Collection

Feb 27, 2025 Web Exclusive By Zachary Lee Photography by The Criterion Collection

Just in time for the release of Frankenstein later this year, the 4K UHD release of director Guillermo del Toro’s debut film Cronos (1993) serves as a reminder of why his particular streak of endearing horror films has remained timeless. The film tells the story of an antique dealer, Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi), who finds an ancient device in the shape of a scarab and is increasingly drawn to the ways the scarab grants him powers and renewed health while coming at great cost to his body and relationships. The cost of immortality, the disregard we have for our bodies, sympathy for the most monstrous … these are the types of themes that would become mainstays of del Toro’s work. Still, it’s notable to see them in their rawest form here, as the filmmaker explores these ideas on-screen for the first time.

One thing I find frustrating about restorations, particularly for older films, is the need filmmakers feel to upgrade other aspects of the film and not just the picture quality, as if worried that a rich color palette will highlight flaws or elements of a project that would have otherwise been hidden with a lower quality print. What’s great about Cronos is the way its picture quality gets a massive upgrade, but the seeming “imperfections” or moments where we can see behind the curtain are preserved. It’s endearing to see del Toro not be ashamed of the methods he employed back then and it serves as a testament to the way the film was shot with a shoe-string sense of urgency and desperation, a frenetic and feverish sense of documentation as if the golden scarab and the haunting insect within had taken hold of the production itself.

Del Toro has always been one to find beauty in the horrific, challenging viewers to take a second look at that which we might be repelled by or might look away from in disgust; this 4K release of the film acts as a perfect distillation of that philosophy. There’s a palpable sense of decay that is felt throughout this film, from the cobweb-infested antique store Jesús runs to the industrial factories where Angel de la Guardia (a shockingly young Ron Perlman), and the 4K release (as well as the Blu-ray) accentuates the dark colors, rendering them more foreboding. Yet there’s still beauty even in places where evil resides, and del Toro is now able to acknowledge this simply through a camera pan. We can see colors like gold and blue more clearly now in certain scenes, which gives a sense of warmth.

A release that simply contained a pristine version of the film would have been enough to entice. But thankfully, the Criterion Collection’s release comes with many special features that when added up, can feel like they rival the length of Cronos itself. Perhaps one of the most notable editions is a 1987 short film entitled Geometria, which del Toro completed in 2010. It contains the director’s signature mix of violence, horror, and humor, and serves as yet another insightful look into del Toro’s processes and mind. (It’s particularly fascinating to think that began work on the film well before Cronos but then only completed it well after he was an established director, with projects like 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth and two Hellboy movies; it’s a testament to the way she the film represents this interesting merging between the eras of his artistry.) Additionally, there are two commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other with producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and co-producer Alejandro Springall. Del Toro has always been willing to share the methods behind his madness and so it’s refreshing and endearing to hear his collaborators wax poetic about everything from aesthetic to costume design to the film’s themes. It’s evident after all these years, he holds such pride for his work and it’s an enthusiasm that’s invitational for us as viewers to step into.

Another commentary, “Welcome to the Bleak House,” serves as a further extension of these sentiments. The video gives a tour of del Toro’s Los Angeles home, where he’s amassed all sorts of film props, special books, rare paintings and more. It’s evident that he has a child-like disposition of wonder and play yet now possesses the means to make his dreams come true. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.

Cronos may be del Toro’s debut film, but what Criterion has crafted here is an expansive ode not only to where the director has come from, but also, to where he’s going. I’m not sure if Golden Scarabs will have a place in his Frankenstein adaptation, but I’m curious to see how that adaptation continues the conversation del Toro has been having with himself, society and God about the role of forgiveness and grace in the lives of the most vile of monsters.

(www.criterion.com/films/27534-cronos)

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