Directed by Guillermo del Toro | Mexico | 94 min
English & Spanish language film with English subtitles
An aging antiques dealer stumbles upon a golden scarab device that grants eternal life—but at a horrifying cost. Cronos, Guillermo del Toro’s lush, haunting debut, reimagines the vampire myth through a Mexican lens steeped in Catholic imagery, familial bonds, and alchemical horror.
The film explores immortality as a metaphor for colonial legacy, where bodily corruption mirrors moral decay. Del Toro reclaims the vampire from its European roots and transplants it into a decaying, devotional Mexico—one shaped by inheritance and haunted by the past.
Español:
El increible debut de Guillermo del Toro reimagina el mito del vampiro a través de la historia de un vendedor de antiguedades envejecido que descubre un escarabajo dorado capaz de otorgar la vida eterna… a un costo terrible. Cronos combina imágenes católicas, devoción familiar y horror alquímico en una obra completamente original.
La película engloba directamente el concepto de Mexsorcismo: la inmortalidad como metáfora del legado colonial, la corrupción del cuerpo como reflejo de la decadencia moral, y la lucha eterna entre la fé y el deseo. Del Toro recupera al vampiro de sus raíces europeas y lo sitúa en un paisaje profundamente mexicano, marcado por la decadencia, la herencia y la devoción.
Written & translated by Adrian G. Del la Peña.
Part of our Mexsorcismo Series.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge that this screening takes place on Moh’kinsstis and the traditional Treaty 7 territory, as well as the oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta District 6. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations, Indigenous and non, who live, work and play, as well as help steward this land, honour and celebrate this territory.