Guillermo del Toro‘s feature debut Cronos is finally getting the 4K treatment thanks to the BFI.
Released in 1992, the independently produced and Criterion-official vampire horror is widely regarded as one of the most important Mexican horror films of all time, and stars Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman.
In Cronos:
When antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Luppi) discovers an ancient artifact, in the form of a golden mechanical scarab, he is unaware of the power it holds. Whilst the parasite inside the device grants eternal life to its new host, it also causes an extreme aversion to daylight and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Desperate to claim the device for himself, a dying millionaire (played by Claudio Brook) and his brutish nephew (Perlman) are in hot pursuit.
The upcoming BFI 4K restoration of Cronos, releasing on February 10, is del Toro-approved, and comes absolutely jam-packed with special features. Seriously, this thing is stacked:
- Restored in 4K and presented in High Definition
- Newly recorded audio commentary by Jason Wood
- Audio commentary with Guillermo del Toro (2002)
- Audio commentary with producers Arthur H Gorson and Bertha Navarro and co-producer Alejandro Springall (in English and Spanish with optional English subtitles)
- Optional original Spanish-language voice-over introduction
- Cronos – An Introduction (2024, 34 mins): director Guillermo del Toro in conversation with the former head of the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes film festival and current managing director of Arte France Cinéma, Olivier Père (2024, 34 mins)
- Geometria (1987, 7 mins): a short film by Guillermo del Toro about a young man who pays dearly to have his dreams come true
- Guillermo del Toro on Geometria (7 mins): a short interview with the director about Geometria
- BFI Screen Talk: Guillermo del Toro (2017, 74 mins): filmed around the release of The Shape of Water, the writer and director discusses his career with journalist, author and screenwriter Mark Salisbury and the BFI London Film Festival
- The Making of Cronos: An Interview with Federico Luppi (2006, 5 mins): a short archival interview with the actor
- Interview with the director (2010, 60 mins): an archival interview with Guillermo del Toro
- Interview with Guillermo del Toro (2010, 18 mins): an interview with the writer and director
- Interview with Guillermo Navarro (2010, 13 mins): an interview with the film’s cinematographer
- Interview with Ron Pearlman (2010, 7 mins): an interview with the actor who since Cronos has gone on to become one of Del Toro’s regular collaborators
- Theatrical trailer
- Stills gallery
- 60-page book featuring new essays by Michelle Kisner, Rich Johnson, Barry Forshaw, and Michael Leader. Also includes and edited version of ‘Guillermo del Toro: The origins of horror and Cronos’, an interview that originally appeared in The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema, by Jason Wood and an original Sight & Sound review by John Kraniauskas.
- Fold-out poster featuring the new artwork for the film
Following cutting his teeth on Cronos, del Toro would of course go on to become one of horror cinema's most beloved auteurs, with his upcoming Frankenstein one of the most anticipated releases of next year.
Pre-order your copy of Cronos via the official BFI site.
