Cronos, the 1993 directorial debut from Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, The Shape of Water) offers a unique take on the classic vampire story and went on to win the Critics’ Week award at the Cannes Film Festival.
On 24 February 2025 the BFI releases this landmark Mexican horror film on Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray.
The film has been scanned and restored at 4K resolution using the original 35mm camera negative, with the supervision of director Guillermo del Toro, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with original 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround audio. A stack of special features includes three audio commentaries, a new filmed conversation with the director, and several interviews with cast and crew.
When antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) discovers an ancient artefact in the form of a golden mechanical scarab, he is unaware of the power it holds.
While 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 scarab for himself, a dying millionaire (Claudio Brook) and his brutish nephew (Ron Perlman, Hellboy) are soon in hot pursuit.
To launch these home entertainment releases, CRONOS will be screened at BFI IMAX, Britain’s biggest screen, on Sunday 9 February at 2.30pm, preceded by a newly recorded introduction by Guillermo del Toro. Tickets are on sale now on the BFI website.
Special features
NB. The special features in the UHD set are presented on a Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray discs are region B.
- UHD: Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Blu-ray: Presented in High Definition
- Newly recorded audio commentary by Jason Wood
- Audio commentary by Guillermo del Toro (2002)
- Audio commentary with producers Arthur H Gorson and Bertha Navarro, and co-producer Alejandro Springall (2002)
- Optional original Spanish-language voiceover introduction
- Cronos – An Introduction (2024, 34 mins): director Guillermo del Toro in conversation with Olivier Père, the former head of the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes film festival
- Geometria (1987, revised 2010, 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 (2010, 7 mins): an interview with the director
- 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 at the BFI London Film Festival
- Making of Cronos With Federico Luppi (2003, 5 mins): an 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): a conversation with the writer and director
- Interview with Guillermo Navarro (2010, 13 mins): a discussion with the film’s cinematographer
- Interview with Ron Perlman (2010, 7 mins): a conversation with the actor who, since Cronos, has gone on to become one of del Toro’s regular collaborators
- Trailer
- Image Gallery
- 60-page book featuring new essays by Michelle Kisner, Rich Johnson, Barry Forshaw, and Michael Leader. Also includes an 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; film credits and notes on the special features
- A set of four postcards featuring images from the film
- Fold-out poster featuring the new artwork by Clément Deneu
Bloody Flicks 