Cronos

You can see the roots of Guillermo del Toro's brilliant dark fantasies Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone in his 1993 feature debut, which offers an alchemic twist on vampire lore and the costs of eternal life in a tale set in contemporary Mexico. Federico Luppi stars as Jesus Gris, a curio shop owner who stumbles upon a strange clockwork device (both mechanical and organic) shaped like a scarab that latches onto him like a grotesque parasite and creates a drug-like addiction and craving for blood, while also making him immortal. While his protective granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath) lovingly cares for Gris despite his transformation, a dying millionaire named Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) learns of the magical gadget and sends henchman/nephew Angel (Ron Perlman) to snatch it. Combining melodrama, morality play, and thriller elements, Cronos owes as much to Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray as Bram Stoker's Dracula in its weird brew of antique mechanisms, mutant organisms, demented villains greedy for youth, and one man's struggle for his soul. Previously available on DVD, Cronos has been remastered by Criterion in collaboration with del Toro for both the new DVD and Blu-ray debut. In addition to two audio commentary tracks (the first with del Toro; the second with three producers) recorded in 2003 for the earlier release, other extras include new interviews (with del Toro, Perlman, and producer Bertha Navarro), an archival interview with Luppi, a guided tour of del Toro's home, and a previously unreleased 1987 short horror film “Geometria” by del Toro. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)