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Review: Del Toro Double Feature - Cronos (1993) and The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Del Toro Double Feature: Cronos and The Devil's Backbone

For those knowledgeable of Guillermo Del Toro, two of his early films, Cronos and The Devil's Backbone, will feel quite familiar. They are built upon many of the director's most recognizable styles and themes. Cerebral and gothic horrors about life and death, mortality and immortality. Innocent, victimized children trapped within the violent conflicts of adults. Mythology, fantasy, and folklore. Imagery of insects, clocks, and mechanical contraptions. Like other of Del Toro's, all of these elements permeate Cronos and TDB. Both films are well-made and well worth the time for those who are a fan of horror and the supernatural. They are also an insightful looking glass into the beginnings of one of my all-time favourite directors working today.

Cronos (1993)

Cronos tells the story of a mythological contraption that imbues its possessor/user with immortality. The insect-like golden item falls unwittingly into the hands of an elderly clock shop owner, and quickly takes controls of the man, transferring its addictive and uncontrollable force onto him. At the same time, another elderly, wealthy and ailing businessman, with the help of his nephew, searches for the object. The film is loosely built - the momentum ebbing and flowing as the man contends with the supernatural power of the object and the potentially-violent men who seek to find it. This is the first collaboration between BFFs, Del Toro and Ron Perlman, and, truly, no one brings out Perlman's energetic and campy side like Del Toro. It is a delight seeing a young Perlman here and he very much dominates the scenes he is in. The film feels quite unrefined compared to some of Del Toro's more recent outings, however, it is nonetheless and enjoyable and stylistic viewing.
8/10

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Whereas, Cronos carries with it a zanier energy like Hellboy or Pacific Rim, The Devil's Backbone is in every way a precursor to Del Toro's masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth. TDB is an introspective tale, contained within a singular location, about the ghost of boy that haunts an orphanage for boys. Like Pan, TDB is told from the perspective of innocent children who live at the mercy of the adults who run the location they live within, including one particular violent man who serves as the main antagonist. The film's pseudo-historical setting contrasted with fantasy/supernatural elements, and its slow, methodical pacing are, again, all reminiscent of Pan. There are even a few specific scenes that I swear are found in both films - i.e. where the primary antagonist is alone in a room listening to an old record player. Though the film's scope is of a more personal level, its story still packs a hefty punch and is definitely worth watching for those who enjoy more-reflective horror.
8.5/10

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