Director
Guillermo del Toro
Leading Actors/Actresses
Frederico Luppi, Ron Perlman
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Claudio Brook, Tamara Shanath, Margarita Isabel
Genre
Horror
Language
Spanish, English
Awards
8 Ariel Awards, including the Golden Ariel
Date of Release
1993
Producer
Arthur Gorson, Bertha Navarro
Setting and Context
Veracruz, Mexico - 1536, 1937, 1993
Narrator and Point of View
Point of view is that of Jesús
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic, Horror
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Jesús. Antagonist is De la Guardia and Angel
Major Conflict
Jesús has sold an archangel statue to De la Guardia, but taken the cronos out of the bottom. The cronos has opened and bitten Jesús, causing him to need to reattach the cronos for any ease to come to his body.
Climax
Angel kills Jesús, who resurrects and begins to lose his skin. Jesús tries to stop what is happening to him by giving the cronos to De la Guardia for information, but De la Guardia tries to kill him. Aurora protects her grandfather by knocking out De la Guardia. Angel finishes his uncle off, then Jesús grabs Angel and jumps off of the De la Guardia building, killing Angel. Aurora attaches the cronos to her grandfather and he stays alive. He's revealed in his home with Mercedes and Aurora with the same skin as the alchemist in the beginning of the film.
Foreshadowing
The cronos not being on the inventory list of the alchemist's home foreshadows that it will reappear to torment another human soul.
Understatement
It is understated exactly what insect is inside the cronos.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
The film alludes to the fact that monsters are only made from men, and that men are far greater monsters than anyone/thing that has the appearance of one.
Paradox
Jesús turns into a monster and believes he will never be able to go home again. Paradoxically, Aurora welcomes her grandfather home with open arms regardless of what he looks like.
Parallelism
Jesús turned marble-white at the end of the film parallels the alchemist with the same skin as he dies at the beginning of the film.
