Cronos is a 1992 Mexican independent horror drama film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman.

Critical reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising the inventive direction and creative storytelling, and over time Cronos has been regarded as a classic.

After he winds the ornate, scarab-shaped device, it unfurls spider-like legs which grip him tightly and inserts a needle into his skin.

Meanwhile, a rich, dying businessman, Dieter de la Guardia, who has been amassing information about the mechanism for many years, has been searching for the statue with the device.

He sends his thuggish American nephew Angel, who suffers his uncle's abuse on a daily basis for an inheritance, to purchase the statue at the antique shop.

During a New Year's Eve party, Gris sees a man bleeding from the nose and follows him into the men's room in order to take his blood off of the sink countertop.

Gris notices blood on the floor and decides to lick it up, until an unknown man walks up and kicks him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Angel finds the dying Dieter and crushes his throat with his foot, tired of his abuse and waiting for his inheritance.

The film received acclaim by critics for its acting, originality, mythology, religious references, and its balance of horror & drama.

The critical consensus reads: "Guillermo del Toro's unique feature debut is not only gory and stylish, but also charming and intelligent.

"[7] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[4] Cronos was first released on DVD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on 14 October 2003 as a "10th Anniversary Edition", which includes two commentaries, one by del Toro, and the other by three of the four producers, two behind-the-scenes featurettes, two galleries for production photos and concept art, and an easter egg which plays the theatrical trailers of four films, including Cronos.