While I would later go on to enjoy Del Toro's work, I found this to be a dull, slowly-paced vampire film.

Granted it is not his best movie, but it is a very interesting and different vampire story and fable of the conquest for immortality. Del Toro is adept at writing parts for children. A stronger first half than second.

A film with a very simple story only made good by various Del Toro touches and quirks.

A solid vampire film somewhere in between a black comedy and a family drama, but never feeling like a horror. Has some cool visual effects and some neat camerawork, but feels a bit empty and Hollywood overall.

Delightful! I love del Toro.

Falls apart at the end, and del Toro hadn't quite mastered child actors, but it has some great style and Perlman is AWESOME.

A fairly original take on the vampire flick with some cool visuals that felt sorta Cronenberg-y. But it had the unfortunate feeling of a made-for-TV-movie (probably due to Ron Perlman as the annoying-as-hell henchman).

Good and creepy

77.250

This is a low budget Mexican horror movie that is Guillermo del Toro's first time directing.This movie was a well shot but badly acted and poorly writing movie.None of the characters come of as interesting or engaging.Tamara Shanath who plays Aurora stands around with a blank look on her face in most of her scenes.The story of the Cronos device and the rules surrounding it are hardly explained at all.The ending was cliched and boring.One Thumb Down.

A very cool beginning where I wasnt expecting at all it would turn into a vampire movie, though it was a very original vampire movie: becoming immortal at a high cost. The idea was good, but the acting was poor and the actors poorly chosen. It was more emotional than scary.

One of the most unique and intriguing horror films I've ever seen. Del Toro works wonders with the cast and they all turn in fantastic performances. The writing is pitch-perfect the whole way through, and the visuals are terrific. Really loved this, much better than Del Toro's later film Pan's Labyrinth.

A pleasurable diversion though not entirely memorable. Ron Perlman's never a bore, and Federico Luppi is particularly enjoyable as a loving grandfather who happens to get stung by the wrong mystical artifact. The details of the vampiric transformation were a little too muddled; why does he need human blood AND the scarab thing? Normally I wouldn't care about that kind of continuity but the film seems hellbent on trying to explain it. A lack of narrative cohesion in general is its greatest fault.

Ever movie about an old man is boring. There are no good movies about old men, and don't you dare say "No Country For Old Men," all the good stuff happens to middle age and young folk. This is a movie about an old man who becomes a vampire and hangs out with his creepy granddaughter and everything sucks and Ron Pearlman looks like a shaved gorilla with a perm.

del Toro brings several fresh, aesthetically interesting flourishes to the vampire genre, more emotional than scary. An original voice is evident from the get go.

- recommended

Beautifully shot and emotional vampire movie - far from the typical Hollywood sex-and-action stuff, here it's two old men who are fighting over a device that will make you immortal at a very high cost. There's religious overtones a-plenty getting right back to the inverted-Jesus status of vampires, Federico Lippi is perfect in the lead, and Ron Perlman is a hoot as his enemy's bumbling hitman nephew.

Genuine and original but doesn't do anything especially well. Interesting to watch from a perspective of seeing where his later more accomplished work comes from.

Really had no expectations. That device kind of creeps me out - would not let it get near me!

Really went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Well done, compact film.

Sure it's not THAT awesome, but it is ingenious and gives us a glimpse at what del Toro has in him. A great international sensibility that makes it stand out among others.

Del Toro's first film, and a good one!

A must see for all fans of del Toro's recent works like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2. Proves that he can be a great, imaginitive director with both small and large budgets.

This is a film where del Toro was still fucking around with the style and thematics he would come to introduce with his later works; it's sloppy and all over the place, but it's still an enjoyable ride.

A good film with a great plotline, showing the rising talents of director Guillermo del Toro and some great acting by Federico Luppi. Enjoyable throughout, although little about the origins and mechanics of the device was really covered.

Good film.

Due to the low budget about 20 minutes of footage was ruined and couldn't be reshot. That explains some of the holes in this film. Still a pretty good debut for del Toro

I'll add the gadget to the wishlist. Well wicked. Toe knee :-)

Excellent, succinct, personal story that plays with the vampire mythology in a unique way. Ron Pearlman is great. The roots of greatness are firmly planted in this well made horror flick with some timely comedy for good measure.