Guillermo del Toro Returning to Sundance for 4K Screening of Horror Masterpiece

Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro is set to take a break from promoting his recently released Frankenstein in order to revisit his feature directorial debut. Cronos, the early ’90s vampire film that introduced the director to worldwide audiences, will have a special screening at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the Park City Legacy program. Del Toro is scheduled to attend the January 27 screening of a restored 4K version of Cronos, which will be followed by a Q&A session with the horror visionary.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cronos was added to the section of the festival that revisits previous Sundance screenings. Del Toro’s debut screened at Sundance in 1994, the same year the festival hosted the premieres of Clerks, Reality Bites, Hoop Dreams, and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The Park City Legacy program consists of several screenings showcasing prominent titles that were part of the festival in the past. In 2026, it’s set to run between January 27–30, and in addition to del Toro’s vampire classic, it’s scheduled to screen Little Miss Sunshine, Half Nelson, Mysterious Skin, and Saw, among several others. All the titles will be shown in the respective digital restorations they’ve had recently.

‘Cronos’ Is One of Guillermo del Toro’s Finest Movies

October Films

Even though it’s essentially a vampire film because it complies with the rules of the horror subgenre, Cronos isn’t your average film with sexy and lustful bloodsuckers biting the necks of helpless victims. Del Toro’s approach is much more profound, adding many more layers to the genre tropes while incorporating a mythological aspect.

The film follows an antique dealer who manipulates a very important artifact, unwittingly becoming a vampire in the process. Although there’s the benefit of perpetual youth, Jesús also starts craving human blood. As he tries his best to solve his problem, Jesús must also fight against those who are seeking to recover the centuries-old object granting powers. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis:

Antique dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) stumbles across Cronos, a 400-year-old scarab that, when it latches onto him, grants him youth and eternal life – but also a thirst for blood. As Jesús enjoys his newfound vitality, he’s unaware that a dying old man, Dieter de La Guardia (Claudio Brook), has sent his nephew, Angel (Ron Perlman), to find the scarab and bring it back to him. But Jesús will not give immortality up easily, even risking the life of his orphan granddaughter (Tamara Shanath).

Del Toro’s Cronos was a strong debut for the director who quickly proved his prowess with horror, and more than 30 years after its release, the film remains a unique approach to vampire horror that actually makes you feel close to the monsters lurking in the dark. It’s definitely a major step away from the more traditional side of ’90s horror, and hugely compelling as a character-driven story that will make you cheer for the “bad guy.”