The Guillermo Del Toro Collection DVD (2007) Ariadna Gil, del Toro (DIR) cert

Title: The Guillermo Del Toro Collection Leading Actor: Ariadna Gil Region: Region 2 Duration: 317 mins Format: DVD / Box Set Type: DVD No. of Discs: 3 disc(s) Studio / Publisher: Elevation Sales UK Release Date: 12 Mar 2007 Edition: Box Set

A trio of films by acclaimed Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. 'Cronos' (1992) is a modern-day vampire film that re-works the ancient themes of fear and desire. Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) is an antique dealer who, with his grandaughter Aurora, discovers a mysterious scarab-like object at the base of an old statue. The statue's previous owner was a 16th-century alchemist who sought eternal life, and the object turns out to be the Cronos which grants the user eternal life in exchange for blood. Intrigued, Jesus is drawn into the grip of the Cronos and when Dieter and his nephew Angel (who hold the alchemist's diaries) hound the antique dealer, Aurora tries to save her grandfather - but it isn't long before she too becomes a part of the thirst for blood. Ghostly goings-on are the order of the day in 'The Devil's Backbone' (2001), an eerie shocker set during the final days of the Spanish Civil War. The film takes place in a remote orphanage haunted by a mysterious ghost child named Santi. The children of the orphanage are terrified of Santi - but when they learn the true circumstances of his death, they begin plotting to help him get his revenge. 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006) is a fantasy story set in the mind's eye of a lonely young girl. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is a young girl living in a remote area of Spain in 1944 after Franco's ascension to power. To escape the upheaval and hardship her family face, Ofelia creates a world in her mind. It's a beautiful place - but not without its dark side. With its mix of CGI and actual character scenes, political and social statement, Pans Labyrinth has been referred to as 'The Citizen Kane of fantasy films'.