"The Curse of La Llorona" is a horror movie directed by Michael Chaves and released in 2019. The film revolves around the Mexican folklore legend of La Llorona, also known as "The Weeping Woman." La Llorona is said to be the ghost of a woman who drowned her own children and now wanders the earth in search of others to replace them. In the film, social worker Anna Garcia, played by Linda Cardellini, finds herself and her children targeted by La Llorona after investigating a case involving a troubled mother. As the curse of La Llorona spreads, Anna must turn to a former priest, played by Raymond Cruz, to help protect her family against the vengeful spirit. "The Curse of La Llorona" is part of The Conjuring Universe, a series of interconnected horror films.
This timeless Hispanic legend comes to terrifying life in THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA. The Weeping Woman. A horrifying apparition, caught between Heaven and Hell, trapped in a terrible fate sealed by her own hand. The mere mention of her name has struck terror around the world for generations. In life, she drowned her children in a jealous rage, throwing herself in the churning river after them as she wept in pain. Now her tears are eternal. They are lethal, and those who hear her death call in the night are doomed. La Llorona creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. As the centuries have passed, her desire has grown more voracious. and her methods more terrifying. In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night - and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona"s de
After she was done, I asked the woman what she was practicing and she told me it was Santeria, a religion that started in my parents country of Cuba, not Mexico, the home of La Llorona. The performances are good despite the script, the design of La Llorona is okay, but nothing made me feel like I needed a limpia after watching the film.
"The Curse of La Llorona" is part of The Conjuring Universe, a series of interconnected horror films. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box office success, grossing over $120 million worldwide. One of the striking aspects of the film is its visual representation of La Llorona.
The Curse of La Llorona
I may not have grown up with the legend of La Llorona, but I grew up with a healthy respect for superstitions and things that cannot be explained. In a number of Latinx communities, some of us give our children a piece of jewelry or amulet to ward off the evil eye (it can vary from country-to-country, as the evil eye varies from culture-to-culture). Mine is a bracelet of black and red beads that my mother bought. Even if you’re not a true believer of such curses, it’s preferable to be safe than sorry.
AdvertisementI was ready to unearth those ancient fears when I walked into the South by Southwest premiere of “The Curse of La Llorona.” On our way into the theater, there were curanderos waving sticks of sage over the audience and we were given a red pañuelo. After a brief word from the film’s director, Michael Chaves, the main curandero took the stage. To ensure we didn’t take any bad spirits from the movie (or the haunted Paramount Theatre), he warded off the evil eye by waving a wind chime-like collection of blue and white charms, shook a maraca to drive away bad spirits, said a prayer as he brushed away bad feelings with several clothes in one hand and then instructed the audience how to wipe away negative energy with the pañuelo. He warned us not to bring the pañuelo home or we’d risk bringing those bad spirits back with us.
I wished “The Curse of La Llorona” lived up to that build-up. The loosely tied latest entry into “The Conjuring” universe suffers from an anemic script with too little scares and an under-appreciation for who would likely be its core audience. Screenwriters Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis (“Five Feet Apart”) approach horror as if only newcomers to the genre will watch the movie. It’s frustratingly simple, the dialogue over-explains everything and while there are a few solid moments of suspense, there’s too much dead air in-between. In the Q&A after the movie, it sounded like an existing script was retrofitted to fit in “The Conjuring” series’ creepy doll, Annabelle, and a few other references.
In his feature debut, Chaves proves himself a close student to James Wan’s visual style, including spooky set pieces that psych out the audience and good use of darkness and interior space. There’s even a nod to Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” camera swoop from the point-of-view of the invading spirit charging the front door. Yet, either because of budget or creative choice, his entry into “The Conjuring” series lacks the aged sense of the original, which felt steeped in horror movies of the late ‘70s. While this story is set in 1973 Los Angeles, it does not feel at home in that era apart from old school TV dinners, lack of cell phones and an old TV set.
AdvertisementI know many are looking forward to “The Curse of La Llorona” because it’s one of the painfully few horror movies to center on an Latin American folk tale and feature a Latinx cast even though our demographic flocks to the genre. However, the lead character, Anna (Linda Cardellini), does not identify as Latina, only that she’s the widow of a Latino police officer. Her kids, Chris (Roman Christou) and Sam (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen), don’t speak Spanish and the family doesn’t seem to keep up any cultural ties other than the last name of Garcia. In the movie, Spanish functions as the language of the other – the language used by a deranged woman, a folk healer and a murderous ghost. The Spanish in “La Llorona” offers nothing like the feeling of home and safety like the Spanglish lines in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” when Miles Morales is packing up to leave for school and his mom talks to him in Spanish while his dad speaks in English. Bilingual viewers may be also annoyed when the same line is repeated in both languages. In order to sidestep using subtitles, “The Curse of La Llorona” does not translate the Spanish language dialogue, which is kind of a treat for Spanish speakers in the audience, but reaffirms the otherworldliness of La Llorona and the curandero, Rafael (Raymond Cruz). The sporadic words and handful of sentences are basic (and brief) enough that non-Spanish speakers won’t get lost.
Perhaps the film’s most grievous sin is that it isn't very scary. There are a few enjoyable moments – like when La Llorona appears behind the unsuspecting little girl to wash her hair and the ghost attacks kids in a Catholic orphanage – but the plot feels fairly mild, as if one of our traditional dishes was made without enough seasoning. The performances are good despite the script, the design of La Llorona is okay, but nothing made me feel like I needed a limpia after watching the film. On our way out, the curanderos were back outside with sage, and I got a cleansing for the hell of it. After she was done, I asked the woman what she was practicing and she told me it was Santeria, a religion that started in my parents’ country of Cuba, not Mexico, the home of La Llorona. The conflation of practices and beliefs made me wonder if part of the reason the Garcia family lacked cultural ties was an attempt to appeal to all U.S. Latinos, but in losing that cultural specificity, I lost the connection to what makes our ghost stories “ours.” While it was fun to watch a big budget horror movie finally play in the fertile grounds of Latinx superstitions, I wish we had a better reason to break out our sage.
This review was originally filed from the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Monica Castillo
Monica Castillo is a freelance writer and University of Southern California Annenberg graduate film critic fellow. Although she originally went to Boston University for biochemistry and molecular biology before landing in the sociology department, she went on to review films for The Boston Phoenix, WBUR, Dig Boston, The Boston Globe, and co-hosted the podcast “Cinema Fix.”
After terrorizing generations of Latinos, the spectral weeping woman will be haunting the whole world in the new New Line Pictures film THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA.
The ghost is depicted as a woman in a white gown with long, black hair who is constantly weeping. This visual is both eerie and captivating, adding to the horror elements of the film. Throughout the movie, the curse of La Llorona becomes increasingly terrifying as the spirit becomes more determined to claim Anna's children. The tension and scares are heightened through jump scares, atmospheric cinematography, and chilling sound design. "The Curse of La Llorona" explores themes of guilt, motherhood, and supernatural folklore. It delves into the consequences of past actions and the haunting nature of unresolved emotions. The film also incorporates elements of Mexican culture and mythology, adding depth to the story. While "The Curse of La Llorona" may not be considered a groundbreaking horror film, it succeeds in delivering thrills and scares that fans of the genre can appreciate. It is an entertaining addition to The Conjuring Universe and provides a fresh take on a well-known folklore legend..
Reviews for "The Haunting Atmosphere of "The Curse of La Llorona" Explored"
1. John Smith - 1 out of 5 stars
"The Curse of La Llorona was a disappointing horror film. The plot was predictable and lacked originality. It relied heavily on jump scares, which got repetitive and lost their impact after the first few. The character development was practically nonexistent, and I found it hard to connect or care about any of the characters. Overall, it was a forgettable and formulaic horror movie that didn't live up to the hype."
2. Sarah Johnson - 2 out of 5 stars
"I was really excited to watch The Curse of La Llorona, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver. The storyline felt disjointed and the pacing was off. It took too long for anything substantial to happen, and when it finally did, it was underwhelming. The scares were predictable and lacked creativity. It felt like the film was relying on the legend of La Llorona itself to carry the entire movie rather than putting effort into creating a quality horror experience. Sadly, I was left disappointed and unimpressed."
3. Michael Thompson - 2.5 out of 5 stars
"While The Curse of La Llorona had some genuinely creepy moments, it failed to sustain that level of fear throughout. The plot was thin and the characters felt one-dimensional. The overuse of jump scares became tiresome and made the film feel like a cheap haunted house attraction rather than a well-crafted horror movie. The pacing was also a major issue, with too many slow moments that failed to build suspense effectively. Overall, it had potential but failed to deliver on its promises."
4. Emily Anderson - 2 out of 5 stars
"I found The Curse of La Llorona to be quite disappointing. The story lacked depth and failed to engage me. The jump scares were predictable and became repetitive as the movie progressed. The build-up to the climactic moments was underwhelming, and the resolution felt rushed and unsatisfying. The characters were poorly developed, making it difficult to care about their fates. Overall, I felt let down by this film and wouldn't recommend it to fellow horror enthusiasts."