The Curse of La Llorona is a horror film based on the legendary ghost from México that haunts the land in which she murdered her children. It was released in theaters on April 19, 2019. Actress Linda Cardellini, plays Anna, a social worker and mother of Sam (Sierra Heuermann) and Chris Garcia (Roman Christou). As a horror movie produced by the same team as “The Conjuring” universe, I would have expected more.
La Llorona is seen in the beginning of the movie drowning her children back in 1673. Then it fast forwards to 1970’s Los Angeles and takes place there for the duration of the film. It is centered around a social worker, Anna Garcia, and her own kids who are trying to survive and not fall victims to La Llorona’s curse. Anna has to protect her children and make sure no harm comes to them while trying to find a way to get rid of the ghost once and for all.
Many of us grew up listening to these horror stories that were passed down from generation to generation. Although it didn’t quite meet up to my expectations, there were some fun and captivating moments throughout the movie. A few jump scares were cleverly put together for the audience to enjoy. But again, it could have been a lot better.
However, this film did not offer the Spanish culture that I was expecting.
La Llorona’s legendary cry out for her kids is nowhere to be heard in the film. The movie used some Spanish actors and very little Spanish was actually spoken. This frustrated me a little because I was hoping to see something familiar in the film that would embody the terror that this folklore has to offer.
It’s lack of originality has disappointed many who have seen it. It definitely could have been scarier and made better with the platform it was given. Just by adding more thought to the plot or adding a few twists and surprises, it could have been turned into an award winning film. Sadly, this was not the case.
I would rate this film a 6 out of 10 and recommend it to anyone who loves horror films. It isn’t the best but it definitely isn’t the worst out there.