The Curse of La Llorona: Review

The figure of La Llorona is one that has haunted Mexican folklore for centuries, terrifying generations of families – but does the tale translate to global success with the release of supernatural-horror The Curse of La Llorona? Well, that depends on what you’re after – it does jump scares well, but doesn’t strive for much more.

Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) is a social worker in 1970s Los Angeles, who is tasked with taking away the children of a troubled mother. She ignores the mother’s warning about a ghost called La Llorona – the “Weeping Woman” – but soon finds that the spectre is haunting her own family, hoping to take her two children. The family’s only hope of surviving La Llorona and her deadly wrath is a disillusioned priest (Raymond Cruz) who practices mysticism to keep evil at bay – but will he be able to defeat the spirit, or will the curse of La Llorona wind up consuming them all?

It’s good that the actors can bring life to their characters, because they’re otherwise incredibly underdeveloped

Although it hasn’t really played up the angle (and doesn’t in the film, aside from a brief reference to Annabelle), The Curse of La Llorona is another film in what has now been dubbed ‘The Conjuring universe’, and it fits in stylistically, at least – expect a film full of jump scares, backed up with some strong acting, and you won’t be far wrong. It’s incredibly effective in delivering those jumps, and some of the set-pieces are genuinely quite nerve-wracking (if not overly frightening). The trailers have ruined a good scene set in a car, but there’s also a great set-piece involving an umbrella. You see where they’re going immediately, but that doesn’t make them any less effective.

The film is also grounded by some great acting. Cardellini (currently also in cinemas as Hawkeye’s wife) grounds Anna, adding a degree of maturity to some of the film’s sillier moments. She plays well with Cruz, and the film picks up with his introduction – a grumpy, sarcastic ex-priest who confronts the demons and adds comic relief in a way that doesn’t feel forced. You get maybe a half-hour of him, but it’s not wasted. Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen are also strong as Anna’s children, even though her daughter is painfully useless throughout the narrative.

The Curse of La Llorona glosses over a lot of the folklore associated with its titular character, rendering her generic and not very threatening

It’s good that the actors can bring life to their characters, because they’re otherwise incredibly underdeveloped. There’s supposed to be some emotion in the fact that Anna’s husband, a police officer, has died prior to the events of the film, but it’s only really sketched in and proves of little consequence to the plot. The film also gestures vaguely at child abuse issues, drawing parallels between the supernatural markings that La Llorona leaves and real-life abuse, and the dynamic this creates is an interesting one – it’s a shame, then, that it only lasts a single scene, before being immediately forgotten.

I also want to note that, in the rush to fit this film into The Conjuring universe, The Curse of La Llorona glosses over a lot of the folklore associated with its titular character, rendering her generic and not very threatening. There’s an effective opening scene set in 1673 Mexico, but then many of the key aspects of the figure are explained quickly and in a confusing manner. We’re told that lights repel her, yet she just extinguishes them. We’re told that she comes for naughty children, yet she seems after any child she finds. Apparently, half of the viewing audience for this film in the US were Hispanic – I wonder if they felt that their culture was under-served by this movie.

So, what should you make of The Curse of La Llorona? It’s an effectively-made film, full of jump scares that have their desired effect – if you go into the film expecting that much, you won’t be disappointed. But there was so much to work with in the movie’s premise, and it feels like it could’ve been so much more developed and compelling than it is.