I really enjoy horror films based on actual events like “The Amityville Horror” and “The Conjuring”. To me, regardless of how accurate they really are, even the hint of truth makes those horror films that much more terrifying. To me, “The Conjuring” remains one of the best horror films of recent memory because it was based on the real case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Seeing as the film was based on real life investigations of the Warrens, the possibility of a franchise based around their cases seemed very promising. Flash forward six years later and two spin-offs have been released this year alone. I recently watched one of those spin-offs, “The Curse of La Llorona” and will now share my thoughts on the film.
The film focuses on case worker Anna Tate-Garcia as she is checking in on her client Patricia Alvarez who’s children have disappeared. During the welfare check on her children, Patricia attacks Anna as she finds her children locked behind a door. Patricia begs Anna not to open the door but Anna does so anyway as Patricia is arrested and her children are sent to a children’s shelter. Anna’s actions have dangerous consequences however as ‘the weeping woman’ drowns Patricia’s children and then marks Anna’s kids as her next victims. Now, Anna quickly learns that the paranormal is real and must enlist the help of former priest Rafael Olvera to protect her children from La Llorona.
“The Curse of La Llorona” is based on a piece of Latin American folklore. The story centers around a beautiful young woman who gets married and has children but despite her beauty, her husband cheats on her sending her into a rage in which she drowns her children. Due to her horrific actions, she is forced to wander for eternity until she can find the bodies of her children. The weeping woman in folklore drowns children in hopes that their bodies will end her suffering since she cannot find her children’s bodies. Unlike “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle”, this movie is based solely on folklore.
This film’s marketing was odd in the sense that it wasn’t officially marketed as a ‘Conjuring Universe’ film although the film was very clearly set within the franchise. Tony Amendola reprises his role of Father Perez from “Annabelle” and the Annabelle doll herself makes a cameo appearance in this film. Perhaps they were afraid this film would be received negatively which is odd considering the film was about on par with “The Nun”.
Now you might be wondering why I haven’t already given you a sense of what a thought of the movie and there is a good reason for that. Honestly, I felt the movie was rather bland. The scares were few and far between and the story wasn’t quite engaging enough to make up for that. Also knowing it is based on a folklore instead of (reputed) actual events takes a little something away from the film.
This film suffers from much of the same pitfalls that befell “The Nun”. Both films lack character development and the cinematography for both films is too darkly life. Darkness does not, in itself, indicate spooky things, it just makes things hard to see for the audience.
Ultimately the film isn’t terrible but falls very short of greatness. It is the kind of film you will watch once and might enjoy but you probably won’t ever revisit. The film had promise, but ‘the Conjuring Universe’ needs to do some course correcting sooner than later.
Grade: D+
