A cardinal sin in the world of horror films is having the mental space to think of other things going on in one’s life while filmmakers are trying to scare the you-know-what out of you. That, regrettably, happens in The Curse of La Llorona.
Although the film from director Michael Chaves is decent overall, due to the fascinating Mexican folklore attached to the terror tale, it wavers and doesn’t punch in the face with its horror. Instead, it gets away with quite a few slaps, but nothing that will leave a mark like La Llorona does with her haunted subjects.
Our story truly commences with Los Angeles social worker Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) doing a drop-in on Patricia Alvarez (Patricia Velasquez). Her sons have not been in school and child services is concerned. When Anna finds a padlock on a closet door, she suspects the kids are inside. Despite the utterly manic objections from Patricia, Anna opens the door. Essentially, that was not a good move. Sure, the boys were in there and Anna believes she has saved the day. Sadly, that move sets off a series of events that will find Anna and her children fighting for their life (and sanity) as the titular spirit wreaks satanic havoc.
Turns out that Anna is a widow. We get the sense that her police officer husband perished relatively recently in this early 70s set flick. That plays a role in the story but isn’t connected to what is happening in any kind of meaningful way by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis’ script. The viewer makes the connection that this is a family that has gone through tragedy and that the timing of this haunting that rattles their world is as evil as the spirit spooking their world. There is the potential for a rich commentary on death and tragedy that could have been intertwined with the cultural folk tale that serves as the story’s skeleton.
Sadly, no connection exists other than its matter-of-fact presentation.
That is the thing about The Curse of La Llorona throughout its 93 minutes. The half-baked horror flick never goes deep when the richness of a cultural connection and its ironic heritage could be explored. It was revealed in that final La Llorona trailer—with its featuring Tony Amendola’s Father Perez—that this film exists within The Conjuring universe. Remember his role in 2014’s Annabelle? So, given that fact, expectations were high for this fan of those films. It never grabbed us by the collar. Another reason why anticipation was high for this film had nothing to do with The Conjuring or even The Curse of La Llorona itself. It stemmed from our reaction to Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. The way that film utilized Latino horror heritage spurred a fascination with that dark element that has us clamoring for more movies that spook us from a story that is anchored in Latino cultural mores.
All involved in The Curse of La Llorona try their hardest to make something about of what little they are given by Iaconis and Daughtry. The cast rises to the potential of the story, especially Cardellini and Raymond Cruz as the former priest, Rafael Olvera. Once Cardellini and Cruz share scenes and the duo pair up to do battle against this weeping haunter that has spent eternity trying to steal children. Her madness began when she drowned her own children in the 1600s (so the folk story goes) to spite her cheating husband. I’m telling you, there is so much potential here. The film is not bad… not by a longshot. It is just tepid where it should be searingly hot. The ghostly effects of the titular character are tantalizing in its ability to conjure up fear whenever we start to hear her wicked wails of regret and despair. But director Chaves never lingers long enough on his monster to instill terror in his audience. I can understand the need to have her supernatural speed with which she attacks her victims to be an enormous part of her scary extoling manner. Just one time, maybe even twice, it would have been something that would have amped up the fear factor is the director had allowed the camera to remain on the brilliant work of his makeup masters. La Llorona is a terrifying image, but how much can it strike fear in your audience if all spotlights of her are fleeting?
Joseph Bishara’s score does wonders for Chaves’ film. With the script being limp throughout—where it should be razor sharp—leave it to a musician to up the emotional ante! Working in tandem with Bishara is cinematographer Michael Burgess. Between the latter’s ability to elevate the scares via visual richness and the former’s musical landscape crafting a frenetic feel of manicness, the feel is there for some decent frights. Unfortunately, it is not enough to have this horror film be something more than simply average.
Cruz is fantastic. His dramatic (and comedic, believe it or not) timing is spot-on. Have loved his work for years, dating back to Under Siege and after the world discovered is true talent on The Closer and then Major Crimes (not to mention his scene-stealing work in Breaking Bad and of course, Better Call Saul) it is great to witness him playing such a crucial role in a horror film as a former priest. Joining him in the awesomeness department is his co-star who he spends a lot of time with in the third and final act, Cardellini. The former star of Legally Blonde dazzles in a role that requires lots of her. She is startling a line that has her having to be strong for her kids, who have just lost their father, while simultaneously having to be strong at work while witnessing children growing up in environments that would rattle anyone with a heart. Meanwhile, Anna is a widow and is dealing with a grave amount of grief herself. Then, her home and family get the haunting of a lifetime… the actress handles it all with grace and supreme talent.
The Curse of La Llorona has a lot going for it. Sadly, there is no oomph to it and that should be one of the first things inserted into any kind of film that lives in this milieu. Instead, the viewer walks away from the experience with the cinematic equivalence of shrugging your shoulders.
Grade: B-