The Curse of La Llorona | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I wasn't in a rush to see this movie, to be honest. I knew that it was connected to the Conjuring Universe, but also heard that the connection was so flimsy that it didn't really make a difference. Nevertheless, it was still on my list of films to watch, just because of how much I love horror.

Social Worker Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) has seen many things during her time as a social worker. But one case, involving a woman whose two children end up dead, stays with her. Especially when it seems like whatever targeted that woman has now set its sights on her own family.

I liked this movie, but for so many reasons I didn't love it.

However, that's not to say that it's a really good movie or anything. The reason I like it is because it's just a run-of-the-mill horror. It's not doing anything different from films like Paranormal Activity, for example.

It's also not showcasing anything new in the telling of the story. The only original thing about the film is its villain, La Llorona, who is very original and has a very original motivation. Not that this was a particularly good motivation (as it was something that she brought on herself through bad decisions) but it was nice to not see a movie about a house being haunted or something.

It's also ironic that the protagonist of the film is a social worker, because she's not a good parent at all! Her children were definitely too young to be left alone for as long and as often as they were - especially once Cardellini's character was dealing with these mysterious deaths.

Now, despite what I said in the first paragraph, there is a nice tie-in with the Conjuring Universe, but to be honest, I think this film would have been better as a complete stand-alone. There was no need for the tie-in, as it added nothing to the story.

And in addition to that, it wasn't particularly scary. I mean, I understand how the idea of La Llorona could be scary, but I wasn't actually scared while watching the film.

Plus, the ending was really weak, and a bit disappointing.

However, all of the acting in the film was great, particularly that of the children, who really carried this movie. Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen who played Chris and Samantha respectively were amazing in their roles. Without them (and obviously the amazing Linda Cardellini), I don't know if this film would have been even half as good as it was.

Overall, if you're not a fan of horror, of the Conjuring universe, or anything like that, give this one a miss, as it probably won't do anything for you. But if you are a Conjuring fan, it's always nice to see all the films in a series - even the spin-offs!

5.5/10

Lou