Read Mixed User Reviews for The Curse of La Llorona

6

ayarlettApr 21, 2019

It wasn't that bad. Just your run of the mill horror movie with jump scares and a reasonably scary monster. 6 out of 10 for me.

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5

Daniel_EndureApr 19, 2019

Predictable? Yes. Entertaining, though? Also, yes. Everything about The Curse Of La Llorona screams "average." The acting is good only half the time, the script is good half the time (particularly with the horror thrills), and even thePredictable? Yes. Entertaining, though? Also, yes. Everything about The Curse Of La Llorona screams "average." The acting is good only half the time, the script is good half the time (particularly with the horror thrills), and even the cinematography goes from top-notch one moment to near trash the next.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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5

joeyabukiApr 19, 2019

VERY BAD this new installment of The Conjuring Universe. All the cliches of the genre, the weeping woman turns quickly and it breaks bones, that even shows up in the trailer when the child sees her, jump cheap scares and all the same oldVERY BAD this new installment of The Conjuring Universe. All the cliches of the genre, the weeping woman turns quickly and it breaks bones, that even shows up in the trailer when the child sees her, jump cheap scares and all the same old things that people of today like, like for example everything is silent, suddenly a loud sound and she appears behind you in the shadows. TOTALLY PREDICTABLE. When the girl looks out the door I already knew it was for her doll and voila, that was it. Everything is fortuitous. The stupid shaman that is trying to be funny, the kids behaving so foolish that everyone in the room wanted to punch them, people laughed and they were angry (but that's the script's fault). The other mexican crazy lady that becomes bad and vindictive in order to finish the others, and in the end is redeemed from one moment to another because the plot says. This movie is like a Mexican fast food in the USA that you find in a corner, which is not the REAL FOOD in Mexico. It has good things and I know that there are people who like this kind of cheap fear, and there were some who got scared in the room and even shouted and covered their faces.

SPOILER: In the end they kill La Llorona, that's like killing The Bogeyman, totally absurd, that's an urban legend in all Latin America, a folklore, a woman who lost her children and is walking around kidnapping others. You can't kill Baba Yaga.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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4

TheQuietGamerJun 8, 2021

By far the strangest entry in the Conjuring Universe. The only connection it shares with the other films in that world is a brief appearance from Tony Amendola as Father Perez, who you may remember from the first Annabelle. It's a fairlyBy far the strangest entry in the Conjuring Universe. The only connection it shares with the other films in that world is a brief appearance from Tony Amendola as Father Perez, who you may remember from the first Annabelle. It's a fairly insignificant tie-in however, as outside of that one small reference getting made it largely does its own self-contained thing. So if you're solely interested in watching this to ensure you don't miss out on any aspect of the bigger picture this web of interconnected horror is creating, rest assured this is an inconsequential piece of the puzzle that you won't regret skipping. Not least of all because it's not very good.

This could have been a great opportunity to bring a more diverse perspective to theaters due to its use of Latin American folklore and a primarily Hispanic cast. Unfortunately, that potential was squandered by the casting of a white woman in the lead role (showing once again that mainstream Hollywood flat out does not care about women of color) and failure to use the culture in any way to distinguish the movie from your average haunted house flick. So if this was an attempt to bring some representation to cinemas, it's a pretty miserable misstep on that front.

Of course it's also not very successful as a horror film either. The titular La Llorona is a particularly loathsome specter as a result of her fondness for drowning children, but Michael Chavez was unable to make her the slightest bit scary. All she ever does is predictably pop out screaming with her arms outstretched, yank people off-screen umpteen times, or simply stand in place and try to look creepy. None of which prove effective at getting the adrenaline going.

There's also a weird tonal shift about halfway through. The first portion plays out in a very serious and self-respecting manner. It's not exactly "good," but nowhere near as awful as its reputation would have you believe. When Raymond Cruz's character shows up however, things start to get a bit cheeky. A playful tone creeps its way in and you start noticing the appearance of jokes in what I can only assume was an effort to capture some of the campiness that made The Nun an unexpected blast. It got to the point where I literally turned to the person next to me and asked "when did this become a comedy?" The pacing does increase at this point, but just when it looks like it's about to go into high gear it instead abruptly ends as the ghost is defeated in an anticlimactic and unintentionally hilarious manner. It was at this point I realized just how bad and slapped together the whole experience is.

This was very clearly just a test run to get Chavez ready to direct the third Conjuring. Because of that it's understandable why Wan and crew were still willing to give him the reigns in spite of how rushed and sloppy this turned out. Unfortunately for us, they missed the fact that nothing he put onscreen was able to raise so much as a single goosebump. La Llorona is a fright-free mess that feels like each of its writers had different visions and instead of coming together split the script duties down the middle, never makes satisfying use of its shared universe ties, and fails to respectfully depict the culture it's borrowing from.

4.5/10… Expand

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6

Davrosdaleks1Apr 20, 2019

La Llorona, based on the Mexican folktale about a ghost who drowns children, is about a seventies case worker (played by Linda Cardellini) trying to protect her children (played by Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynn Kinchen) from the titularLa Llorona, based on the Mexican folktale about a ghost who drowns children, is about a seventies case worker (played by Linda Cardellini) trying to protect her children (played by Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynn Kinchen) from the titular ghost (played by Marisol Ramirez). Though it picks up in the last act, this movie is rather dull.

Beginning exhibition is stilted. Most of the characters aren't interesting, including Cardellini's character and I usually like her work. This is a Conjuring-verse movie. The franchise has done a wonderful job with child characters and actors. Until now. When the horrible stuff starts happening, the kids are just so frustratingly unresponsive to the events around them for a good portion of the film. Only Tony Amendola as a priest has a lively performance and it's a bit part.

Movie isn't really scary. Frights are predictable and often uninteresting. La llorona is a very basic ghost character and there isn't much visually interesting about her. I do give credit to whoever worked on her dress. It shifts from white to dirty black really nicely. This is how much I was bored, I was noticing color gradients.

There are a few nice shots, but on a whole the cinematography is uninteresting, not to mention the lighting. This is director Michael Chaves' first feature film and it shows. It's not so much a case of being a bad director than an inexperienced one.

The reason I'm not giving this a lower rating is that the final act and confrontation with La Llorona is directed a little better and a little fun at times. Raymond Cruz shows up as a healer and he has the only funny lines in the film. His methods to deal with the ghost are kind of interesting including a fun scene involving eggs. There is a transition shot that stands out because it's the best in the film.

Overall in the Conjure-verse rankings, I'd put this above Annabelle and below the rest. If you're a franchise completionist, knock yourself out. I wouldn't say there is anything strong enough to deter you. As for everyone else, there are stronger horror films out there.… Expand

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6

JAKEJACOBJORDSep 22, 2021

GOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOODGOOD

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5

BrianMcCriticMay 11, 2019

To paint by numbers to recommend, even as there are moments that are pretty good. I wish this was a film that took more risks but an interesting tale quickly becomes a standard horror film. Overall a high 5 a C+.