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The Curse of La Llorona

This utterly generic ghost story marks a depressing low point not just for the CONJURING universe, but for recent mainstream horror in general.

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Michael Chaves’ debut horror feature THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA has been billed as the sixth entry in the hugely profitable CONJURING franchise. But all this really amounts to is a couple of inconsequential nods to 2014’s possessed-doll chiller ANNABELLE, so the good news is that this new instalment is perfectly accessible to those unfamiliar with the series thus far. Alas, that’s pretty much where the good news ends.

It starts out promisingly enough, with a creepy 17th century-set prologue introducing viewers to the Mexican folk tale of La Llorona, a beautiful young woman who drowned her sons in a fit of jealous rage, and whose spirit roams the earth in search of further young victims. A certain amount of intrigue is sustained as the action relocates to 1970s Los Angeles, where the recently widowed Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) is struggling to juggle her responsibilities as a mother with her job as a social worker. Cardellini brings warmth and nuance to the role, but it’s obvious from the outset that she’s working with a substandard script.

The story takes a compellingly dark turn when Anna mishandles a case of suspected domestic abuse, incurring the wrath of the titular ghost. But as soon as La Llorona sets her sight on the Tate-Garcia children and takes up residence in their home, the film nosedives dramatically. Chaves reveals his inexperience as a director by employing every old trick in the book - creaking floorboards, cracked mirrors, sudden gusts of wind - to generate as many cheap jump scares as he can muster. The cumulative effect is more boring than bone-chilling.

After an interminable middle section, the introduction of Raymond Cruz as an eccentric exorcist brings a welcome dose of humour, even if most of the laughs he provokes seem completely unintentional. But his presence, too, begins to grow tiresome over the course of a wildly over-the-top final showdown. All in all, this utterly generic ghost story marks a depressing low point not just for the CONJURING universe, but for recent mainstream horror in general.

Paul O'Callaghan

Credits

Original title: The Curse of La Llorona
USA 2019, 93 min
Language: English, Spanish
Genre: Horror
Director: Michael Chaves
Author: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis
DOP: Michael Burgess
Montage: Peter Gvozdas
Music: Joseph Bishara
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Patricia Velasquez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Madeleine McGraw
Release: 18.04.2019

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Screenings

  • OV Original version
  • OmU Original with German subtitles
  • OmeU Original with English subtitles
English/with English subtitles
All languages

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