The Curse of La Llorona Movie Review (2024)

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Positive Messages

    none

    No real messages here, except, perhaps: Don't open the door when you're told not to.

  • Positive Role Models

    very little

    A case could be made for seeing Anna as strong and independent; she's lost her husband (a cop) and works while raising two children. She makes plenty of mistakes, but she perseveres.

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Scary stuff; jump scares. Children are in peril and die. A boy falls down the stairs and sprains his wrist. Ghost grabs children's arms, leaving burn marks. Young girl nearly drowned in tub. A character pulls a gun and shoots another character in the shoulder. Some blood shown. Character attacks another, swinging a hammer. Character slammed against wall, dragged by ghost. Ghost stabbed by wooden cross. A child playing "cops" pretends to shoot a gun. Eggs spurt red, goopy stuff everywhere.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • Language

    some

    A use of "s--t," plus "oh my God."

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    a little

    Adults drink wine with dinner; one glugs the rest of a bottle into her glass.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that The Curse of La Llorona is a supernatural horror movie that's connected to the Conjuring universe. It has a lot of spooky scenes and jump scares; children are in peril, and some die. A ghost grabs kids' arms and leaves painful-looking burn marks. A boy falls down the stairs and sprains an arm, and a girl is nearly drowned in a tub. A gun is fired; a man is hit in the shoulder, and some blood is shown. Characters grapple with and attack each other, and the ghost is stabbed with a wooden cross. Language is infrequent but includes a use of "s--t." Adults drink wine in one scene; in a comical moment, a woman glugs the rest of the bottle into her glass. The movie is well-made but perhaps not very memorable; the characters are likable, but the ghost could have been more culturally interesting, rather than appropriated and used as just another movie ghoul. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

What's the Story?

In THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, it's the early 1970s in Los Angeles. Busy social worker/widowed mother of two Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) learns that one of her cases, Patricia (Patricia Velásquez), has locked her own two boys in a closet. Over Patricia's protests, Anna unlocks the door and lets them out. She finds burn marks on the boys' arms, but they insist that their mother didn't do it. Before long, Anna's own children, Samantha (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) and Chris (Roman Christou), start hearing weeping sounds and have their own arms marked by a ghostly figure: La Llorona. A priest (Tony Amendola) sends Anna and her kids to Rafael Olvera (Raymond Cruz), a former priest who now deals in mystic arts, for help. Can they stop the malevolent ghost from taking Anna's children?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Curse of La Llorona's violence. Does the fact that much of the violence is directed at children make it more shocking? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies?

  • How does the movie fit into the Conjuring universe? How does this universe work, overall, as a cinematic experience?

  • What did you learn about the legend of La Llorona? Did you wish you could learn more? Did it inspire you to do further research?

  • Is Anna an admirable female character? Is she a role model?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: April 19, 2019
  • On DVD or streaming: November 14, 2023
  • Cast: Linda Cardellini, Patricia Velasquez, Raymond Cruz
  • Director: Michael Chaves
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Latino actors
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Horror
  • Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
  • Run time: 93 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: violence and terror
  • Last updated: February 9, 2024

Inclusion information powered by The Curse of La Llorona Movie Review (1)

The Curse of La Llorona Movie Review (2024)

FAQs

Is The Curse of La Llorona a good movie? ›

It effectively copies the directing style of James Wan (The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2), who serves as a producer here. And while La Llorona often feels like a copy, it's undeniably more effective than many other choppy, shaky-cam horror movies.

Why was the La Llorona movie bad? ›

The movie is a low budget effort with almost no serious special effects. Half the time the Llorona is a white robe moving in the water here and there. The side story of a couple having lost a child feels forced and fake. The writing is uninspired and the scenes seldom interesting.

How scary is the La Llorona movie? ›

"La Llorona" avoids the tropes of horror... Instead, this smart and elegant film feels like a languid bit of cinematic magical realism where strange things happen - and the real horror lies not in the supernatural but in the savage acts of men. Content collapsed.

What is the controversy with La Llorona? ›

A promotion around the movie The Curse of La Llorona using traditional Mexican healers for “spiritual cleansings” before screenings of the horror film is drawing strong criticism from healers and scholars who say the stunts are offensive and demeaning.

Is The Curse of La Llorona a bad movie? ›

They could've gone the psychological horror way, as they did in The Babadook, and the premise would've made this possible. Instead, they just show you La Llorona in the first 20 minutes, ultimately killing all your interest in this movie. The Curse of La Llorona was not only a lousy horror but a bad movie altogether.

Do the kids survive in The Curse of La Llorona? ›

However, the closet is revealed to actually have been protecting the two boys from a mysterious woman, and once they are freed, they are found in a river dead. When Anna is called to the crime scene, her two kids must come with her, and that is when her son Chris (Roman Christou) first encounters La Llorona.

Where did La Llorona drown her kids? ›

La Llorona has long hair and walks around crying. I heard from the counsellors at Juvie that she had two kids that she drowned because they were bad. She drowned them in Tijuana.

Why did La Llorona drown her kids? ›

She killed her children because she was mistreated after violating a sexual taboo, a “rule of the tribe”: According to legend, La Llorona killed her children and drowned them in the river. There are hundreds of variations on the story, but the point is she gave birth to illegitimate children.

What does Llorona mean in Spanish? ›

La Llorona (Latin American Spanish: [la ʝoˈɾona]; 'the Crying Woman, the Wailer') is a vengeful ghost in Mexican folklore who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children whom she drowned in a jealous rage after discovering her husband was unfaithful to her.

Can a 13 year old watch The Curse of La Llorona? ›

The Curse of La Llorona | 2019 | R | – 1.7.

What happens if you talk to La Llorona? ›

She is always heard weeping for her children, earning her the name "La Llorona". It is said that if you hear her crying, you are to run the opposite way. If you hear her cries, they could bring misfortune or even death.

What year does The Curse of La Llorona take place? ›

Based on the Latin American folklore of La Llorona, the film stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, and Patricia Velásquez, and follows a mother in 1973 Los Angeles who must save her children from a malevolent spirit trying to steal them. The film was produced by James Wan through his Atomic Monster banner.

What is the true story of La Llorona? ›

Some identify her as the damned ghost of a poor woman from Ciudad Juárez, who stabbed her children and disposed of them in the Rio Grande in order to win the affection of a wealthy man. According to another legend, La Llorona is actually La Malinche, the crucial interpreter and lover of Hernán Cortés.

Is The Curse of La Llorona based on a true story? ›

The common belief that the legend of la Llorona began as a Mexican folktale is not quite accurate. The truth is, that the story has been told throughout central and south America for more than 100 years. The earliest recorded mention of la Llorona comes from a sonnet by Mexican poet Manuel Carpio in the mid-1800s.

What is the best La Llorona movie? ›

  1. The Curse of La Llorona (2019) R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller. ...
  2. La Llorona (2019) Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Horror. ...
  3. Chasing Papi (2003) ...
  4. Mujer, casos de la vida real (1985–2007) ...
  5. J-ok'el (2007) ...
  6. The Legend of La Llorona (2011) ...
  7. KM 31: Kilómetro 31 (2006) ...
  8. The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963)

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carmelo Roob

Last Updated:

Views: 6463

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carmelo Roob

Birthday: 1995-01-09

Address: Apt. 915 481 Sipes Cliff, New Gonzalobury, CO 80176

Phone: +6773780339780

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Gaming, Jogging, Rugby, Video gaming, Handball, Ice skating, Web surfing

Introduction: My name is Carmelo Roob, I am a modern, handsome, delightful, comfortable, attractive, vast, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.