The Curse Of La Llorona (2019)

When two children are mysteriously drowned, a social worker (Linda Cardellini) in Los Angeles finds herself involved in a 17th century Mexican myth about a ghost who murders children. It isn't long before she must acknowledge to herself that it isn't just a myth but a reality. Directed by Michael Chaves (his feature film debut), this is a surprisingly effective horror potboiler if you go in with lowered expectations. It brings nothing new or innovative to the horror genre but it creates a nice bit of tension with a generous amount of "Boo!" moments. We've seen it all before in movies like THE EXORCIST and POLTERGEIST but the movie does like to tease us. I hate people who talk at movies but I have to admit I was rather amused by a woman in my row who talked to the screen and said things like, "Don't open that door!", "Run, run you fool!" and "Oh no, she isn't". Not a memorable film but it works in its most basic ways. The film breaks taboos about killing children and putting children in harms way which sets it apart. With Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Jaynee Lynne Kinchen, Roman Christou and Marisol Ramirez.