The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
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A widowed caseworker must protect her children from a malevolent spirit in 1973 Los Angeles.
The story
In 1973 Los Angeles, a recently widowed caseworker named Anna investigates the truancy of a client's two children. Upon arriving at the residence, she finds the children locked behind a door and is warned to stay away. After the children are taken to a shelter, they are attacked by a woman in a white dress. Anna soon discovers that the mother of the boys, Patricia, has made a desperate pact with a malevolent force known as La Llorona. As Anna's own children begin to experience terrifying incidents and physical marks from the spirit, she must confront the legend to protect her family from the haunting.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins in 1673 in Spanish Mexico, where a mother drowns her children, becoming the spirit La Llorona. In 1973 Los Angeles, caseworker Anna Tate-Garcia investigates the truancy of Patricia Alvarez's children, Carlos and Tomas. After the boys are attacked by a woman in white and taken to a shelter, they are found drowned in a river. Anna's own children, Chris and Sam, are subsequently targeted by the spirit. Anna learns that Patricia, in a fit of madness, prayed to La Llorona to trade her children for Anna's. As the haunting intensifies, Anna seeks help from Father Perez and a folk shaman named Rafael Olvera. During a violent confrontation where the spirit attempts to drown the children in a pool, Anna manages to reclaim a necklace from the spirit. Patricia arrives and, realizing the horror of her actions, allows Anna to help. Chris distracts La Llorona by showing her the necklace, causing her to briefly appear human. However, when Sam reveals a mirror, the spirit reverts and attacks. Anna ultimately defeats the spirit by stabbing it with a cross given by Rafael, ending the haunting.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Chaves
- Writers
- Mikki Daughtry · writer; Tobias Iaconis · writer
- Cast and characters
- Linda Cardellini · Anna Tate-Garcia; Raymond Cruz · Rafael Olvera; Patricia Velásquez · Patricia Alvarez; Marisol Ramirez · La Llorona; Sean Patrick Thomas · Detective Cooper; Tony Amendola · Father Perez; Irene Keng · Donna; Oliver Alexander · Carlos; Aiden Lewandowski · Tomas; Paul Rodriguez · Officer Claro; John Marshall Jones · Mr. Hankins; Ricardo Mamood-Vega · Perez
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror thriller
- Themes
- motherhood; folklore; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- supernatural; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- haunting; urban legend; supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- Latin American folklore
- Franchise connections
- The Conjuring Universe
- Reception
- The film received mostly unfavorable reviews but was a surprise success at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- PostTrak · score: 2.5 · scale: 5 · review count: 48%
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Children.; The character Father Perez was previously seen in the film Annabelle.; The film was a box office success, grossing $123.1 million on a $9 million budget.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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