October Horror Movie Challenge: The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - The Conjuring Series

There is some debate on whether or not The Curse of La Llorona is really part of the Conjuring Universe. There are connections with characters, namely, Tony Amendola as Father Perez and much of the same production team. But it doesn't include the Warrens at all, which seems to be the defining element to be a proper Conjuring movie. But I have enjoyed tales about La Llorona in the past, so I wanted to include it. 

The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - Conjuring Timeline 1673, 1973

The highlight of this movie for me is Linda Cardellini as Anna Tate-Garcia, the case worker who uncovers the mystery of La Llorona.  

The story follows social worker Anna, who gets tangled up in the legend of La Llorona, the “Weeping Woman” cursed to wander the earth, drowning children to replace the ones she lost. Naturally, Anna’s own kids become the next target. With help from a former priest turned folk healer (Raymond Cruz), she has to protect them as the ghostly figure stalks the family through a series of dark nights and spectral encounters.

On its own terms, the movie is serviceable but forgettable. Sadly this is true for many of the La Llorona movies I have seen.  The scares are formulaic, long silences, sudden jolts, loud noises, bones cracking, and while La Llorona’s design is creepy enough, she never feels as iconic as Valak or even Annabelle. The performances are solid (Cardellini anchors the film with genuine emotion), but the script doesn’t give them much to work with beyond the usual haunted-house beats.

Where things get messy is the franchise connection. The film was marketed as part of the Conjuring universe, largely because of a cameo by Father Perez (Tony Amendola), the same priest from Annabelle (2014). But that’s it, no Warrens, no lore tie-ins, no connective tissue beyond a wink and a nod. The result is that La Llorona feels more like an afterthought than a true expansion of the world. It’s a missed opportunity: imagine if the film had really leaned into the folklore and shown us how global legends tie into the same demonic forces the Warrens fight. Instead, it plays like “Conjuring-lite.”

At the end of the day, The Curse of La Llorona is a footnote, a half-step: a film that wants to belong to the Conjuringverse but never quite earns its place. It’s not bad, exactly; it’s just uninspired. Horror fans deserved a folkloric deep dive; instead, they got a by-the-numbers spookfest with a brand-name label slapped on. The only thing that saves this is Linda Cardellini.

This was easily my least favorite so far. I'll go watch some Spanish-language La Llorona. They may not be any better, but at least I can practice my Spanish.

Occult D&D and NIGHT SHIFT

La Llorona could make a great folkloric monster. The archetype of the grief-stricken, child-stealing ghost is strong, perfect for Ravenloft or a NIGHT SHIFT. But in this film, the execution never matches the potential. It’s like the DM came up with a great monster idea but only used it for random jump scares instead of building a full scenario around it.

I get it. I have been following tales of La Llorona for decades. I wanted to use her in WitchCraft RPG buit never could get her just right. The same trouble, it seems, the filmmakers had here.

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