Director – Damir Catic (Dark Presence, The Lost)
Starring – Nichole Ceballos (The Lost), Parker Riggs (Dark Presence), Gabrielle Santamauro
Release Date – 2013/2019
Rating – 2/5
Tagline – “Hide the children”
I love when I get in indie horror flicks I’ve never heard of before. The titles and artwork always draw out my imagination as I wonder what kind of movie it is I’m about to watch. A few days ago I received The Curse of La Llorona and then a day later I received The La Llorona Curse from my friends over at Wild Eye. These two were just begging for a double feature and I couldn’t pass up the chance of watching these two back to back. I once again want to thank Wild Eye for sending this one over my way to check out.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a paranormal investigator and his cameraman as they work on their next episode. This time they are investigating the La Llorona legend which takes them to the home where a father has his daughter locked away because he suspects she is possessed. This seemingly harmless investigation then takes a dark and deadly turn that leaves the crew in danger.**Spoiler Alert**
I have a hard time getting into found footage flicks. There has been a few that I really enjoyed but I tend to dislike them for the most part. In most, but not all, of the found footage flicks that I’ve seen there is people who are operating the camera or phone that don’t know how it works. This is obviously a plot device to show the viewer that this is a found footage film but it annoys the shit out of me. Any found footage film after 2010 that follows someone in their 20s should NOT have this scene.
I also hate how found footage films have segments where the recording is messed up or distorted even though they are using equipment that is better than most of the filmmakers that make indie films are using. I know they want it to look authentic and amateur but this shouldn’t be a thing unless they are recording on tape. There is just so many things that get under my skin with found footage flicks. The La Llorona Curse is another clichéd found footage film that uses every trick in the book to try to be authentic.
The acting in this one is surprisingly decent. There is a few scenes that made me feel awkward and uncomfortable watching but the film as a whole had actually surprised me.
The story for this one is a little jumbled and all over the place. We go from a standard paranormal investigation found footage film to a possessed one with really no bridge between the gaps. It was just tossed together with no coherency. Honestly, it feels like the movie was intended to go a certain way but had to be changed during filming.
Finally, the film is not one for those looking blood and gore. It is a character driven piece that focuses more on authenticity than effects. Overall, The La Llorona Curse is a forgettable found footage film that does not feel complete. Fans of the sub-genre may enjoy it but this is one that I couldn’t get into.
