La Maldición de la Llorona aka The Curse of the Crying Woman
Release date: August 15, 1963
Cast:
Rosita Arenas as Emelia
Abel Salazar as Jaime
Rita Macedo as Selma
Carlos Lopez Moctezuma as Juan
Enrique Lucero as Daniel
Story by Fernando Galiana
Screenplay & Directed by Rafael Baledon
Plot:
Emelia returns to her aunt’s hacienda only to find that she is planning on using her to bring a witch back to life. Is her aunt behind the mysterious cries in the night?
Richard’s Review:
This was my first time watching Curse of the Crying Woman and it’s become a highlight of this year’s Halloween season. It starts strong with an atmospheric coach ride through a bleak forest in the night. A mysterious woman and her sidekick appear, a crying woman is heard and the hounds are released. The driver and all three passengers are killed, thus setting the stage that more death will follow.
The plot does quite a bit to stretch and reform the classic tale of La Llorona, almost to the point that it’s a retelling with new twists and turns. That may throw some viewers off but I embraced it. The cast all does quite well in their respective roles, despite being a little over dramatic from time to time. And the big climax does go on a bit too long. However, none of these deterred me from enjoying this classic.
Despite a smaller budget, director Rafael Baledon makes us believe it’s an expansive set, courtesy of a staircase that seemingly goes on forever, a looming bell that you know will play a part later in the film and a large entry way into the house. Add to that some effective makeup work from Armando Meyer and a haunting score from Carlos Cesar Carrion, the end result is an incredibly entertaining film.
Seek this one out and and it to your Halloween viewing schedule. Highly recommended!
Extras on the Blu-ray include a wild interview with Julissa de Llano Macedo and Cecilia Macedo discussing their unique relationship they had with their mother Rita Macedo. There are some crazy moments that are almost as entertaining as the movie (in an entirely batshit crazy kind of way). Plus, there’s a documentary on director Rafael Baledon that’s a lot calmer and, ultimately, more informative.
Karla’s Review:
This Mexican horror classic seemingly had a smaller budget in some ways, evident by the small cast. Initially, the atmosphere pulled me in but I was quickly thrown off by the plot. It strays quite a bit from the traditional aspects of the La Llorona lore and that became a big stumbling point for me. I just didn’t quite care for this version and I know it was all due to my inability to get beyond the different story. I was glad to see to her break the family curse at the end but it just wasn’t enough for me to like this one. I might need to revisit this again with a more open mind.
Trivia:
An earlier version of the legendary tale, La Llorona, was made in 1933. It’s an important part of Mexican film history and, thankfully, is available on Blu-ray from Indicator as well.
Availability:
The Curse of the Crying Woman is available on Blu-ray as part of the Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault 1959-1963 from Powerhouse and Indicator.
Recommended Reading:
The Mexican Masked Wrestler and Monster Filmography by the late Robert Michael “Bobb” Cotter is available on Amazon. Highly recommended!
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