New Year, New Movie: La maldición de la Llorona (1963)

Saturday nights were made for horror, and The Curse of the Crying Woman is just the sort of movie to watch on a foggy winter night. 

"You're entering the Kingdom of the Supernatural...the origin of Evil!"

The Gist

Amelia has been invited by her Aunt Selma to stay with her on the eve of her 25th birthday. She arrives with her new husband, Jaime, not knowing that she is a descendant of La Llorona, and that her aunt expects her to fulfill the prophecy to return La Llorona to life at the stroke of midnight, in the process giving Amelia power and immortality. While she initially rejects her destiny, she soon finds that she thirsts for blood, and is compelled to remove the stake from the corpse of La Llorona as the bell begins to toll at midnight. What transpires shakes the home to the core. 

Memorable Moments

Being welcomed by creepy assistant, Juan.

Unpleasant reflections.

Guarding secrets.

The cursed house.

Aunt Selma announces her presence with horrendous organ music.

Amelia learns of her relation to La Llorona.

Aunt Selma demonstrates her non-reflective properties.

Jaime meets Uncle Daniel.

Aunt Selma tells Amelia of her destiny.

Going through the change.

Selma entertains Jaime with tales from the past.

Scenes from the past.

The fate of La Llorona.

Vicious dog attack.

Too bad he didn't use his gun.

Fulfilling her destiny.

Pausing to reconsider.

Meeting her fate.

My Thoughts

This is my favorite kind of horror film, with coaches traveling through misty nights, a cadre of creepy characters, a dreamlike atmosphere, rotting corpses, and a general sense of dread that is reminiscent of Mario Bava's Black Sunday. Aside from the wailing, this movie has little to do with the traditional Mexican folktale of La Llorona, who is thoroughly evil in this version, with her descendants having vampiric tendencies and their husbands doomed to turn into crazed beasts. It was spooky and enjoyable throughout.