Parents' Guide to The Curse of La Llorona

Though it certainly could have been scarier and made better use of its premise, this film is still an accomplished, skillful effort in terms of its crisp, fluid look and spooky sound design. The feature directing debut of Michael Chaves, The Curse of La Llorona is the sixth entry in the Conjuring universe. It effectively copies the directing style of James Wan (The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2), who serves as a producer here. And while La Llorona often feels like a copy, it's undeniably more effective than many other choppy, shaky-cam horror movies. The traveling Steadicam work, the lengthy shots, the establishing of three-dimensional space, and the sharp editing all contribute to a strong moodiness.

The creepily quiet sound design is enhanced by Joseph Bishara's score. But overall the movie feels somewhat bloodless and not particularly edgy; it's more like watching a classic haunted-house movie than anything fresh or startling. It's a shame that the La Llorona legend wasn't used in a more interesting way, shedding light on what she means to specific cultures, rather than appropriating her and turning her into just another standard-issue movie ghost. But the movie's humans, especially the immensely likable Cardellini, cool-as-ice Cruz (Tuco from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), and quietly consoling Amendola, who explains the legend, help make The Curse of La Llorona a decently watchable experience.