La Llorona (2020)
79%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 7 nominations
La Llorona puts a fresh spin on the familiar legend by blending the supernatural and the political to resolutely chilling effect
La Llorona is a horror movie that will make you think twice about going out at night. The film is a perfect blend of suspense, magic, and horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The cast is amazing, and Maria Mercedes Coroy’s performance is simply outstanding. The movie is not your typical horror flick, as it deals with the harsh realities of genocide and the savage acts of men. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of things that go bump in the night to keep you entertained. Overall, La Llorona is a must-watch for horror fans and anyone who loves a good scare.
Production Company(ies)
Orion-Nova Productions,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and terror
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:France, Guatemala
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2020
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
La Llorona, horror, Spanish, Jayro Bustamante, Maria Mercedes Coroy, Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kénefic, Julio Diaz, Maria Telón, Juan Pablo Olyslager, Gustavo Matheu, Georges Renand, Marina Peralta, Lisandro Sanchez, box office, budget, reviewed by Anna Smith, Valerie Complex, Carolina A Miranda, Claudia Puig, K Austin Collins, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Victor Pineyro, Danilo Castro, Fernanda Solórzano, Taylor Baker, Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez, MPAA rating, supernatural, political, genocide, indigenous women, horror tone, suspense, horror movie, genre-bending, poetic, tension, effective, sophisticated, magical realism, savage acts of men, cinematography, sound design, featured reviews, audience score, streaming, rent/buy
Worldwide gross: $123,133,739
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $142,275,438
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 858
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 15,515,315
US/Canada gross: $54,733,739
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $63,242,347
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 967
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,347,631
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $30,443,490
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 451
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,399,091
Production budget ranking: 1,652
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,599,910
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $126,276,436
ROI to date (est.): 789%
ROI ranking: 163
Sabrina De La Hoz – Natalia
Margarita Kénefic – Carmen
Julio Diaz – Enrique
María Telón – Valeriana
Juan Pablo Olyslager – Letona
Jayro Bustamante – Director/Producer/Writer
Gustavo Matheu – Producer
Georges Renand – Producer
Marina Peralta – Producer
Lisandro Sanchez – Writer
Director(s)
Jayro Bustamante
Writer(s)
Jayro Bustamante, Lisandro Sanchez
Producer(s)
Jayro Bustamante, Gustavo Matheu, Georges Renand, Marina Peralta
Film Festivals
Sundance, Venice, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (97) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (93) | Rotten (4)
While there are moments of effective suspense, this isn’t shooting for a typical horror tone. The terrors of this film are the realities of genocide — for indigenous women in particular.
March 11, 2021
Anna Smith
Deadline Hollywood Daily
TOP CRITIC
The cast has an unprecedented chemistry that is held together by actress Maria Mercedes Coroy and her incredible on screen presence.
August 27, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Valerie Complex
AwardsWatch
TOP CRITIC
“La Llorona” avoids the tropes of horror… Instead, this smart and elegant film feels like a languid bit of cinematic magical realism where strange things happen – and the real horror lies not in the supernatural but in the savage acts of men.
August 19, 2020
Carolina A. Miranda
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
What I love about this film is the way it blends genres… It has everything you expect in a horror movie — things that go bump in the night — but in this much more sophisticated way.
August 18, 2020
Claudia Puig
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
[A] taut, effective new horror film.
August 17, 2020
K. Austin Collins
Vanity Fair
TOP CRITIC
Bustamante’s reimagining of the famous folkloric figure is a reminder that in the right hands, horror can be turned into something with almost indescribably enormous ideological potency.
August 9, 2020
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
AWFJ Women on Film
TOP CRITIC
Without delving into mysticism, the film delivers great suspense supported in acting, sound and the beauty of not showing too much. I was amazed this genre-bending movie was actually a success. [Full review in Spanish]
June 23, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
Whatever imperfections there are pale in comparison to the profound tension you feel as you watch the film. It’s the rare film that services horror fans and general audiences alike.
May 17, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Danilo Castro
Next Best Picture
Beautiful… poetic. [Full review in Spanish]
October 21, 2021
Fernanda Solórzano
Letras Libres
…capture impeccably framed shots that are stirring to view by themselves, when paired with small nudges to the zoom and angle those same shots begin to cause a sense of…
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 76/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
From that deep pain, [Alma] will clean Enrique’s house down to its foundation. [Full review in Spanish]
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez
En Filme
Impeccably made. [Full review in Spanish]
July 30, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Javier Perez
Cine Premiere…
Plot
Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona’s deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film La Llorona on Fresh Kernels.
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