The Curse of the Weeping Woman
Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Marisol Ramirez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen and Roman Christou
A fascinating concept, a brilliant setting but a rushed job—that's how one would encapsulate Michael Chaves' latest offering, The Curse of the Weeping Woman, a spin-off of the Conjuring films. It is a tale about a vengeful spirit that is out to kill children.
The narrative opens in Mexico in 1673, giving us an insight into the Latin American legend of La Llorona or the ghost of the weeping woman—a scorned woman dressed in her wedding gown drowns her two sons in a river and then overridden by grief and guilt, commits suicide.
Then three hundred years later in Los Angeles, while Anna (Linda Cardellini), a widowed mom and a CPS (Child Protective Services) investigator, is investigating a case at the home of Patricia Alarez (Patricia Velasquez), she stumbles upon victims of the "dark spirit" in a white gown and we learn that she has spent three centuries killing kids, trying to replace those she drowned in her fit of rage.
Now Anna's own kids Chris (Roman Christou) and Sam (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) are in danger of getting killed. She goes to the local priest Father Perez who directs her to Rafael Olvera, a man whose "methods are unorthodox".
How Anna and her kids manage to outdo the weeping ghost essentially forms the crux of the tale. While the film appears spooky, its script is just half-baked and lazy.
The narrative is generic and the few jump scares predictable and lacklustre. Barely anything happens because the story is painfully bare bone with hardly any trade-offs.
Linda Cardellini does her best with the material she is given, rightfully capturing the fear and concern of a mother for the safety of her children. Patricia Velasquez as the mother who lost her children and is now out for revenge, is equally potent.
However, Marisol Ramirez, who plays the spirit, has nothing much to do other than shriek throughout the film.
The kids in the film are all endearing and turn out to be successful in giving the story some of its key moments. Tony Amendola as Father Perez shows up in a small two-scene role, connecting the film to the Conjuring series and explaining it is set in 1973.
The film’s biggest disappointment is Raymond Cruz. As the faith healer, he is perfunctory, bland and corny, delivering obtuse, jarring one-liners in the middle of life-threatening scenarios. His silly remarks break the momentum of the seriousness and make the film appear more comical than horror.
Though it’s spooky in parts, The Curse of the Weeping Woman is far from compelling.
Rating: 2/5
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