La llorona

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2:22

Poster for

La llorona

2019

1h 37m

Crime

Drama

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Alma is murdered with her children during a military attack in Guatemala, but when the general who ordered the genocide is found not guilty 30 years later, Alma returns to the world of the living to torment the man.

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Critics Consensus

La Llorona puts a fresh spin on the familiar legend by blending the supernatural and the political to resolutely chilling effect.

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Anna Smith

Deadline Hollywood Daily

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.

Mar 11, 2021

Full Review

Valerie Complex

AwardsWatch

The cast has an unprecedented chemistry that is held together by actress Maria Mercedes Coroy and her incredible on screen presence.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 27, 2020

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Carolina A. Miranda

Los Angeles Times

"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.

Aug 19, 2020

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Joe Lipsett

Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting

A near perfect embodiment of the richness of the La Llorona legend, this tale presents the mythical woman not as a punishing figure, but as a symbol of the Guatemalan genocide. The result is beauty, haunting, and incredibly memorable

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 30, 2025

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Nadine Whitney

The Curb

La Llorona is a subtle and persuasive masterpiece – a clever piece of horror that asks the audience to witness real life atrocities and recoil from them far more than they recoil from the supernatural.

Rated: A

Sep 27, 2025

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Using his home country’s tragic history as a backdrop, Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante’s horror story is filled with political commentary and indigenous folk.

Feb 14, 2023

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Madde G.

Not too bad, I was a little confused about the grandmother and daughter, but that's probably from the language barrier.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

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Stephen G.

Quite the Haunting introduction to the film. This telling of the story is horrific and quite heartbreaking, as any who watch will have to hear to believe. 1st Guatemalan telling for me and its story is beyond distressing, I can only imagine the Horror to come into play soon. The pain of guilt or pure hysteria, either are giving off such a horrifically haunting vibe. Either Madness has set in or the mystical is starting to appear, things are finally starting to come to light possibly. Fantastic story of Pain and Suffering

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

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revolver.0 8

Good looking and setup, but very naive and superstition. Unfortunately, in reality, due to the lack of conscience such cannibalistic officials do not suffer any moral torment.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/15/25

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Alejandra C

Better than other interpretations from La Llorona

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

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Garrett B

Not scary and weird story in my opinion.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/30/25

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r96 s

'La Llorona' is too slow paced for my liking, it most certainly isn't a bad film though. I just couldn't lock on to what I was watching, every now and then it would hook me in but then I mostly detached again not long later. That's a shame, because there is goodness in this. It's more political drama than horror, not that the latter element is absent but I was anticipating more supernatural to this. That's mostly on me admittedly, probably not helped by the fact that I saw 'The Curse of La Llorona' (also 2019, curiously) last month; that is a more typical horror flick, which I (unlike most) liked fwiw. No-one truly stands out from the cast, though Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kenéfic, María Mercedes Coroy and Julio Díaz do warrant fair praise. If we're talking merit, those behind the actors offscreen would deserve just as much as those front and centre; it is a well shot flick. for example. Not bad, just not good. In my eyes, of course.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

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Jayro Bustamante

Director

María Mercedes Coroy

Alma

Sabrina De La Hoz

Natalia

Margarita Kénefic

Carmen

Julio Diaz

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La llorona: Trailer 1

2:22

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Synopsis

Alma is murdered with her children during a military attack in Guatemala, but when the general who ordered the genocide is found not guilty 30 years later, Alma returns to the world of the living to torment the man.

Director: Jayro Bustamante
Producer: Jayro Bustamante, Gustavo Matheu, Georges Renand, Marina Peralta
Screenwriter: Jayro Bustamante, Lisandro Sanchez
Production Co: Les Films du Volcan, El Ministerio de Cultura Y Deportes de Guatamala, La Casa de Production
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2020
Runtime: 1h 37m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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