A movie theater gave its young audience the fright of their lives after viewing The Curse of La Llorona by accident.
The Guzzo Marché Central theater in Montréal showed young moviegoers The Curse of La Llorona instead of the highly anticipated Detective Pikachu. Before the movie started, parents and kids were exposed to the Joker and Child’s Play trailers. Good hints the worst was about to come.
The theater apologized for the cinematic mistake and relocated the frightened viewers to the right screening. Must’ve been terrible for parents to witness their children watching a mother drown her children onscreen (seriously).
The Curse of La Llorona (produced by The Conjuring’s James Wan) made it to theaters on April 19, 2019. It stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, and Patricia Velásquez. The malevolent, weeping spirit in the movie haunts a widowed social worker (Cardellini) and her two kids.
Despite La Llorona’s negative reviews, the film hit home in the Hispanic community. The $9 million movie made a successful $113 million worldwide in the box office.
So, what’s the creepy legend behind La Llorona?
The woman has been told throughout Latinx culture as a warning for kids to behave and stay away from large bodies of water while playing outside.
Maria was the woman’s christened name before she became the spirit in the infamous white dress. She drowned her children then herself. Yet, there are numerous variations why she committed such a horrific crime.
The most common story reveals Maria killed her children as revenge for her husband’s adultery. In another, Maria killed them to be with a rich nobleman. The nobleman abandoned her after he learned what she did. Maria threw herself into a river in distraught.
Whatever she has done, La Llorona is forever condemned to wander the earthly plane for all eternity. She can’t enter the afterlife until she has found her children’s bodies.
Eyewitnesses all over Mexico and the American southwest claim to have seen La Llorona. There are even parks named after the spirit: Launa Canyon in Arizona and La Llorona Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Be careful if you ever see La Llorona. She’s still searching for her children. It is said she drowns anybody she meets at night by rivers, streams, and ditches.
If you hear her weeping, that is your sign to run like it’s nobody’s business! If you hear her scream, it’s a fair warning of death.
Best advice to stay at home if you hear a whimper and a glimpse of a faint, willowy figure in white.
