The Cry | |
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Directed by | Bernadine Santistevan |
Written by | Bernadine Santistevan Monique Salazar |
Produced by | Lara Blum Juan Dapena Javier Ramirez Sandoval Bernadine Santistevan |
Starring | Adriana Domínguez Christian Camargo Carlos Leon Míriam Colón |
Cinematography | Richard Lopez |
Edited by | Dario Bigi Doug Forbes |
Music by | Dean Parker |
Distributed by | Monterey Media |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $21,427 [1] |
The Cry (also called La Llorona, which translates to "The Crying Woman") is a 2007 American independent horror film directed by Bernadine Santistevan and co-written with Monique Salazar. [1] [2] [3]
![]() | This article needs an improved plot summary.(September 2018) |
With help from his partner Sergio Perez (Carlos Leon), New York detective Alex Scott (Christian Camargo) is investigating the mysterious disappearance of several missing children. They interview Gloria the Curandera (Míriam Colón) who advises that an evil force is pursuing the reincarnation of her son and is drowning missing children to bring pain to their parents. [2]
The story is based upon the Mexican urban legend of La Llorona. The legend began in Aztec mythos where the goddess Cihuacoatl was said to have taken the form of a beautiful lady draped in white garments to predict the death of her children. This early myth evolved into the modern Mexico version of La Llorona, a woman who, betrayed by her husband, drowned her children out of revenge. As punishment for this horrific act, La Llorona’s spirit is condemned to roam the earth for eternity, crying for her children. [2] [4]
The Cry made its world debut Friday, May 12, 2007 at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the premiere sponsored by The Healy Foundation. [5] In its opening weekend, The Cry made $6,968 at 4 cinemas, and overall made only $21,427 during its theatrical release. [1] It then screened in several European film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, and the Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival on October 30, 2007, after which it was picked up for DVD distribution by Monterey Media. [6]
When the film was released on DVD in May 2008 [2] [7] it received mixed critical attention from the media. Sara Schieron of Box Office Movie Reviews panned the film by stating "...Less-than-middling attempt to exploit the potent Mexican myth of La Llorona (the crying woman) fails largely due to a crutch-like reliance on already weak genre conventions and haphazard script". [8] Kryten Syxx of Dread Central also felt the film was meritless, and after watching it concluded, "Bernadine Santistevan has some talent hidden somewhere, but it sure isn’t used here". [9] Being more forgiving, Justin Felix of DVD Talk wrote "Despite The Cry's letdown of an ending, it was still an interesting character-driven horror film". [10] The Cry does have its supporters. Anthony Thurber of Film Arcade wrote, the "screenplay written by Santistevan and writer Monique Salazar was very frightening. They make this film haunting and very disturbing". [11] Elliot Kotek of Moving Pictures Magazine stated, "Half the brilliance in the film's direction is its speed, so any awkward moments are over quickly and, by not over-penning the piece with long conversations, the filmmakers are rewarded with a rich rising tension often lacking in more fiscally-blessed flicks". [12] And Best Horror Movies wrote "The Cry is suspenseful and shocking, especially in light of the victims of this terrible curse". [13]
La Llorona is a vengeful ghost in Mexican folklore who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children whom she drowned in a jealous rage after discovering her husband was unfaithful to her. Whoever hears her crying either suffers misfortune or death and their life becomes unsuccessful in every field.
A curandero is a traditional native healer or shaman found primarily in Latin America and also in the United States. A curandero is a specialist in traditional medicine whose practice can either contrast with or supplement that of a practitioner of Western medicine. A curandero is claimed to administer shamanistic and spiritistic remedies for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual illnesses. Some curanderos, such as Don Pedrito, the Healer of Los Olmos, make use of simple herbs, waters, or mud to allegedly effect their cures. Others add Catholic elements, such as holy water and pictures of saints; San Martin de Porres for example is heavily employed within Peruvian curanderismo. The use of Catholic prayers and other borrowings and lendings is often found alongside native religious elements. Many curanderos emphasize their native spirituality in healing while being practicing Catholics. Still others, such as Maria Sabina, employ hallucinogenic media. Most of the concepts related to curanderismo are Spanish words, often with medieval, vernacular definitions.
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La Llorona is an oral legend in Latin American folklore.
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Legend Quest: The Legend of La Nahuala is a 2007 Mexican animated horror comedy film released in theaters on 1 November 2007 in Mexico. It was the fourth animated feature film in Mexico to be released, and the first to be exhibited in DTS. The film was a box-office success on its opening weekend, grossing a total of $42.2 million pesos. It was produced by Soco Aguilar and Ricardo Arnaiz and directed by Arnaíz.
"La Llorona" is a Mexican folk song derived from the legend of La Llorona. There are many versions of the song. Its origins are obscure, but, around 1941, composer Andres Henestrosa mentioned hearing the song in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. He popularized the song and may have added to the existing verses.
The Living Coffin is a 1959 Mexican Western horror film focusing on a ranch haunted by evil spirits. It incorporates the story of La Llorona.
"La Llorona" is the 9th episode of the second season of the supernatural drama television series Grimm, which premiered on October 26, 2012, on NBC. The episode was written by Akela Cooper, and was directed by Holly Dale.
La Llorona is a 1933 Mexican supernatural horror film directed by Ramón Peón, written by Fernando de Fuentes and Carlos Noriega Hope, and stars Ramón Pereda, Virginia Zurí, Adriana Lamar and Carlos Orellana. It was the first Mexican horror film with sound.
The Curse of La Llorona is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. Based on the Latin American folklore of La Llorona, the film stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, and Patricia Velásquez, and follows a mother in 1973 Los Angeles who must save her children from a malevolent spirit trying to steal them. The film was produced by James Wan through his Atomic Monster banner and, though not considered an installment in the franchise, takes place within The Conjuring Universe.
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