Written by John Edward Betancourt Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘La Llorona’. Something that is truly fascinating in regard to modern mankind, is how much stock we continue to put into ancient stories and fables from our past. The kind that quite frankly… should no longer have any weight in our current world. After all, this is the age of technology and science, and with a simple swipe on our smartphones, we can access the compendium of human knowledge and feast upon facts that prove the mystical to be nothing more than figments of our imagination. So why then, do we bother to continue to ponder upon the nature of ghosts and their intent or ancient myths that surround a particular person, place or thing? Well, in regard to ghosts, it could be related to our concerns about what happens when we die, since we don’t have a clue if we go on in some capacity when we pass away. Plus, all of this could tie into our fascination with the unknown, since there are still some mysteries that we have yet to unlock when it comes to our world and our universe. But more than likely, all of this comes down to the fact, that myths still find ways to impact and move us. For they often include a powerful lesson on morality and decency and focusing upon them and their origin allows for us to learn a little more about what’s formed the society we live in today and how we can be a better person, and most important of all… pouring over them allows for us to understand how they can properly apply to our modern world. For the finest fables out there find ways to adapt to stay relevant to the times and really, all of this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because the horror streaming service Shudder, has an exclusive/original horror film that manages to explore all of those elements in a fascinating manner in La Llorona. Now in this particular tale we are transported to Guatemala to spend time with a man of questionable morals. For General Enrique Monteverde, has been brought up on charges involving genocide. For when he was younger, his forces were involved in some dubious military actions involving the natives of this great land, the kind that appeared to be a form of ethnic cleansing, and the evidence presented against him, motivates the court to find him guilty. But a technicality at the highest level, forces the charges to be reversed, much to the disdain of the people of Guatemala, since there is little, they can do now but protest and remind him of his horrible actions. But as is often the case, the universe tends to a find a way to provide balance and peace to those that have been wronged. And the arrival of a new maid named Alma at the Monteverde residence, reinforces that fact. For she is a harbinger of doom for the general, one that is going to properly punish him for all the lives he’s taken, in a manner that outright seems impossible in the modern world. So, at its core, this particular film is a re-jigging of the ancient fable of La Lllorona. Which in itself is a myth that has evolved throughout the years. In fact, in my household, my mother told us of how her mother would use this fable as a threat akin to Krampus. Since grandma’s iteration of this spirit was designed to make children behave, out of fear of being kidnapped by a wicked spirit, and she told us of this variant; simply because other kids in her neighborhood, heard different versions of La Llorona’s story in their households. The kind that spoke to a broken spirit that desperately needed children to find peace in the afterlife, or to atone for the sin of killing her own. All of which speaks volumes to how fables and myths can quickly change over time and be adapted as necessary, which definitely applies to this film for certain. Because here, she is an agent of revenge, one that has come from beyond to make a wicked man pay for his sins and this is a brilliant twist to put upon the myth. Because not only does it compel the viewer to see how she is going to make him pay for his crimes, it provides the audience with a supremely unique horror story through and through. Because in this particular instance, La Llorona, or Alma as she prefers to be called… doesn’t act like a movie ghost in the slightest. For instead of terrorizing people in a horrible and intense manner, she uses patience and time and memories, so that the general can face his past and feel the guilt he pretends he doesn’t have swirling inside his soul, and she also works to inform others of her experience so that her life has meaning and gravity. Which are some dynamic twists to inject into a story that is in essence, a fascinating hybrid of modern and classic storytelling. Since it takes an old fable and inserts it into a modern setting, all while offering up a classic, gothic feel from beginning to end. If anything, it is best to label this particular horror film as downright brilliant. Because not only does it do a phenomenal job of transforming a terrifying legend into a force for good, it also offers up a supremely special horror story. One that manages to hold your attention from beginning to end by taking the audience into unexpected and fresh territory. But while it is indeed wonderful to enjoy a refreshing horror story that manages to blend together so many eras and elements of the genre in a seamless fashion, what truly allows for this story to stand out above the rest… is that it never loses sight of the greatest mystery/legend of all in modern times. Specifically, why mankind is capable of such cruelty to one another. For the general truly is a monster, one that resembles so many from our modern history and perhaps that’s really why we fawn over the unknown and fables that speak to morality. So that we can finally understand the darkness that we indulge in and perhaps the day that we finally figure that mystery out, is when our obsession with these tales, will come to an end. ‘La Llorona’ is streaming now, exclusively on Shudder.
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