The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

Directed by Michael Chaves. Starring Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Sean Patrick Thomas, Patricia Velásquez, Tony Amendola, Roman Christou, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Crisian Caingin. [R]

Latest spinoff entry in the Conjuring franchise is barely connected to the others, sticks to relating an old folklore of a ghost who drowned her own children into a contemporary threat when the violent spirit goes after widowed case worker Cardellini and her two kids. Plodding and predictable, with one-note protagonists and no surprises in store; content to just churn out a couple of third-rate jump scares and be immediately forgotten afterward. Aside from a few deadpan cracks courtesy of ex-priest Cruz, the pic can’t even summon cursory entertainment value. Plus, even at a mere ninety minutes, it seems to just go on and on. Amendola’s priest “conjures” up the lone familiar face, and Thomas gets very little to do as a sympathetic detective. In a word: Llame.

33/100