This is a creepy little number based on the Mexican legend of La Llorana or the Crying Woman.It had been filmed a few times previous to this.The first one La Llorana was released in 1933.
The films starts out creepy as can be.A horse drawn carriage ambles through the spookiest woods this side of Hell.The trees are dead, twisted and gnarled and a miasma of fog hangs about.
The carriage driver is knifed by a huge grotesque man.The passengers try to flee.The Crying Woman (staring out of bloody empty eye sockets) releases the most emaciated dogs you'll ever see on them.They kill one man, another man is strangled and the girl is run over by the carriage.
It all boils down to a young woman coming "home" to her rightful inheritance.Too bad it is steeped in evil and involves bringing back to life a murderous witch.This in itself pre dates Black Sunday by a few years.A young woman and her husband arrive at the family home unaware of the gruesome fate in store for them.
We get a nice negative print shot of the history of the Crying Woman.The scenes are culled from films like Man And The Monster and World Of The Vampires.Almost avant garde for its time or a way to save a buck, take your pick.
The young woman is forced to pull a lance out of the heart of the original Crying Woman.Then La Llorana will wreak havoc on the countryside and the young woman will become a vampire.
This has the most drawn out fight scene in movie history.Some of the dialogue is rather goofy.But there is a real dank oppressive atmosphere to this chiller.I also enjoyed the huge bat with a human skull flying into the camera. |
