The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963)

- La maldición de la Llorona
An effective, creepy tale, 19 July 2006

Just when you get all smug and begin thinking there are no really good Gothic horrors left to be seen, someone comes along and releases a film on DVD that challenges your mistaken notions of having seen it all. That's the case with Casa Negra's recent release of The Curse of the Crying Woman. It's got everything a fan of Gothic horror could ask for – a slow-burn story that allows for atmosphere, women in black flowing dresses, a crazed madman caged in the attic, a dead witch in the cellar, a deformed and brutish henchman, a creepy old castle, and wonderfully beautiful black & white photography. As a fan of films like Mario Bava's Black Sunday, I'm overjoyed to have discovered The Curse of the Crying Woman. The films share more than their central plot points of bringing a long dead witch back to life, director Rafael Baledon seems to have used parts of The Curse of the Crying Woman to pay homage to Bava. The similarities between the first image of the black-haired Selma standing with her Great Danes is so similar to Barbara Steele's introduction in Black Sunday that it cannot be mere coincidence. Although obviously hampered by budget constraints (again, similar to Bava), Baledon nevertheless was able to craft an effective, creepy tale. It's not the jump scare kind of horror – it's much more subtle than that. It's the kind of movie that, if you allow it to, will get under your skin. It's very well done and new favorite of mine.

And I thought all Mexican horror movies featured masked wrestlers battling werewolves and vampires. I can't wait to see what Casa Negra comes out with next.

9/10