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Summary
- “The Curse of La Llorona” was initially believed to be a standalone film, but it was later revealed to be connected to the greater “Conjuring” universe.
- Tony Amendola reprises his role as Father Perez from “Annabelle” in “The Curse of La Llorona,” making it a direct connection between the two films.
- While the film doesn’t officially belong to the “Conjuring” universe, it contains Easter eggs and references that link it to the broader cinematic universe, leaving the possibility open for a future connection.
The Curse of La Llorona is a standalone horror movie with ties to a greater universe, but how does La Llorona connect to The Conjuring? When New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. released The Conjuring in 2013, they had no idea just how big it would become. The James Wan-directed film is viewed as one of the modern classics of the genre and received critical praise upon release. This translated to box office success too, as The Conjuring grossed $319 million worldwide against a relatively low $20 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). The studios capitalized on this runaway success, and The Conjuring was turned into an entire cinematic universe.
Annabelle marked the first expansion of The Conjuring universe in 2014, followed by The Conjuring 2 in 2016. Following that, Warner Bros. has not had a year without a new installment (with the only exception being 2022). However, The Curse of La Llorona is the only movie without a sequel, which makes it feel like an outlier in the franchise. While Annabelle and The Nun appear in The Conjuring movies, this installment is kind of off on its own, leading to the question of, “how does La Llorona connect to The Conjuring?”
The Curse Of La Llorona’s Spot In Conjuring Universe Is Confusing
The film did not tease any connections to a larger universe in the marketing and was believed to be just a regular, standalone supernatural thriller. This was proven to not be the case when the film first screened at SXSW earlier this year and reactions to the film confirmed that The Curse of La Llorona is connected to the previous Conjuring movies and was considered to be part of the universe. The architects of the entire Conjuring franchise, James Wan and Gary Dauberman, were attached as producers on the movie, which should’ve been a major giveaway that such a reveal was coming.
However, the Conjuring connection ultimately turned out to not be true (via Collider). La Llorona director Michael Chaves commented that the 2019 movie ultimately can’t be part of The Conjuring universe because one key Conjuring producer wasn’t involved. The filmmaker commented,
“There’s so much debate about it and I think I’ve played coy in the past. One of the reasons that it couldn’t formally be a part of the Conjuring Universe is it didn’t include one of the key producers, Peter Safran. The Conjuring is his baby.“
Father Perez Was In The First Annabelle Movie
One of the major connections that The Curse of La Llorona makes to the Conjuring franchise is having Tony Amendola reprise his role as Father Perez. He first appeared in Annabelle, making this his second appearance in the franchise. In Annabelle, Perez is contacted by John and Mia Form, who ask for his help after the spirit that possesses the Annabelle doll attacks their family. Perez is the one who explains the connection between the demon and Annabelle to the family. He attempts to help them by taking Annabelle to a church but is attacked by the demon before he can get inside and winds up in the hospital.
These events all happened in 1967, but Perez is now healthy and continuing to serve as a pastor in 1973. He once again is used as an advisor during the supernatural events that Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini) and her family face. Anna asks him if he knows anything about La Llorona, and he explains the legend. But, he refuses to get involved with another supernatural activity and directs Anna and her family to an ex-priest who may be of service. Chaves also explained the reason behind including an actor and character that’s shared with The Conjuring universe, commenting, “Peter still gave his permission to let the character be in there.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Stream The Curse of La Llorona on Max
Annabelle’s Cameo In The Curse Of La Llorona Explained
Perez’s lack of interest in helping the Tate-Garcia family may keep his overall role small in The Curse of La Llorona, but there is one other part of his screen time that reminds viewers in a more obvious way of the film’s connection to the larger universe. When Perez is explaining the legend of La Llorona to Anna, he alludes to his previous supernatural encounter with Annabelle. Instead of letting hardcore fans piece together the connective tissue though, The Curse of La Llorona makes the connection obvious, clearly displaying the Annabelle doll.
It doesn’t last long, but the movie does briefly use a flashback to show part of Perez’s role in Annabelle once again. The shot features him leaving the Forms’ apartment with the Annabelle doll in his grasp. This scene comes during the third act of the 2014 film when he attempts to take the doll to his church. The events that transpire after that make him hesitant to get involved with La Llorona. It’s a smart move that further ties The Curse of La Llorona to a bigger universe, which only will leave viewers wondering if a larger connection will be made.
However, the doll featured in the movie could simply be chalked up to a fun Easter egg for fans, which was the intention according to Chaves, and it doesn’t necessarily completely tie it to the Conjuring universe. Given that the Annabelle franchise and the Conjuring films belong to Warner Bros., the studio has inserted that doll into other completely unrelated movies. The doll can be seen in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot in Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and Annabelle can also be found at the bottom of the ocean in Aquaman. In that respect, The Curse of La Llorona is part of the Conjuring universe just as much as it is part of the DCU.
Will La Llorona Join The Conjuring Universe Proper?
The Curse of La Llorona may not be a spinoff of another Conjuring film and only features these small pieces of connectivity, but these actions still firmly place it in the larger shared universe, even if it is “unofficial.” The ending of the film originally makes it appear as though there will be no future stories based around La Llorona or these characters, but the La Llorona post-credits scene teases something more. The recognizable and distinct cry of The Weeping Woman once again is heard, indicating that she was only momentarily defeated and could return again. However, it’s unlikely that The Curse of La Llorona will actually get a sequel.
There are no plans for The Curse of La Llorona 2, even though the movie made $123 million (via Box Office Mojo), which may have been aided by the faux pas that the film is connected to The Conjuring. The lack of a sequel may have something to do with Safran not having a part in the original movie, but the Conjuring universe has still expanded exponentially since 2019. In just 2023, The Nun II was released, and The Conjuring: Last Rites is currently in production. There’s a chance The Curse of La Llorona could be retroactively added to the universe, but for now, the 2019 movie remains an outlier.
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The Curse of La Llorona
- Release Date:
- 2019-04-19
- Director:
- Michael Chaves
- Cast:
- Linda Cardellini, Roman Christou, Raymond Cruz, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Marisol Ramirez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Patricia Velasquez
- Rating:
- R
- Runtime:
- 94minutes
- Genres:
- Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Writers:
- Tobias Iaconis, Mikki Daughtry
- Summary:
- In 1970s Los Angeles, a social worker and her kids are haunted by La Llorona aka. The Weeping Woman, the Mexican folklore specter who preys upon children, desperate to replace her own from back when she was still living.James Wan officially boarded the film as a producer in October 2017, back when the project was still being referred to as The Children. The cast was announced at the same time and production wrapped the following November. New Line Cinema retitled the film to The Curse of La Llorona in the summer of 2018.Want to know more about The Curse of La Llorona?
Watch The Curse of La Llorona Trailer
- Budget:
- $9 million
- Studio(s):
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s):
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Franchise(s):
- The Conjuring
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