Cry, The (DVD)
Mike Phalin
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Reviewed by Kryten Syxx
Starring Christian Camargo, Adriana Dominguez, Carlos Leon
Directed by Bernadine Santistevan
Distributed by Monterey Media
The legend of La Llorona, also known as the Weeping Woman, is the stuff horror films are made of. Not really. By all means, the ghost is quite popular in South and Central America, but her appearances in the North America horror genre are rare. Some of the films we have seen in the past that use the spectre were so horrible that we couldn’t even review them. We’re not arguing that it has no place on film, but someone needs to do it justice. Is that person director Bernadine Santistevan?
Bernadine takes the material quite seriously, as made quite clear in the two special features found on the disc. Both the short film that compasses different versions of the La Llorona legend and her thoughts about getting the flick made sell this as something worth watching. Hell, Santistevan prides herself on the amount of research done in order to have a palpable story, which makes it a real shame that the movie is about to be ripped apart.
The Cry centers around a psychic/artist/mother capable of seeing visions of children. Well, not just any chillens, but those who are about to become victims of the kiddy slaying spook. The talented mother renders a picture of the tot in question each time one of her visions occur … too bad she can’t put two and two together when seeing a missing child poster. Sigh. Explaining even the simplest of things feels out of bounds in The Cry.
The Cry takes place in New York City, but why the South American spirit is hanging out in the Big Apple is never explained. The audience is also left in the dark about why the apparition needs to sometimes take possession of a mother to commit a murder while in other instances it can simply attack on its own. Also, when La Llorona takes over a body, the unlucky person is left with red bleeding eyes … something the police seem to have no interest in. Nothing to see here! Move along!
OK, a lot of people can deal with some inconsistencies and stupid decisions, but what about a total lack of any interesting characters? Why is everyone so one-note in The Cry?! The noir-style detective with a dark past has about as much charisma as a dead horse while our female lead displays hardly any believable concern over ANYTHING. Jesus Christ! How is it possible to have so much to work with only to end up with nearly less than you started with?
Coming out of The Cry feeling absolutely nothing is the feature’s worst crime. I didn’t care what happened to the cast, the kids, the ghost or even if I’d be able to sucker someone else into reviewing this for me. Bernadine Santistevan has some talent hidden somewhere, but it sure isn’t used here.
Special Features
“>“>2 out of 5
“>1 out of 5
Categorized:Reviews
