The Wailer II

great movie

Being a Hispanic living in New Mexico, I have always grown up on the tale of La Llorona, the weeping woman. Our culture uses the story of La Llorona in the same manner that other cultures refer to the "Boogeyman". She is an urban legend used to teach children about the dangers of playing alone outside, in order to avoid being taken away into the arroyos (ditches) by her spirit who may mistaken them for her own children.It has always been my dream for there to be a movie that can truly portray La Llorona as a scary entity capable of producing chills down my spine. Well, upon hearing about the two films, "The Wailer" and its sequel "The Wailer 2", I figured I would give the films a try and see how they handled the legendary tale that is La Llorona.Having been disappointed by horror films using La Llorona in the past, such as Jokel, I didn't have very high expectations for the film series. I was pleasantly surprised with the depiction of her within the first film, however. The original "The Wailer" was capable of producing a scary experience, depicting La Llorona as a vengeful spirit seeking to kill, and more than willing to do so as well. With my love for the first film, it was easy to decide to pick up the second one as well.Unfortunately, the second film is a major let down when compared to the original. The first film focused more on the true urban legend, even detailing the woman's origins and why her soul is not at peace; whereas the sequel turns the legend upside down. No longer focusing on La Llorona herself trying to kill innocent civilians, the film focuses on a young woman who has been possessed by La Llorona. She begins to use her body as a means of seduction in attempts to murder men throughout Mexico.The film has its scary moments, especially when the girl's father is attempting to vanquish the spirit, but it's simply not what I was expecting. Too much filler is in place in this film. It consists of a high amount of excess scenes, that really do not add much at all to the story, or the scares of the film. The scary moments are few and far between, but they are good when they are present.The acting could use some work, but it was still very enjoyable and believable. The story was too far drawn out, and as a result the film feels like it's dragging along, rather than smoothly transitioning from one scene to the next. The special effects are quite good for a low budget film, as is the camera work.I was simply expecting more thrills, and chills, and was left slightly disappointed. Where the first film succeeded in bringing horror film elements such as surprise, and violence, to the foreground of the story, the second film failed in comparison.If you're a fan of the La Llorona urban legend and are looking for a film to retell the tale and provide a scary viewing experience, then you cannot go wrong picking up "The Wailer" and seeing if you enjoy it and then possibly pick up its sequel as well. Seeing as there are very few films that portray La Llorona at all, both of the Wailer films do a very decent job of trying to use her image to create a horror film series to be remembered.

Compared to the abysmal first film "The Wailer", "The Wailer 2" is surprisingly good! While a little talkie in some places, there is some very good acting (especially the Professor), excellant production value, and suspenseful scenes. The monster is well done for a low budget film and there are some sufficiently gory scenes. This film is not for the squeemish.While I don't recommend "The Wailer", I do recommend "The Wailer 2." And you don't need to see "The Wailer" to understand what's going on.

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