WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Curse of La Llorona, in theaters now.
The critical and commercial success of 2013's The Conjuring, directed by James Wan for a mere $20 million, led to the creation of an entire cinematic universe, with sequels, and lucrative spinoff series Annabelle and The Nun. While hopes were high the franchise could capture lightning in a bottle again with its most recent expansion, The Curse of La Llorona hasn't been as well received as the other films.
Still, first-time director Michael Chaves maintains connections to the Conjuring Universe, and specifically 2014's Annabelle, with one key character.
When Anna (Linda Cardellini) realizes in The Curse of La Llorona that the Weeping Woman wants to drown her children and claim them as her own, she seeks advice from a neighborhood priest. That turns out to be the same priest from Annabelle, Father Perez (Tony Amendola).
He initially offers her counsel on faith, but then her family's haunting escalates to physical manifestations. Around the film's one-hour mark, Father Perez admits he too was in her position in 1967, when he was subjected to a similar demonic attack. As he discusses his experience, the film flashes back to Annabelle to show priest with the possessed doll, attempting to save the Form family from their ordeal. Father Perez was even possessed himself in that film.
In addition to his own experience, the priest mentions paranormal investigators (the Warrens, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) who help families in such dire situations. However, he admits it would take too long to secure permission from the church to summon their help. With no time to waste, he plans Anna in touch with former priest Rafael Olvera (Raymond Cruz).
It's a simple and organic link made to the wider Conjuring Universe, in which Annabelle occurred in the late 1960s, The Conjuring in 1971 and its sequel in 1976/77. For further context, The Curse of La Llorona is uncomfortably nestled in between the two Conjuring films, and is also in close vicinity of Annabelle, as it too takes place in Southern California.
While it may have only been a nod to the wider supernatural landscape, film ends with Rafael stabbing and entrapping the Weeping Woman with a wooden cross from Mexico. There's always the possibility that he and Father Perez could leave that with the Warrens, leading to its appearance in June's Annabelle Comes Home, in which the doll unleashes the spirits of the family's artifact room.
It's worth noting that Chaves is also directing The Conjuring 3, but that's said focus on the Warrens helping someone on trial for crimes committed while under possession. So unless the cross and the Weeping Woman appear there, we may have to wait on a La Llorona sequel to see the character again. That said, the film's box office performance isn't really inspiring confidence for another chapter.
Directed by Michael Chaves, The Curse of La Llorona stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Marisol Ramirez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, and newcomer Roman Christou. The film is in theaters now.