The Cry (2007 film)

Lore & Background

The Cry made its world debut on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the premiere sponsored by The Healy Foundation. In its opening weekend, the film earned $6,968 at 4 cinemas, and overall made only $21,427 during its theatrical release. It then screened in several European film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, and the Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival on October 30, 2007, after which it was picked up for DVD distribution by Monterey Media.

The plot follows New York detective Alex Scott (Christian Camargo) and his partner Sergio Perez (Carlos Leon) investigating the mysterious disappearance of several missing children. They interview Gloria the Curandera (Míriam Colón), who advises that an evil force is pursuing the rein

Reader's Guide

The Cry (2007) is notable as an independent horror film that adapts the enduring Mexican urban legend of La Llorona. Directed by Bernadine Santistevan and co-written with Monique Salazar, the film represents a relatively low-budget attempt to bring a culturally significant myth to American audiences. Its theatrical release was limited, earning only $21,427 overall, but it gained exposure through European film festivals including Cannes and the Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival, leading to DVD distribution by Monterey Media.

The film's reception was mixed, with critics divided on its merits. Some reviewers found it reliant on weak genre conventions and a haphazard script, while others appreciated its character-driven approach and rising tension. The film's significance lies partly in its cultural source material—the La Llorona legend—and in its status as an independent horror film that sought to exploit a potent myth. Despite its modest box office performance, The Cry has maintained a presence in horror discussions, with some supporters praising its frightening screenplay and suspenseful execution. Its legacy is that of a niche horror entry that, while not universally acclaimed, contributed to the cinematic treatment of a classic Latin American folk tale.

Did You Know?

• The Cry is also called La Llorona, which translates to 'The Crying Woman'.
• The film made its world debut on May 12, 2007 at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• The story is based upon the Mexican urban legend of La Llorona, which began in Aztec mythos with the goddess Cihuacoatl.
• The film earned only $21,427 during its theatrical release.

Mythological Foundations

The 2007 horror picture known as The Cry, also referred to as La Llorona or "The Crying Woman," draws its central terror from one of Mexico's most enduring supernatural legends. The story's roots stretch back to Aztec mythology, where the goddess Cihuacoatl was said to disguise herself as a strikingly beautiful woman clothed in white, using that guise to prophesy the deaths of her own offspring. Over the centuries, that ancient divine warning mutated into the version most people recognize today: a woman, heartbroken and betrayed by her husband, drowns her children in a fit of vengeful rage. As eternal punishment for that atrocity, her restless spirit is condemned to haunt the living world forever, endlessly weeping for the children she can never reclaim. Santistevan transplants this curse into a contemporary New York setting, where the vengeful entity targets the reincarnation of her son and drowns missing children specifically to inflict unbearable grief on their parents. This fusion of pre-Columbian myth with modern urban horror gives the film a cultural depth that sets it apart from generic slasher fare.

Production and Festival Journey

Bernadine Santistevan both directed and co-wrote The Cry alongside Monique Salazar, crafting a small-scale independent horror project that would find its audience more through festival circuits than mainstream theaters. The film received its world premiere on Friday, May 12, 2007, at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an event backed by The Healy Foundation. Despite that prestigious debut, the theatrical run was modest: the picture played in just four cinemas during its opening weekend, grossing $6,968, and its total domestic box-office take never exceeded $21,427. The real momentum came afterward, as the film traveled to European horror showcases, including a screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, and a showing at the Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival on October 30, 2007. That international festival exposure ultimately caught the eye of Monterey Media, which secured the rights to distribute the picture on DVD, ensuring it reached a wider home-video audience the following year.

Cast and Narrative Structure

The story follows New York City detective Alex Scott, played by Christian Camargo, who teams up with his partner Sergio Perez, portrayed by Carlos Leon, to investigate a string of unexplained child disappearances. Their investigation leads them to Gloria the Curandera, a spiritual healer played by the veteran actress Míriam Colón, who warns the officers that a malevolent supernatural force is at work. According to her, the entity is specifically hunting the reincarnation of her long-dead son and is drowning children to maximize the emotional devastation experienced by their grieving families. The supporting cast rounds out the world of the film: Adriana Domínguez appears as Maria, Kate Blumberg as Judy Hardwich, Jayden Vargas as Tonio, and Quinn McCann as Ryan Weit. Additional roles include Jane Petrov as Lynn Weit, Ron Dailey as a man with a stroller, Lisa G. as reporter Diane Penn, Izzy Ruiz as Detective Vega, Kristin Taylor as Detective Taylor, and Caroline Cole as Assistant D.A. Tanin. The ensemble structure allows the narrative to weave multiple family perspectives around the central mystery, grounding the supernatural threat in very human stakes.

Critical Reception and Aftermath

When Monterey Media released The Cry on DVD in May 2008, critical response was sharply divided. On the negative side, Sara Schieron of Box Office Movie Reviews dismissed the picture as a below-average exploitation of the La Llorona myth, faulting what she saw as a crutch-like dependence on tired genre tropes and a haphazard script. Kryten Syxx of Dread Central was equally blunt, concluding that while Santistevan clearly possesses some hidden talent, it was nowhere to be found in this particular project. On the more favorable end, Justin Felix of DVD Talk acknowledged a disappointing conclusion but still praised the film as an engaging, character-driven entry in the horror genre. Anthony Thurber of Film Arcade went further, calling the Santistevan-Salazar screenplay genuinely frightening and describing the overall experience as haunting and deeply disturbing. Elliot Kotek of Moving Pictures Magazine highlighted the director's pacing, noting that the brisk tempo prevents awkward stretches from lingering and generates a rich, escalating tension that many bigger-budget films fail to achieve. Best Horror Movies echoed this sentiment, singling out the film's suspense and shock value, particularly given the innocent victims caught in the curse's path.