(Credit: Netflix)

The season of change is here. But it’s the kind we all love and eagerly wait for every year. With the festivals lining up, leaves changing colours, and Halloween peeking like Pennywise from its slumber, the fall fever is very much palpable on Netflix as The Curse of La Llorona rises through the ranks.

In the week dated September 22nd to September 28th, the 2019 supernatural horror movie has stormed the Netflix chart, currently ranked eighth on the most popular movies chart globally. Having amassed 3.2million views alone this week, it’s also the top ten movie in 17 countries.

Despite conjuring mostly negative reviews at the time of its release, The Curse of La Llorona became a surprise box office success in 2019, grossing $123.2million against a budget of only $9million. And although the polarity persists with the film boasting a mere 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it has found a second life on Netflix, just in time for the pumpkin season.

Directed by Michael Chaves in his feature directorial debut, The Curse of La Llorona, AKA The Curse of the Weeping Woman, takes inspiration from the Latin American folklore of La Llorona. She is described as an unforgiving ghost who lurks around water bodies, mourning the loss of her children, whom she sank in a fit of rage after finding out her husband’s infidelity.

Based on this Hispanic American Folklore, The Curse of La Llorona follows a mother from 1973 Los Angeles, determined to save her children from being taken away by the vicious spirit. The film is also a part of The Conjuring Universe, although it’s not an instalment of the main films.

The supernatural horror movie relies heavily on jump scares, offering just the right amount of goosebumps. Although viewers have previously lamented the lack of shock value over trailer spoilers, clearly, the Netflix subscribers have a different opinion, approaching the film six years after its release. Then again, The Curse of La Llorona’s rise on Netflix is not exactly a surprise, considering the time of the year.

Many movies that failed to grasp a momentum have discovered newfound fame in the streaming era. Moreover, since the audience is readily seeking out the horror catalogue to draw inspiration for Halloween, the upswing makes all the more sense now. While there’s also algorithmic serendipity and new audience discovery to count on, with The Curse of La Llorona, it’s clearly just the start of the horror marathon. The real terror show is expected to unfold throughout October.