Mexican Horror Summer Vacation, Part 1 (La Llorona, Even the Wind is Afraid, Cronos, The Similars)

A Cure for the Common Craig

Yo, yo, yo, let me speak on this! Orale! Arriba la raza! Join us as we hope to regale you with discussions of our movie experiences from our vacation to Mexico! There seems to be some debate as to whether or not we actually physically went to Mexico, but this episode covers four of the experiences that we claim to have had, so we'll just let you decide. Folklore, ghosts, the struggle for eternal life, and an odd phenomenon in a bus station!
First a bit of classic horror, featuring one of the most infamous legends of Mexican folklore. This has been a popular character to be utilized on film in more recent years, including a movie set in The Conjuring universe. However, this version is billed as the first sound horror film in Mexican history. And with a character known as the wailing woman, this is definitely a good use of that sound! Beware the curse of La Llorona (1933)!
A boarding school girl hears her name on the wind, and dreams of a tower on campus that is off-limits to the students. When the tower door is suddenly unlocked, a group of girls who are forced to remain at school during vacation as a disciplinary measure, become very curious about a rumored happening that once took place in the forbidden structure. You know that things are going to get a little spooky when Even the Wind is Afraid (1968)!
A mysterious device created by an alchemist becomes the centerpiece of a story with ties to one of the most familiar sub-genres of horror. Sought after by those who desire its power, the device falls into the hands of an unsuspecting antique dealer, and he soon discovers that he may not be able to live without it. It's Guillermo del Toro's feature film directorial debut, Cronos (1993).
And then from there, a remote bus station outside of Mexico City welcomes a gathering of strangers during a torrential downpour in 1968. But one individual is singled out as a villain, as it seems he may be responsible for a rather odd series of occurrences involving the physical appearance of the others. What the hell is going on in The Similars (2015)?