10 Hidden Horror Movie Gems From 2020s (So Far)

7. La Llorona

Deadstream Movie
Shudder

No, absolutely not The Curse of La Llorona. In fact, that film came out in 2019 anyway, so wouldn't fit the remit of this list even if it was actually good. Sadly, that much-hyped Conjuring Universe movie was a total dud.

Instead, the spotlight here is on 2020's La Llorona.

One of the many pictures robbed of a global cinema release, Jayro Bustamante's La Llorona is a sophisticated, elegant movie that takes its time to craft its big scares. This Guatemalan horror has justice at its core, with former dictator Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) managing to overturn a court order convicting him for genocide where it relates to native Mayans years prior.

Still, while Monteverde managed to have this decision overruled by the high court, that doesn't mean justice won't be served in other ways; other ghostly, terrifying ways.

La Llorona may not be one for the gore hounds, but the way Bustamante and his crew build their tension really makes the film's spine-tingling moments of vengeance worth the wait. Subtlety is the key for this very much 'less is more' fright fest.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.