KM 31: Kilometro 31 (2006)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Rigoberto Castañeda

Writer:

Rigoberto Castañeda (writer)

Release Date:

2 February 2007 (Mexico)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

There are worse things than death...

Plot:

While driving through the kilometer 31 of a lonely road, Agata Hameran hits a boy. She leaves her car...

Plot Keywords:

Deputy | Popcorn | La Llorona | Based On Painting | Tabloid

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Iliana Fox	...	Agata / Catalina
Adrià Collado	...	Nuno
Raúl Méndez	...	Omar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julián Álvarez	...	Nino-ascenas dobles
Carlos Aragon	...	Ugalde
Everardo Arzate	...	Camillero
Giselle Audirac	...	Enfermera
Fernando Becerril	...	Doctor
Mónica Bejarano	...	Recepcionista
Izmir Gallardo	...	Taxista
Cheli Godínez	...	Mecanografa
Luisa Huertas	...	Anciana
Claudette Maillé	...	Mamá
Mikel Mateos	...	Nino
Marcela Pezet	...	Fantasma
Camilo San Vicente	...	Judge 1
Hanna Sirog	...	Agata-ascenas dobles

Also Known As:

KM 31: Kilometre 31 (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and horror images.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Mexico | Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | USA:R | Sweden:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Desierto de los Leones, Estado de México, Mexico

Company:

Lemon Films

Soundtrack:

Llévame

La llorona strikes again

It's nice to see one of the most memorable Mexican horror legends of all times coming back to life in such a reasonably enjoyable and well done little film. I suppose 'Kilómetro 31' cannot be compared by any means to some of the finest old Mexican horror films that deal with the same background story, like Rene Cardona's 'La llorona', for example. Regardless, this modern version of the crying woman certainly went beyond my expectations, since I was expecting some kind of mediocre Hollywoood-wannabe film that would probably go to far with the use of CGI. The reviews and comments in general about 'Kilómetro 31' are rather harsh and critical, which is surprising, considering how nationalistic Mexican people tend to be when it comes to standing up for their things. 'Kilómetro 31' clearly got a lot of attention when it was released in its country, but not all the attention was precisely positive. I'm not going to lie, if I have to be honest, I'd take the old Mexican horror films instead of this one, any day. However, I found this movie entertaining and dark enough to deserve approval. While it is clear that the budget was generous enough to develop a commercial film addressed to teenagers mostly, that doesn't necessarily steals Mr. Rigoberto Castañeda's merits when it comes to making a horror film.

In 'Kilómetro 31' a young woman named Catalina finds herself struggling to help her twin sister Agata who fell into a coma after a mysterious car accident. These two sisters share some kind of special bond, a strange ability to communicate with each other without even saying a word and being miles away. When Catalina realizes that Agata is suffering some kind of torment even though she is almost dead to the world, she has to find a way to save her from the darkness, until she finally wakes up. However, playing the detective turns into a rather dangerous game for Catalina when she realizes that her own life is in danger too and that the legend of 'the crying woman' is not gibberish after all.

Leaving aside the fact that the last minutes offer a little bit more than I bargained for 'Kilómetro 31' is a pretty good choice for anyone who is in the mood to party with an old Latin American horror icon, which is La Llorona in this case. This time, she's back in the road (literally) and with some brand new tricks to chase her victims. The story was obviously changed to a certain extent, but the essence is still the same and let's be grateful that they decided to be respectful to the well known story. 'Kilómetro 31' succeeds more than anything when it comes to developing the right atmosphere and dark scenarios. It looked quite artsy to me and even though the last minutes offered a few sequences loaded with CGI, this film is rather simple for the most part and it doesn't try to emulate those ridiculous super-productions with explosions and digital creatures all over the place. The moderated use of CGI somehow manages to remain almost natural and endurable for old-fashioned horror lovers who pretty much are not into these things.