La Llorona (1960)

This is a literal retelling of the Crying Woman legend, present in many Latin American countries, a symbol of the native woman who "betrayed" her people by becoming the mistress of a conquistador, and also of the "bad mother" –in this case, a VERY bad mother, "a la Medea"– who kills the children she had with her Spanish lover. Taking parts from Carmen Toscano's stage play, the film is set in contemporary México, but goes back a few centuries to tell Llorona's sad story. She is now the nanny of the grandson of a descendant of those who punished her, and plans to kill the kid. One curious detail (typical of Mexican horror films): the part of the little boy, Jorgito, is played by a girl. María Elena Marqués leads a cast of distinguished performers.