



Our Story
Coal Gulch, New Mexico, 1975.
Rae, a naive 12-year-old, along with her battered Ma, are on the run from Danny, a violent alcoholic. Before even reaching their hide out in a ghost town, Rae is stalked by a wailing ghost in white. It is La Llorona, a tormented spirit doomed to wander riverbanks searching for the child she drowned.
At her ramshackle new home, Rae is greeted by spirits and sinks into a supernatural world. Scary Larry, a hulking misfit suspected of murdering children, has his eye on Rae. So do the ghost sisters Helen and Harriet, who haunt Rae's house, as well as the shamanistic elder, Abuela, and her young grandson, Leroy.
Rae explores the town with her new friend, Berna, 14. They exhume a dark mystery involving an abandoned young mother and baby. Rae alone has the compassion to try to rescue them from impending tragedy. But when Danny finds her, it is Rae that needs rescuing. Enlisted by Rae's courageousness and pure heart, outcasts and spirits rally to her aid.
Inspired by actual events, this Dark Fairy Tale is filmed in the actual haunted locations in a New Mexico ghost town, where the story occurred. It explores themes of domestic violence and defilement of the female, including Mother Earth.


Praise
Voices from those touched by the story
"Get ready to be enlightened, startled, and have a weeping good time."
- Santa Fe Reporter
"Starlings parts from the tried-and-true folkloric myth and gives it a New Mexico twist.”
- Santa Fe Reporter
"A very local story with a very wide audience."
- Judith Beatty, author of “Encounters with La Llorona”
"...quite good. I like the mystery, the characters, and the La Llorona elements.
- Alton Walpole, producer “Crazy Heart,” “Book of Eli,” etc.
"A mythic, magical, transformative tale of human struggle, compassion, and courage. Beautiful.
- Vanja Aljinovic, producer “The Tao of Steve,” etc.
"Betsy Burke is a filmmaker on the verge of much bigger things. Keep your eye out for her!"
- Ain’t It Cool News
Get in Touch
Sign up here to our mailing list for updates!
Any questions or thoughts? We'd love to hear from you.
Your info will not be shared with anyone!
