I came back from watching Longlegs today. I don’t often watch horror movies, but the one trailer I saw intrigued me with the criminal investigation and mystery angle, as that does appeal to me.
Spoiler free/lite review: If you enjoy movies that are carried by atmosphere rather than a strictly coherent plot, you will enjoy this more. There is a lot of symbolism and I’m sure connections between things in the movie that can be made with digging and theorycrafting. If you liked ‘Hereditary’ or maybe even ‘The Lighthouse’, this movie is more likely to be for you.
Spoiler thoughts below.
Spoiler thoughts below.
Spoiler thoughts below.
Spoiler thoughts: I bought into this movie thinking it would be “realistic” like ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ though perhaps with some cult or Satanic elements. I liked the first season of ‘The Following’ and I absolutely loved how the first season of ‘True Detective’ played right on the line of supernatural or cosmic horror without ever tipping its hand. ‘Longlegs’ is not that. Supernatural, specifically Satanic and Biblical elements are at work, actively affecting the plot. There is no ambiguity about that. There is a LOT of ambiguity about what exactly the hell is going on, and I found it frustrating and unsatisfying. Near the end there is an exposition dump that feels like it was added because of studio mandate, but the exposition doesn’t really resolve the main questions but instead just affirms the few things already confirmed.
Nic Cage is great. His aged, weirdo, overly cheery serial killer performance is full of maniac joy and/or despair. Maika Monroe, who plays the central FBI agent after Nic Cage really nails her performance as a reserved and overwhelmed, but competent investigator who knows she is somehow mired inside of the case.
This movie felt like the first draft of a script, and my biggest takeaway is I wish it had bounced off of a few more harsh editors before being filmed.
It was a bit like a mixture of Twin Peaks and an old Italian Giallo horror film. I agree the first half was better than the 2nd half but overall thought it was a good movie. They needed to stick the landing better, some of the Satanic elements came over as cringe instead of creepy.
I haven’t seen it yet, but his previous film (The Blackcoat’s Daughter) was hailed as a masterpiece in horror. However I didn’t like it at all. It was exceptionally well directed and produced but the script was hollow and incoherent. I get the sense Oz hasn’t made any big leaps since
I saw it with the exact same expectations, and really enjoyed season 1 of both of those shows.
Spoilers below:
Spoilers below:
Part one was so damn good, part 2 started strong then slipping, part 3 was just fully off the rails, nothing matters.
Part one did such an excellent job of starting strong and very fast. Her first partner getting immediately domed, the plastic wrapped house, the weird “intuition” test, and slowly getting up to speed on Longlegs. You’re just given hints of whats happening. No date of when but Bill Clinton’s photo in the FBI, the news papers saying Oregon, its just the right amount to keep you mouthing “wtf is going on.”
The birthday part in all was lame, especially once it was explained. When the black head of station dude’s daughter asked her to come to her birthday, blatant foreshadowing…
Then finding out it’s actually Satanic and nonsense…and that hollow balls inside doll heads are responsible… The twist with her mom…when the camera pans to Longlegs car in her garage, I was like oh neat…its her mom that’s the twist…
Nic Cage was a decent pick, but that wasn’t eerie or creepy weird. That was just plain goofy. Everyone in my theater laughed when he was driving in the car screaming mommy like he was a rock star front man. The entire thing with Trex songs was random and didn’t fit the theme of anything?!
I feel like none of the satantic plots were ever finished, too. The quotes from Revelation never went anywhere, why any of it started, why dolls with spooky metal, hollow balls?!
Such a let down, I agree with the first draft opinion.
It needed more Nic Cage.
