Film Review: Longlegs
Longlegs was released in US theaters on July 12th, 2024. The film is now available to rent or buy in the US on Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV.
Spoiler free section:
Longlegs was a film I had the luck to see twice, first in theaters and second at home. I enjoyed both viewings and it is one of my favorite horror films of 2024. The cinematography is gorgeous with the camera angles and color providing visual interest for the viewers. We often have cool light and snowy areas contrasted with dim, wooden rooms, only illuminated by warm amber lighting. The soundtrack blends rock hits with disturbing background music that helps viewers get into the atmosphere of the film.
The cast is excellent; Maika Monroe turns out another phenomenal performance as a horror lead actress. She deftly handles playing an extremely unemotional, stoic character with her stiffness feeling innate to the character, not a wooden actress. I have always thought it is harder to play unemotive characters than those who get to have big emotional moments. I’m always pleased to see Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt in anything, two performers who I’ve enjoyed since I was a teen. Although their roles are small, Michelle Choi-Lee is great as the stern but caring Agent Browning and Kiernan Shipka shines as the eerily blithe Carrie-Anne Camera. Carmel Amit and Ava Kelders have minimal screentime but stood out to me regardless. Nicolas Cage does a wonderful job of balancing the menace of Longlegs with some goofy elements to make the character something unsettling and otherworldly. Who wouldn’t feel their hair start to raise if his Longlegs came up to you and called you or your kid a “sweet angel”.
The film is set in the 1990s and follows rookie FBI special agent Lee Harker (Monroe) on a case that forces her to face her own past to solve the crime of the mysterious Longlegs. Longlegs seemingly takes credit for a string of murder-suicides spanning nearly 30 years in the Pacific Northwest. However, there is never any evidence Longlegs was at the site of the killings and no way to tie him to them, other than the coded letters he leaves at the crime. Her boss, Agent Carter (Underwood), is frustrated that they cannot seem to make any connection and no one has been able to decipher the messages left at the scenes. Lee’s mother Ruth (Witt) is concerned for her daughter and seems like she is interested in the case. How is Longlegs carrying out these crimes and how does he convince the fathers to murder their families and themselves?? If you enjoyed TV series like Twin Peaks, Hannibal, or True Detective and films like Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, you would probably enjoy Longlegs.
Spoiler section:
The film ultimately lands on the “magic” side of things within the first few scenes. I think some viewers felt misled or upset that the film had an obvious magical spin to it compared to a mundane serial killer with no help from the man downstairs. However, the clues were there as soon as Lee correctly IDs the house of another criminal within minutes of scanning the neighborhood with her partner. It is this clairvoyance, or “extreme intuition”, that catches a criminal, not hard detective work as in True Detective or Silence of the Lambs. Lee Harker shares this trait with other intuitive detectives like Will Graham or Dale Cooper. I am a bit surprised she was able to become an agent though since folks like Will are often not permitted to join the FBI due to concerns about their personalities, especially in the 90s compared to now. I also loved the dolls as a creepy way to magick the victims and open them up to possession by the demon. The film bleakly shows that once the doll enters the home, the family becomes trapped and is forced to carry out the murder-suicides. Lee brings up wild theories related to magic a few times, but Agent Carter shoots them down every time for a logical explanation. This refusal to be wary of dolls and relaxation once the main criminal is caught leads to him also falling prey to the villains’ schemes.
The reveal of Longlegs’ accomplice may have felt cheap to some or too predictable, but I disagree. Figuring out a mystery by using clues given in the film is part of the fun! Ruth is constantly trying to get more information about Lee’s current case and saying she is used to violence. She tells Lee she is lucky because she was allowed to grow up, implying others were not. It is also clear once we meet Longlegs how desperately he would need someone to help him. Most people would not allow him into their homes or around their children based on his bizarre mannerisms and off-putting appearance. Ruth is a petite, attractive white woman who seems mild mannered, a person who some people would believe could never harm them or their families. When she added the nun costume, she may seem even less like a threat. Longlegs also tells Lee that he knows her mother twice in the film. The first is implied when he threatens her mother when he helps her break the cipher. The second time he slyly tells her once he has been caught and is being held by the FBI. I did not catch it during my first watch but during my second I caught him refer to both his accomplice and Lee’s family as the “seventh” in his string of crimes. It was a great way to tell the audience but in an opaque manner.
Overall, I thought the ending was well-done and heartbreaking. Carmel Amit’s small moments as Anna Carter hint that she is aware and trapped within by the demon, unable to stop herself from playing the role assigned to her. Seeing Agent Carter’s transformation into a cruel murderer following possession is hard to watch for the audience and Lee. We know why Lee must take out both her mother and her mentor in an attempt to save Ruby, but it doesn’t make it easier to watch. Lee’s hopes are dashed when she tries to destroy Ruby’s doll, but her weapon only dry fires repeatedly, leaving the mysterious silver orb / brain unharmed. What happens next is left up to us. Does Lee take on her mother’s habit and continue to commit crimes to keep herself and Ruby “safe”? Based on the tone, I do not think this is a happy ending. Unless you’re rooting for Satan to win…
Rating: A-
Review by Dee
Twitter: @sirenofscience
