Geez, I need a palate cleanser. You know, I’ve written over 350 of these things now, and I consider Joker: Folie à Deux to be my best one. But anyway, that’s behind me now, and the word that comes to mind when thinking about the upcoming Longlegs is “atmospheric”. I’m nabbed by the assumption that this will be The Silence of the Lambs lite, as I’m aware this movie’s direction took the world by storm a few months ago. But of course, I can’t know for sure.
Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) has just landed at the FBI, and is hand-picked to help out on a cold case, where a serial killer leaves cryptic letters in the wake of murdering entire families. The only catch is, there’s no evidence that Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) ever enters the victim’s homes, and the crime scenes present like murder-suicides, where the father in each case has taken it upon himself to do the work, coerced somehow, and by something. Lee also presents with mild psychic abilities, and it isn’t long before Longlegs is aware of Lee’s search for him as well 👀
Atmosphere is a check! It’s like every move this movie makes is to be purposefully isolating, depressing, dark. Every shot feels crafted like a matte painting, where every element is carefully considered to create the maximum mood. Hey, I guess that’s what they mean when they say, “every frame a painting”, so there’s already a description in place for this 😊 But I love little things, like the prominent Bill Clinton portrait hanging over Carter’s (Blair Underwood) desk, which subtly informs us where we are situated in time, without having to rely on title cards or dialogue. Then there are the bigger things, like while Lee is intently listening to Carter’s introductory speech at the bureau, the stuffy male colleagues don’t move an inch, helping the room feel monotone, rigid, and stiff. Then there’s editing, that allows for Lee’s first partner to be killed quickly, and brutally, without lingering; and how the young girl in the prelude is given a beat to look back at the safety of her own house before deciding to investigate the strange car that’s appeared in her driveway further. And how’s the bloody sound design, lulling you at first, with playfully faux high strings, as the young girl looks around her yard, before the real jump scare comes as Longlegs appears 😧 Damn, that’s good movie! 😋 There was really only one moment through the entire movie, where I remember feeling the movie’s design was generic, but due to the way the rest of the movie boasts such control, I can’t even remember where or what that one moment was, and it ain’t even relevant in the grand scheme of things. I don’t know the best way to describe the movie’s atmosphere, other than to write that the movie was reminding me of Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria at stages, which is clearly based off queasy imagery and a dank style of horror filmmaking probably made prominent in the 70s. And I was all for it.
Maika Monroe is so interesting herself, as Lee Harker, especially in the beginning. Her face is striking, with tight pursed lips to make her look old and ugly, and she explores her surroundings with wide eyes that make her appear as if she’s always staring through whatever she’s looking at. This is a wise, troubled young lady, who sees more than most, and the charactisation is bold and effective. The movie also sets up how she’s affectively out of her element – the FBI is grueling, and she is surrounded mostly by men (just like Clarice – The Silence of the Lambs), while also a rookie, confused as to how to make productive her unique set of skills. I mean, her first partner is shot because Lee is not taken seriously 😕 I felt like the characterisation of Lee drifts away as the plot becomes denser; whilst some main characters are usually stress-tested and evolve through a movie, I just felt like Longlegs is less concerned with keeping Lee consistent amongst what else is going on, and that was a little shame. She’s shocked, as we all are, but that’s about it. Like, I’m big on characters making competent decisions, or decisions aligned with their nature, so when Lee believes there is someone outside her home, leaves to investigate without shutting the laundry door, and then doesn’t report the letter left on her desk, it means this character is skipping sensible protocol or must have something to hide. But, as the movie goes, it doesn’t seem like she has anything to hide 😶 I’m also lucky that I’ve gotten to this movie when I did, because I’ve started to see Nic Cage’s amazingly kook performance show up in my YouTube shorts, so spoilers were coming! Thankfully, I hadn’t pieced anything together, even though I knew Cage was in this movie 😌 But it’s so strange, for how uniform this movie seems to be, Cage brings his obligatory “Cage-isms” and it’s crazy how well they fit into this movie. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a case, where a character’s actions make you want to laugh, but can also chill you to the bone as soon as you put yourself in the position of the opposing characters. Longlegs is unhinged, comprised of singing to himself and making hand movements as a means to communicate. His face prosthetics alone are captivating.
But there came a time when the plot started to lose me… I even had the thought that maybe this was the movie’s intentions to leave the scenes deliberately ambiguous, like we weren’t meant to get a straight narrative 😕 I had strong doubts on how the “mother angle” would be relevant at all, and since Lee is partly psychic, I contemplated if we might find out that her mother is dead, and Lee is only communicating to her by phone as part of her intuition, or as a cathartic method to process. I thought Lee might be the little girl from the start, and working with Longlegs as a secret accomplice, perhaps even unbeknownst to her. All of these scenarios would’ve been underwhelming, by the way, and I was ready to go off on how not everyone has to be connected to make a story tense 😤 But there came a point where I felt I needed to stay present and put my preferences aside; plus you can’t truly judge a mystery movie like this until the very end. And I must give points to this movie for going it’s own way. For Longlegs is not just your simple murder story, where TV shows like True Detective and Criminal Minds might’ve exhausted that route for now anyways, and the FBI framing really only works as a crowbar to jimmy open a story of a satanic harvesting blood pact 😈 Heeeil Satan! 👋 Ultimately, there are many moments throughout Longlegs that contain an impactful intensity, and that continues all the way up to the final demon present, that is set to do in Carter’s family. I do probably feel a little cheated, that the initial case briefing, where families are being murdered without the murderer ever entering the house, never fully concludes in the realm of the real world; but I also feel like that’s on me, baby, for the movie never promised me I’d get that, nor did it ever intend on delivering. But for me, it probably puts Longlegs a rung below other hyper-realised and captivating murder-investigative movies, like The Silence of the Lambs, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Se7en; although, how cool to be in the same conversation?! I also can’t authentically give a movie full marks, since a character, Ruth (Alicia Witt), must explain what exactly has been going on, over the course of a couple minutes, after I’ve praised the movie for being great at the “show, don’t tell” part of filmmaking, just a few paragraphs ago. Nonetheless, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Longlegs.
It’s so clear that creators these days are verse at emulating a chosen style, just like slipping on a skin to best suit their favourite video game character. In the horror genre alone, off the top of my head, I could quickly name Suspiria, The Black Phone, X, and Last Night in Soho as recent examples. But one day, I need that impeccable flair to match a phenomenal story being told, and I will happily celebrate a masterpiece. Director Osgood Perkins definitely proves that he has the capabilities, and he is going to have to be one to watch 👍
4.0
P.S. It’s wrong watching movie titles go down instead of up, as if going to hell. As a Melbournite, it’s like watching horses go clockwise round the racetrack 😩 So unsettling.
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