Longlegs film is a psychological crime thriller about an FBI agent Lee Harker. She is trying to catch a mystical serial killer. Interestingly, it mixes horror and supernatural elements.
Before we share the review of this eerie movie, let us share a few details about it. So, go ahead and check out the synopsis, the official trailer and the bonus information about it.
“Longlegs” Is An Intense Creepy Serial Killer Tale With A Surprising Twist At The End; Both Maika & Cage Shine In It
Trailer (Official): Longlegs (2024/USA) Movie
“I think it’s (Longlegs) someone who was a person and is a person, and whose life was sort of hijacked by the Devil. You go into the service of that and it sucks, and you do your best to sort of be evil through it, with it, as a result of it, but in the end you’re also a person who gets tired.”
Osgood Perkins | Den of Geek
Synopsis: Longlegs (2024/USA) Movie
Assigned to a baffling serial killer investigation, FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), finds herself confronting an unexpected development. Her investigation unveils evidence of occult practices. In her quest to apprehend the elusive murderer, Harker stumbles upon a trail of occult clues. That she must decipher to put an end to the chilling series of murders. Furthermore, she uncovers a personal link to the killer, intensifying her urgency to intervene before he claims another victim.
Spoiler Free Review: Longlegs (2024/USA) Movie
This story is inspired by the ‘Satanic Panic’ period in the USA
Set in 1995, the film unfolds during the twilight of the ‘Satanic Panic’ period in the United States. An overwhelming and widespread feeling of moral panic marked the 1990s era. Also, it involved numerous claims of Satanic Ritual Abuse, heavily influenced by the concept of recovered memory theory. During that period, the general public in the United States was alarmed by the common belief:
- organized Satanic cults were preying on children,
- the victims were capable of forgetting or suppressing their traumatic experiences, and
- the intervention of therapists could successfully retrieve these repressed memories.
So, in the film, the female protagonist FBI Agent Lee Harker also goes through similar life experiences. Like the three points mentioned above, this film also has three parts.
The poem "Satan Says" by Sharon Olds is quoted by Longlegs in his messages. It explores the plight of a girl confined in a cedar box, who is persuaded by Satan to blaspheme against her family for the chance of escape. However, after she gives in, Satan seals her inside the box and leaves her there.
But, this film seemed to be influenced by a variety of diverse sources
While watching FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) in action, we were reminded of Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) of The X-Files (1993-2018) Series. Both the Agents seem to be sharing similar fashion styles – their distinctive pantsuits, featuring large collars and predominantly dark colour palettes. Like the original X-Files show, this movie too is dominated by the icy, cold, gloomy and dreary weather. Perhaps, it was intentional on the part of Osgood Perkins, as it seems like a heartfelt tribute to The X-Files.
Furthermore, Perkins disclosed that T. Rex’s Seventies glam-rock music provided the vibe for his film. So, in the opening scene, we see its lyrics setting the eerie mood straight away.
Well, you are slim,
And you are weak,
You have got the teeth of a hydra upon you,
You are a dirty sweet,
And you are my girl.
(~ T. Rex 1971)
“It just became this weird synergetic thing that I leaned into. It was the perfect blend of Biblical, demonic poetry and glam rock.” (Osgood Perkins | Rolling Stone)
But those are not the only inspirations behind the horror flick. While making this 1990s crime drama set in the USA, Osgood Perkins has drawn inspiration from all kinds of places, viz., music, society, and even the popular serial killer movies of the past. Not surprisingly, its visual elements bear a striking resemblance to films like The Silence of the Lambs (1991/USA), Se7en (1995/USA), Cure (1997/Japan), Zodiac (2007/USA), etc. However, Perkins smartly incorporates the horror and supernatural genre into this crime drama.
Heroine Maika Monroe (Lee Harker) & Villain Nicolas Cage (Longlegs) impressed us
It is the first time, we watched the lead actress Maika Monroe in action in a movie. In this captivating crime drama, she plays a psychically-gifted FBI agent, who is clueless as well as troubled by her mysterious past. So, along with her, we (the audience) undertake a journey to finding the serial killer and making sense of horrific murders. American actress Maika Monroe has impressed us while portraying this complex and tormented FBI Agent. She has competently carried this complicated and intricate film on her shoulder.
Ruth Harker: Excuse me? Who are you and why are you talking to my kid?
Longlegs: [singing] "Let me in now, and it can be nice! Make me go now, and I'll have to come back! Not once, not twice, but as many times as I like!"
On the other hand, we have been watching Nicolas Cage since the 1980s, but we failed to recognize him in this film. For playing this creepy and terrifying role of a mysterious serial killer, he has undergone lots of changes. His makeup, entire getup, voice modulation and dialogue delivery seemed perfect; as we failed to recognize him at first. Although he has shorter screen time, he too impressed us with his scary depiction of the villain Longlegs.
Led by the remarkable Alicia Witt (Ruth Harker), the other members of the ensemble cast Blair Underwood (Agent Carter), Kiernan Shipka (Carrie Anne Camera), etc. performed well.
The conclusion
For all the crime and horror movie buffs, the Longlegs is an entertaining film to watch. There are quite a few twists and turns, but the surprising twist at the end is mind-blowing.
Rating:
| FM Rating | 3.50/5 |
Poster:
Key Details:
| Genre | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original Language | English (USA) |
| Duration | 1 hour 41 minutes |
| Writer | Osgood Perkins |
| Director | Osgood Perkins |
| Cast | Maika Monroe (Agent Lee Harker), Nicolas Cage (Longlegs), Blair Underwood (Agent Carter), Alicia Witt (Ruth Harker), Lauren Acala (Young Lee Harker), Michelle Choi-Lee (Agent Browning), Kiernan Shipka (Carrie Anne Camera), Jason William Day (Father Camera), Lisa Chandler (Mother Camera), etc. |
| Distributor | NEON |
Spoilers Alert: The Movie Flashback & The Movie Ending Explained
The Movie Flashback Explained
Part One & Part Two
In the first two parts, we see FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) decode and decipher the letters from the serial killer Longlegs. Furthermore, Lee also managed to find the old photograph of the Longlegs. And that assists the FBI in arresting Longlegs. Thereafter, in FBI custody, Agent Lee starts to interrogate Longlegs.
The makeup and mannerisms of Nicholas Cage (Longlegs) in the film exhibit a certain resemblance to Marilyn Manson, who was perceived as a satanist throughout the 1990s and much of the 2000s. Recently, he has also been embroiled in controversy regarding allegations of predatory behavior towards women.
Following the arrest of Longlegs, also known as Dale Cobble, he tragically takes his own life by forcefully striking his face against the FBI’s interrogation table. This leaves Lee to assemble the last fragments of the occult mystery linked to his offences. Ultimately, she realizes that her mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt), was the accomplice collaborating with Longlegs to transport the dolls to the residences of his victims.
Part Three – Birthday Girls
Agent Lee Harker returns to her mother’s house in a state of complete shock.
Her mother Ruth Harker (Alicia Witt) shoots Lee’s fellow agent Agent Browning (Michelle Choi-Lee) and kills her instantly.
Later on, her mother Ruth finally reveals a disturbing truth: Lee was meant to be one of Longlegs’ victims on her ninth birthday. It was shown in the film’s opening flashback scene. However, Ruth managed to prevent this by agreeing to assist Longlegs in his horrific murderous activities and allowing him to use her basement as a workshop. Furthermore, Ruth shoots Lee’s doppelgänger doll, leading to Lee’s unconsciousness.
That also severed the psychic connection that had tied her to Longlegs, thus keeping her blind to the truth throughout the years.
The expression "the man downstairs" pertains to Satan in Hell as well as to Longlegs, who lives in the basement of Lee's mother.
“Longlegs is an individual who was a person and continues to be one, whose life has been effectively taken over by the devil. To serve in this capacity is arduous, and while one strives to embrace evil as a result, one cannot escape the reality of being a person who grows weary.”
Osgood Perkins | Den of Geek
The Movie Ending Explained
Part Three – Birthday Girls (continues…)
Upon waking, Lee Harker realizes that her mother Ruth is committed to continuing Longlegs’ work to uphold her promise and safeguard Lee from the devil.
It has come to light that Ruth would make the deliveries while posing as a nun, claiming to have been sent by the church with presents for the daughters’ birthdays, which were always on the 14th of the month. She would then observe as the wicked orb within the dolls’ heads, empowered by Longlegs’ hypnotic abilities, compelled the fathers to violently take the lives of their loved ones and their own.
She hastily makes her way to Agent Carter’s home for the ninth birthday party of his daughter, Ruby. Upon her arrival, she finds that Ruth has already come with Ruby’s doll, which has ensnared the Carter family. In a tragic sequence of events, Agent Carter kills his wife before Lee shoots him and then her mother. However, when she attempts to shoot Ruby’s doll to liberate her from its hold, the gun clicks empty.
And the final scene
The film’s final act, revealing the roles played by Lee’s mother, the possessed dolls, and the devil in the terror instigated by Longlegs, appears to be purposefully ambiguous, leaving the resolution open to the interpretation and the imagination of the movie audience.
“The ending for her is about as bad as it could have turned out. Like shooting her mom in the head, that’s about as bad a day as a person can have. So I think that ultimately one could say that the entire movement of the movie—or the entire movement of all of Longlegs’ crimes, starting from crime number one to the Carter family—is all about getting this poor girl to a place where she shoots her mom in the head. Like that’s kind of the flourish, the devil’s ‘Yep, I did that.'”
Osgood Perkins | Den of Geek
The common interpretations of the movie’s ending
Most likely, Agent Lee Harker is now under the influence of possession and will inherit the dangerous legacy of Longlegs.
It’s revealed that Ruth would make the drops disguised as a nun and pretend she had been sent by the church with a gift for their daughters’ birthdays (always the 14th of the month). She would then sit and watch as the evil orb inside the dolls’ heads, imbued with Longlegs’ hypnotic power, compelled the families’ fathers to violently kill their loved ones and themselves.
Longlegs is undoubtedly a mere instrument of Satan, colloquially known as “the man downstairs,” which accounts for the frequent references to the Book of Revelations and the sightings of demonic figures. Therefore, in the end, we hear the horrific words, Hail Satan (by Longlegs).
The expression "the man downstairs" pertains to Satan in Hell as well as to Longlegs, who lives in the basement of Lee's mother.
“The moment is intended to serve as a metaphor for the consuming nature of evil and how people are often complicit in their destruction.”
Osgood Perkins | Den of Geek
Featured Image of Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe)
Poster and Featured Image of the Longlegs (2024/USA) Movie | Pictures Credit: NEON.