You’ve got the teeth of the hydra upon you,
You’re dirty, sweet and you’re my girl…
It's been awhile since I've been able to see a true horror movie in theaters. I'm glad I made an effort to not miss this one.
Longlegs is written and directed by Osgood Perkins. I was already impressed with his past horror films: I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel and Hansel and especially The Blackcoat's Daughter. This guy is a master at slowly building suspense in a way that's more effective than any amount of jump scares or gratuitous gore. Which isn't to say that Longlegs doesn't also have jump scares and gratuitous gore, because it does, but both are secondary to the movie's real fuel: eerie tension. Longlegs might be the most unsettling movie he's made so far.
The story follows Lee Harker, a young special agent with the FBI who may or may not have some psychic abilities. For her unique talents, Lee is assigned to work a case that's over 30 years in the making. A serial killer is responsible for the massacre of multiple families across decades, somehow compelling the fathers to slay their wives and children (usually young daughters) before committing suicide. The only hint of a connection between the murders are the cryptic messages left at the scene of each crime, always signed 'Longlegs.'
As she struggles to unravel the case before the next murder, Lee discovers that the truth behind the killings may be even darker and more terrifying than the Bureau is willing to admit. And finds that she may somehow be targeted by Longlegs himself.
I'm hesitant to give too much about this movie away. It's not that it's a totally novel plot or anything, but it is a unique experience that is better taken in fresh and without a lot of expectations. Besides getting freaked out, of course.
Stylistically and narratively, the whole film immerses the viewer in the profoundly mystifying headspace of either its protagonist or its antagonist; when it's not a combination of both, and maybe something else.
Lee is a serious and driven law enforcer, but she's also stoic, obsessive, socially awkward and often quietly terrified. And her heightened sense of intuition seems to put her on the ambiguously supernatural killer's wavelength, which is worrisome. It's cool to see Maika Monroe as a character like this, since I've only ever seen her play scared teenagers before. She was convincing as a haunted professional investigator.
Doubly so for Nicolas Cage as the titular Longlegs. Cage is an actor who often shoots for the moon as far as daring and outlandish performances go, but this felt like the kind of role his whole career has been building toward. Something theatrical, grotesque, weird yet almost iconic. And oddly nuanced, though I can see how it could be written off as simply over the top. Cage doesn't appear as much as you might think, and the first half of the film does a great job of not revealing too much of his character even when he is onscreen, but the man conjures all of his eccentric gravitas to bring to life this bizarre merchant of death.
Alongside the killer, the rest of the film is jam-packed with nightmarish imagery. The murders, the twisted means and motive behind the murders, and the steadily intensifying atmosphere of corrupting, insidious darkness that gets under the viewer's skin.
It's more than just spooky and shocking, though. It's skillful filmmaking, good storytelling, and there are some scenes (Cage centric or not) guaranteed to get at least an uncomfortable chuckle out of you. A lot of horror movies that get made tend to fall back on basic formulas that any cinephile knows like the back of their hand, so I always appreciate seeing ones that shake things up a little and get creative. I look forward to seeing this one again.
Miscellaneous:
* There's understandably been a lot of praise for the film's leads, Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage. They both give standout performances in this, but I found myself even more impressed with the actors I wasn't expecting to be in the movie. Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt are terrific as Agent Carter, Lee's superior, and Ruth, Lee's mom, respectively. And despite only appearing in one scene, Kiernan Shipka is just as powerful as everyone else in the cast; definitely check out The Blackcoat's Daughter, if you haven't already.
* A lot of people are comparing this movie to The Silence of the Lambs, because it's about a young female FBI agent's search for a weird, basement-dwelling serial killer. Personally, the story and characters all reminded me a lot more of Manhunter (or Red Dragon). Which also reminds me that I need to binge-watch Hannibal again soon.
* In addition to the Thomas Harris vibes and those of Oz Perkins's previous films, I also saw shades of Se7en, Zodiac, Rosemary's Baby, Suspect Zero and The Ring.
* Music: The eerie and foreboding score is by Zilgi aka Elvis Perkins, brother of the film's writer-director; both sons of actor Anthony Perkins. Also, "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" by T. Rex. I like the seemingly random detail of Longlegs being a fan of the 1970s' glam rock scene, as well as a Satanic homicidal maniac.
* Possibly even creepier than the movie itself was the viral marketing campaign behind it. The trailers and promos for Longlegs are constructed in a way that plays into the film's ambiguous nature, making it intriguing without giving too much of the plot away. In fact, this promotional style was inspired by the highly successful online marketing that accompanied The Blair Witch Project.
Quotes:
Agent Lee Harker: “It’s hard to explain, sir. It’s like something tapping me on the shoulder, telling me where to look.”
Agent Carter: “You identified a suspect’s house with no prior knowledge, no real indication that it was any different from all the cookie cutters all around it. Anything like that ever happen to you before, Agent Harker?”
Lee: “From time to time, sir.”
Carter: “Well, maybe we’ll just call you highly intuitive.”
Lee: “Yes, sir.”
Longlegs: “I know you’re not afraid of a little dark. Because you are the dark.”
Ruth Harker: “Will you tell me the honest truth about something?”
Lee: “I’ll try.”
Ruth: “Do you still say your prayers?”
Lee: “No, mom. I never said my prayers, never once. They scared me.”
Longlegs: “Oh! There she is! The almost-birthday girl!”
Longlegs: “The seventh she to be given the same choice they’ve all been given. Crimson, or clover. Accept the gift and destroy, destroy yourself and yourselves. Or keep it. And bow down. Bow all the way down. And get right down to the dirty, dirty work. Work that gets dirty as it cleans. Like a mop. Like a rag.”
While I don't think it's one of the scariest movies ever or anything, I do appreciate that movies like this are still getting made. Ones that aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, but are well-crafted and superbly effective at what they're trying to do. Four and a half out of five gifts from the church.
This is an excellent review and I’m glad you liked the movie! I enjoyed it, but was a touch let down after the incredible marketing campaign that led up to its release. A comment I made in another location I’ll repeat here: Oz Perkins is going to make a horror masterpiece one day - Longlegs is the closest yet, but falls just short. I just didn’t connect with Cage’s character and wished for a little more of the ‘why’ he was who he was. I’ll need to see it again - I often miss key points in horror movies since I’m half hiding behind the seat in front of me the whole time.
ReplyDeleteI do love how Perkins is not afraid to change the horror formula as you pointed out. It’s a big reason I’ll keep watching what he directs as it’s certain to be different than the typical horror that’s out there.
Thank you for commenting. It's definitely a movie I will want to watch again, because I know there's a lot I either didn't pick up on or didn't fully register. I agree, it's not a masterpiece, but at this point I'm willing to bet Oz Perkins probably does have a real masterpiece brewing somewhere in the black cauldron of his mind. This and his other works have impressed me well enough that I'll be eager to see whatever he comes up with next.
DeleteDADDYYYYYYYY! MOMMYYYYYYYY!
ReplyDelete