“Longlegs,” directed by Osgood Perkins, attempts to pay tribute to classic 80s horror movies but misses the mark with anticlimactic suspense and lack of character development.
“Longlegs” opens with jarring music and jumps scares — in fact, the most startling parts of the movie were simply due to unbearably loud musical transitions. I will admit this annoyed me to no end.
I saw this movie in the theater and the high-pitched noises made it a fairly uncomfortable viewing experience.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The movie opens with a quote from T. Rex (a popular rock band from the 60s and 70s) song called “Bang a Gong (Get it On).”
The quote reads:
“Well you’re slim and you’re weak. You’ve got the teeth of the hydra upon you. You’re dirty, sweet and you’re my girl.
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According to my research, this lyric is meant to draw parallels to the Book of Revelation and states that the Devil has a hold on you.
The Rolling Stone article, “How T. Rex Inspired ‘Longlegs,’ the Year’s Scariest Movie” goes into detail about how the T. Rex band had a significant impact on “the vibe” of the entire movie due to director Osgood Perkins and his affinity for the band.
The movie was cinematically pleasing. The specific references to pop culture, along with beautifully captured environments are worth recognizing. The movie should be credited for paying tribute to classic horror movies from plot points to transitions, and even to the photos of Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon — used indicators of the guilty and innocent. These examples were fun easter eggs to pick up on however, they weren’t enough to make me want to watch the movie again.
After talking with a couple of people who had also seen the movie, I was told it drew a lot of parallels to the classic horror movie “Silence of the Lambs.” Since I had not seen this movie yet, I had some homework to do.
After watching “Silence of the Lambs,” my opinions about “Longlegs” were even more solidified.
Both movies have the “famous” killer — Hannibal Lector and LongLegs — and the “unexpected killer” — Buffalo Bill and Ruth Harker (detective Lee Harker’s mother).
Each movie also stars a female FBI agent trying to navigate a male-dominated profession.
Where I felt “Longlegs” fell short was in the emotional connection to the main character, Lee Harker. In “Silence of the Lambs” the audience can easily sympathize and root for Clarice Starling. “LongLegs” fails to foster a connection between Lee Harker and the audience due to her constant disconnect from what is happening around her.
I imagine the directors and writers decided on these character traits with intention, and specifically guided actress Maika Monroe to deliver the performance in this particular way. Performances throughout the film were not the problem — it was the story itself.
Most of Lee’s interactions were emotionless and even the most suspenseful and emotional scenes failed to impact my connection to her character. I do recognize that her emotionless state may have been a message about women often being perceived as “emotional,” especially in the workplace. I simply wish in the moments we got to see her alone, we were let into her inner world a little bit more.
After reading articles that contained interviews with director Oz Perkins, I learned his intention with this movie was to make people think they were going to see a “Silence of the Lambs” type of movie, and then shock them. I think this may have contributed to a collective disappointment from the audience. From what I’ve heard you will either love this movie or hate it. Either way, it has kept people talking!
The movie did a great job of building suspense and creating cinematic scenes, but I found myself trapped in the intensity of the suspenseful moments and unable to enjoy the plot. I find that I can be very particular with my taste in horror movies, but I truly judge them based on whether I had a good time watching them or not.
I also found it unbelievably hilarious that Lee Harker, a seasoned FBI agent, lived in a remote cabin that was made almost entirely of windows, and that she left those windows wide open every night. The cabin made for a very cinematic shot but was not a practical point in the plot of this film.
Although I enjoy a movie that makes you think and sparks discussion, I felt the themes of this particular story were too elusive for me to truly enjoy it. I had to google a lot about the film’s background for its significance to start to make sense. (I say that while recognizing that perhaps I was not the intended target audience for this movie!)
The killer was unexpected, in my opinion. There was an intriguing element about exploring the darkness that a mother’s love is capable of. But, the lack of connection I felt to both Lee Harker and her mother Ruth Harker made this concept feel underwhelming on the screen.
Overall, I felt it was marketed as a horror movie full of excitement and thrill, but it turned out to be a slow burn with lots of anticipation and very little reward in the end.
Of course, everyone should watch the film for themselves and form their own opinions. If the movie did one thing right, it was getting people to discuss it. Whether you loved it or hated it, you will ultimately have something to say after experiencing this movie.
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