Longlegs

To say I was excited for this movie was an understatement. I watched all the trailers, the reviews, and was SOOO excited. A somewhat arthouse serial killer horror film, that's also satanic? With NICHOLAS CAGE? Hell yes!

And to be fair, there is a lot of stuff I loved in this movie. The cinematography is GORGEROUS, if you like cinematic films, this is one for you. The performances are all great, I love Nicholas Cage (though I wish he were in it more) and loved the quirky protagonist. The sound design was great, and the concept was interesting. I was hooked by the opening of the movie.

However, the plot and main twist in this movie really dumbs it down for me. As many pointed out, this movie was mis marketed. It's not a serial killer movie, and it's not a scary movie. It's much more of a supernatural thriller, and maybe some would find it scary and disturbing, but I found it to be neither. The main idea of the movie is revealed early on, (how the killings happen), and the end reveal is just... eh? But this movie really lacks on the tension. You don't feel stakes, or urgency, or any tension in the scenes, even when they very much could have tension. I hate comparing horror films, but a sort of similar film with its demonic aspect is last year's Talk to Me, and that film really shows how you can use that demonic concept to have a great amount of tension, urgency in the plot, and stakes with the characters.

This movie feels like a mish mash of silence of the lambs and sinister, but it doesn't really lean into either side of it and lacks the tension of it.

I was way too hyped for this, obviously the comparison upfront (Se7en, Silent of the lambs) and the whole style and atmosphere from the trailer lead to my over excitement.

Considered that this genre is pretty rare (mystery, thriller, horror), it's a good movie. It's slow, however I don't mind that at all. Cage and Monroe are outstanding. It just don't help the rather predictable plot & the huge missed opportunity to give this movie an ending it deserves. Especially the ending is unbelievable, doesn't really tie in and as mentioned above was kinda obvious (however I was hoping throughout the movie that there is a better and bigger twist). I like that the mystery and psychic personality components are absolutely up to the viewer. There's lots of atmospheric stuff in the background which is beautifully visually captured, reminds a bit of 'It Follows'.

To sum it up, lower your expectations, this isn't Se7en, which isn't the point anyway as comparisons are usually not helpful, and still we often rely on them or put too much measurement into it. It definitely entertains.

I thought Longlegs was spread too thin. It didn't know if it wanted to be a demonic horror film or a serial killer thriller. Had it leaned more into either of these areas it would be a lot better. This left the movie to not really create that much fear, dread, or suspense because it didn't know what it wanted to be. While the score, acting(especially on the part of Cage), and cinematography were really good, the writing held Longlegs back from being something great! It felt like a love child between Sinister and Silence of the Lambs I love each of these movies but I'm not sure how well they combined in Longlegs.

As a lover of horror/thriller movies I cannot even stress how disappointed I was with this movie. The way plot was convoluted, the dialogue was lame and it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen! I actually left before the end because I was so bored. How anyone could compare this to silence of the lambs in greatness, astounds me. I tried to make sense of the film but just couldn't. I really can't even say there is one redeeming element of the movie, it fell flat on all aspects of a horror/thriller movie. I am shocked it has had so many good reviews. I have seen scarier true crime shows than what this was.

I saw the film for the second time last night at the official premier. I definitely enjoyed and appreciated the film more the second time. It's a slow burn. The atmosphere Perkins creates (with his team) is top-notch. In fact, the overall vibe of the film is the best thing going for it.

I can't recall a horror film receiving so much anticipation and hype as this one (especially for a non-franchise horror film), which I fear might hurt the satisfaction for some audiences... especially the die-hard horror fans out there.

Nicolas Cage completely commits to the role and creates a very disturbing and memorable character. But Cage's fame removes some of the fear you need from this character. You always know your watching Cage, even with the heavy make-up and prosthetics.

Maika Monroe does a fine job as the main protagonist. But she doesn't give her character many levels. I wanted to care more about her and her story.

I miss seeing a horror film without knowing much about it beforehand, which seems harder these days. Had I not heard about this film so far in advance, I think I would've been more satisfied by it.

But this is definitely one of the better horror films I've seen in the last few years... and I look forward to seeing more from Perkins.