Summary
As ahorrorfan, I always look forward to a movie starring Maika Monroe. Ever since I first saw her inthe 2014 filmIt Follows, I knew she was a star to watch. Like many others who appreciate this genre, I was excited to check outLonglegs, Oz Perkins’s 2024 release starring Nicolas Cage as a brutal and mysterious serial killer.Cage is no stranger to the horror genreand often plays wild and nonsensical characters. I looked forward to seeing what he would bring to the table here.
The trailer and description ofLonglegsmade the film seem like an updated version ofThe Silence of the Lambs: an intriguing story of a killer playing a cat-and-mouse game with a young FBI agent. And while that is certainly true,there is one part ofLonglegsthat I just can’t get behind. AlthoughLonglegsis one of the best horror movies of 2024, I keep asking the same question, and I think other horror fans are wondering about this, too.
I Don’t Love This One Part Of Longlegs
Longlegsis an impressive movie for so many reasons. Monroe and Cage’s performances are dynamic and memorable and the eerie setting never lets up for one moment. Longlegs is also an effective villain. He’s unnerving and has a penchant for yelling out of nowhere, which makes him unpredictable. ButI don’t like the explanation for why all these killings took place: thatthe devil has possessed Longlegs. He convinces Lee Harker’s (Monroe) mother Ruth (Alicia Witt) to deliver a possessed doll to the victim’s houses. Each time, the pattern repeats: the father kills his family before killing himself. Lee didn’t remember Longlegs coming to visit her at her home when she was a kid. She was understandably traumatized by the experience and the doll also stopped her from remembering.
I would have preferred any explanation to this one. Wrapping up the story withan explanation of an evil doll’s magic was disappointing. There are plenty ofgreat movies about killer dolls, from the campyM3GANtothe villain in the upcoming filmCompanion.Longlegsis a psychological thriller and didn’t need to rely on this common horror movie trope, and I think the ending missed the mark. The doll explanation felt cheesy, not frightening, and it didn’t fit with the unsettling, sparse, and literary tone of the movie.
This explanationmakes Longlegs less scary than he should be. It’s also a problem because it removes Longlegs from the action. Longlegs should be a dangerous serial killer who goes on killing sprees himself. Instead, he manipulates others to do his work for him. While he’s better thanJosh Hartnett’s villain inTrap, I don’t think he’s quite as great as he could be.
The ending ofLonglegsalso makes it impossible to get to know the villain himself. The focus is on Lee learning about her mother’s connection to him,not on getting Longlegs' backstory. I had so many questions about him, from how he first heard the devil’s musings to when he put this evil place in place. Sure, it’s impossible not to shiver when staring at Longlegs' face, which is often caked with makeup. His stringy hair is chilling, too. But I wanted to get more of a full picture and not just a few snapshots, and so I felt thatLonglegsfell short in that department.
What Other Horror Movies Did Maika Monroe Star In?
Monroe has starred in several horror movies, includingIt Follows, Watcher, The Guest, Greta, andVillains.I agree thatWatcheris Monroe’s best scary film. The actress played Julia, a woman who becomes lost and lonely when she moves to Bucharest with her husband Francis (Karl Glusman). Julia realizes a man is stalking her and becomes caught up in trying to stop him. It’s a pulse-pounding, tense story that never lets up, and it’s also a thoughtful exploration of safety in a big city.
In an interview withMarie Claire,Monroe shared why she is so interested in starring in horror movies. She reflected onplaying final girl charactersand said:
“The horror genre has come such a long way. Even just in the past 10 years, to me, [horror has been] some of the most interesting roles that I read, most interesting scripts. It’s just not this sort of typical one-note character—whether it’s the Tough Girl or this or that. It’s much more complicated and there’s such a beauty in that. I love roles like that.”
