Skip to main content

Longlegs (2024)

 

Longlegs is about an occult serial killer who has a connection to the FBI agent/main character who pursues him.

This is the best horror movie since 2022's Pearl which was done by A24. This film is NEON's high-brow attempt at elevated horror. Oz Perkins directed Gretel & Hansel back in 2020 which was okay and without his writing. He has outdone himself in both writing and direction this time around. His eye motion tracking is stellar and his tension-building is easily one of the best this decade. 

I'm not sure anyone else could have played the main character. Maika Monroe made the character feel so much with just a look or delivery of minimalistic dialogue. I've been following her since 2014 when she did It Follows, and her acting has only improved. Speaking of which, she was reprising her role for the upcoming sequel They Follow.

Nicolas Cage, the legend, plays the serial killer Longlegs. He has makeup on and the only way you really know it's him is the delivery of maddening psychopathic screaming and singing. While it's not in his top five performances, this film is. His best being Gone in 60 Seconds, of course.

The film has scares, terror, and some gore. The trifecta of good horror. It's the best film of the year so far and has a really terrifying message. Result: A

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Talk to Me (2023)

  Talk to Me is an Australian horror film about a group of friends who discover how to speak to the dead. Or do they?  Directed by the brothers Michael and  Danny Philippou, Talk to Me is their first attempt at a feature film. It was a pretty decent introduction too as they made the transition from shorts and clips to movies. When you see their channel you don't really tend to think they'll do well in horror but they did have some help writing with Daley Pearson.  Parents will know him as Rocko  from the kid's show Bluey .  Sophie Wilde  plays the main teenager Mia. At first, she comes across as an angsty teen but as you get to know her through the writing and dialogue, you tend to understand more why she is so distant from her father and holding onto her few friends. This was her film debut and she did a great job. Also, she came up with the concept for the film too. The most recognizable person in the film is Miranda Otto  who is better known fo...

Leo (2023)

  Leo is about an old lizard who wants to have his one last hurrah before he gets too old to do his bucket list. This is another in the long line of Adam Sandler movies for Netflix that his contract requires him to do. In 2020, Sandler got another quarter of a million dollar deal with Netflix to do four more movies since his view count was so monumental over other Netflix original movies. While watching the movie you can tell it's Sandler's humor and he hires his usual friends to voice act in this animated family film. With Disney failing and Illumination taking hold of families, it's nice that there is room for Happy Madison Productions to put in good work. Sandler  puts on a voice for Leo that is goofy in his own right. Bill Burr plays his best bud Squirtle the turtle.  Cecily Strong, from Saturday Night Live, plays the substitute teacher, she really sells the mean old lady. Another couple of voices you'll recognize were Siendfeld's Jason Alexander as the entitle...

Emily the Criminal (2022)

  Emily the Criminal is about the downward spiral of a woman with nowhere else to turn but a life of crime. John Patton Ford first film for which he has both writing and directing credits.   I was genuinely surprised by this film. I didn't know what to expect from Ford and I only saw the film because of the lead. It's got really good pacing and camera choices. Also how he wrote Emily was perfect. The story sort of dragged a bit towards the end and the ending was predictable. Emily is played by Aubrey Plaza  for whom I have glowing regard. I'll watch pretty much anything she comes out with as long as she keeps putting out movies like this. She plays the character really well. She does what she can with the dialogue that has her on one note the entire time. You'd expect a negative character arch with a title like this and yet you'll still end up rooting for her. Empathy goes a long way. You might know Plaza from  Safety Not Guaranteed, and  Parks and Recreation . ...