Longlegs’s Ending Does a Little Too Much Explaining

As a seasoned horror movie enthusiast with a particular penchant for films that delve deep into the psychological, I found myself utterly captivated by the twisted tale of “Longlegs.” Having seen my fair share of possessed doll movies, I was initially drawn in by the unique premise. But as the plot unfurled, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease that went beyond just the typical jumps and scares.

In various aspects, the thriller “Longlegs” bears strong resemblances to traditional serial-killer investigations that influenced its creation. Maika Monroe portrays FBI agent Lee Harker, whose quarry appears to have a peculiar fascination with her, mirroring Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter’s connection in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Moreover, Longlegs eliminates families whose youngest daughters share birthdays on the 14th, leaving cryptic messages that echo the enigmatic symbols found in Fincher’s films “Se7en” and “Zodiac,” inciting frenzied efforts to decipher the clues.

In Oz Perkins’ latest chiller, the supernatural sets it apart. Initially, Harker and her companion explore a quiet suburban area. All of a sudden, Harker is seized by a sinister presence. Despite the houses being almost identical, she intuitively identifies this one as their target – and she’s correct. Her partner attempts to knock, but is greeted with gunfire instead. Harker secures the surroundings and discovers a disturbed man along with the initial enigmatic notes.

I’ve had the chance to explore a chilling tale that veers away from the conventional realism of typical detective thrillers. In this story, I find myself alone in my investigations, frequently startled by jump scares brought about by ominous figures with the shapes of nesting dolls in the shadows. The enigmatic Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), a pasty and odd character resembling a radiation-exposed Bob from Twin Peaks, is a key figure. His link to the crimes is hazy: He leaves notes at each gruesome scene, but the killers themselves appear to be ordinary fathers who brutally murder their families before taking their own lives. This investigation pushes my rational thinking to its limits and forces me to employ a touch of the supernatural. However, Perkins’s script seems to have predicted this very tangled complexity and, in the end, the intricately woven mystery is let down by an anticlimactic finale that feels repetitive. It’s as if Perkins was nudging me, ensuring I understood the convoluted plot – unfortunately, the film’s eerie allure (up until that point) relied on the unexplained.

The film “Longlegs” effectively explores unease through a unique feminine perspective on the menacing theme. In fiction, female detectives have a distinct connection to murder that symbolically defies the conventional narrative. Historically, real-life serial killers such as Ted Bundy and “Son of Sam” Berkowitz preyed upon women and young girls. Meanwhile, crime movies and slasher films have perpetuated the damaging stereotype of the helpless female victim. However, women detectives challenge this trope with a self-conscious awareness that despite their efforts to break free from misogynistic constraints, there will always be psychopaths who desire “to inflict severe harm on females,” as Bundy once stated. This underlying discomfort permeates the film, becoming evident when Harker is given her assignment by Agent Carter and is forced to view the mutilated body of a woman for the first time. Furthermore, Harker’s unease intensifies during her encounter with Agent Carter’s family, particularly his young daughter Ruby. Harker displays discomfort around children, and becomes uncomfortable when Ruby shows her her pink canopy bed and Barbie dolls, which are kept “all tied up in the box,” as Ruby explains, an image evocative of women being objectified and reduced to playthings for twisted minds.

In essence, the intriguing plot twists in “Longlegs” resonate due to their connection to gendered anxiety. Perkins doesn’t delve into the twisted motivations of his killers; instead, Satan serves as a convenient villain because we don’t question his evil nature. Consequently, there is no need to make sense of Longlegs’ intentions. The raw intensity of Cage’s performance aligns with the intended chaos. What hurts is Harker’s discovery that she is at the heart of a vast network of magical plots and conspiracies targeting young girls, a feeling intensified by Monroe’s earlier roles as final girls in films like “It Follows” and “The Guest.” Clues to the crime are rooted in Harker’s childhood, a time when she was just an innocent, vulnerable girl full of youthful creativity. She uncovers a photograph of Longlegs hidden in her playchest, unearthing a repressed memory of their first encounter. It remains a mystery why Harker survived that fateful encounter from her childhood, where she was the girl with braids and encountered Longlegs (whose face was concealed until later) for the very first time.

In due course, and it’s important to stay with me here according to Perkins’ persuasion – Longlegs is unmasked as a craftsman of Satanic dolls. In this particular universe, Satan is a genuine entity. All along, Longlegs’ role was twofold: (1) manufacturing miniature dolls that became vessels for demonic possession and (2) intimidating mothers, particularly Harker’s, into handing over the dolls to unsuspecting families by implying harm to their children. The possessed fathers then carried out gruesome acts of domestic violence under the influence of these Satanic dolls. Although Harker was shielded because her hoarding mother, Ruth (Alicia Ruth), had kept her away from a father’s influence, Longlegs was still able to manipulate Ruth into becoming one of Satan’s servants – and secured himself a living quarters in the basement of Harker’s family home at no cost.

As a movie buff, I’d rephrase it like this: In the chilling interrogation room, Longlegs takes his own life in a violent fit, shouting “Hail Satan” as his final words. Before this gruesome end, he implicates Ruth without providing any clear details about her involvement. When Harker and a senior agent confront Ruth’s mother to question her, Ruth swiftly sets the record straight, taking out an unfortunate agent with a shotgun. She also destroys a Longlegs doll that resembles him as a child, seemingly sparing her own inner child from his evil presence. Then, on the 14th – Ruby’s birthday, Ruth is already at Carter’s house when her daughter arrives. We witness Ruby’s delight as she unveils her new present: yet another cursed Longlegs doll.

In a simpler way, the movie “Longlegs” tells the story of Carter’s family, living an ordinary life in the suburbs, which is disrupted by sinister forces. The seemingly innocent doll becomes the source of corruption. Films like “Chucky,” “Annabelle,” and last year’s “M3GAN” also explore this concept of toys coming to life and causing chaos. However, “Longlegs” adds a layer of self-denial as the mother, who once threatened to kill her daughter’s doll (and herself earlier in the film), is revealed to be complicit in the murders. Dressed as a nun, she delivers the dolls to the families of the victims, acting as Longlegs’ henchwoman. Initially, she does this to protect her daughter. But by the end, it seems she has embraced the darkness. The final scene shows Carter, with a maniacal grin, killing his wife in the kitchen, symbolizing the destruction of the traditional family. Harker watches in horror as everything she once knew and loved is violently destroyed, revealing the dark side of her own childhood.

In a chilling twist, Harker takes the lives of Ruby’s surrogate father and mother, along with her own biological mother, before aiming the gun at their doll. As the camera captures the doll’s perspective down the barrel, Harker hesitates to pull the trigger, questioning if she too has fallen under Satan’s control. The haunting and mesmerizing film “Longlegs” leaves us in a state of terror, revealing that Harker’s entire existence has been entangled with these (literal) demons. Monroe skillfully conveys this surprise, as Harker seems to regress back to her adolescent self, uncertainly moving around the Carters’ living room. Every detail, from the intrusive flashbacks of Ruth telling a bedtime story, to the necessity of destroying Ruby’s enchanted doll, is exposed in these final moments. Caught between preserving her childlike innocence and acknowledging the evil lurking within, Harker must decide which part of herself to let go. Ruby, potentially under the curse herself, cherishes the wicked doll, caressing it affectionately, unaware of its malevolent intentions. Ultimately, Harker is forced to annihilate the doll, but she must also relinquish her ability to view her mother and toys through rose-tinted glasses.

2024-07-22 19:22

Longlegs’s Ending Does a Little Too Much Explaining

Read More

Minority Mindset