Christopher Scott’s review published on Letterboxd:
I never saw any official trailers for this film, just commercial ads calling it “a modern version of The Silence of the Lambs” which is a bold statement. Leading to a rewatch of that film and remembering what a perfect piece of cinema it continues to be. I also rewatched Se7en because it seemed to be in the same lane and yes this does resemble both but only as a blueprint. What sets this apart is the supernatural narrative. I do not doubt that Osgood Perkins will garner attention with this one. Is it special? Yes, but I wouldn’t consider this a modern classic.
Let’s get one thing out the way, Perkins knows what he’s doing behind that camera. Every frame is beautiful. The technical aspects were worth praising in Gretel & Hansel and again with this one. The flaw in that was the story–there wasn’t much substance. I think there’s an improvement here but not much. I like how he keeps the audience guessing in the first 2 acts because I was curious how it would play out. Maika Monroe gives a performance that feels distant which could be intentional but difficult to connect with her. One theory that crossed my mind was that her first encounter with Longlegs as a child might’ve been blocked from her memory. That could be why providing information about the subject to her superiors is difficult. Tonally, Nicolas Cage is all over the place but he maintains a creepy balance. Alicia Witt (who everyone is talking about) is probably the best character in the film. If you’ve seen it, you understand.
The twist is divisive because it either falls flat or is predictable, I was surprised how this film ends and it makes me want to rewatch it because it subverted my expectations (very minimal). There’s a lot of dread and suspense with a hit-or-miss pace. It’s thought-provoking and probably one I’ll never accurately rate. With all of its influences, Zodiac is another, it’s hard to deny this as one of the year's standouts.
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