Cody McHugh’s review published on Letterboxd:
Longlegs is like an episode of Mindhunter possessed by a demon.
To be more specific: it’s as if you took the broad strokes outline of The Silence of the Lambs and crossed it with the slick presentation of one of David Fincher’s digitally shot movies, and that end product was touched by a satanic entity.
Stay with me here. Pixies are one of my favourite bands. I think they have perfect pop songwriting sensibilities, great melodies, catchy hooks, and pretty backing vocals. But there’s something askew about their songs. Black Francis’ lyrics are often bizarre and contain twisted biblical imagery, and his vocals switch from quiet and controlled to frenzied bellows. Tuneful rhythm guitar and basslines are contrasted with Joey Santiago’s thorny lead guitar work. I think of their sound as being a euphonious cacophony. Longlegs is kind of like that, as a movie. A polished procedural, that’s been perverted to produce something better.
Maika Monroe is giving a terse, pursed-lipped performance. I think she’s good, but it does verge on neurodivergence as investigative superpower territory. Even though her character’s personality is really more the result of a popular horror chestnut of late. Say it with me, folks: “trauma”. Nic Cage is getting to ham it up in a space that allows for it.
The plot could’ve been better served with more abstraction. Most of what I imagine you’d wonder about is given an answer, and if you’re not trying to guess the reveals and plot development of the final act, you might be left thinking, like me: “yeah, that seems like where it might’ve been leading”.
I think Longlegs is palpably atmospheric, and I was more than happy to luxuriate in that atmosphere, but I didn’t feel the intense sense of dreadful foreboding that many others seem to have had. Later, I was thinking about a recent and semi-recent movie in the investigative mould, which I do think achieved that: The Empty Man has that cosmic sense of dread and Sinister has a real sense of foreboding and does feel touched by evil in some way.
Visually, I’m a fan. It’s shot well. Shots are often wide open and characters are isolated in a symmetrical box, with spots of negative space. Though rigid symmetricality is abandoned regularly in favour of populating the frame with angles, which contributes to the off-kilter vibe of the movie.
I’m conflicted with myself over this. When thinking about its story and elements that might be a little hackneyed, I’m left thinking “hmmmm”. But I’m not much of a plot person anymore because the way a movie makes me feel can override story mechanics. And when I consider Longlegs’ look and its mood, I like it a lot.
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