Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 72

Unpacking Longlegs: A Look Back at Its Ending

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The story kicks off with your classic horror setup: a small, close-knit town rocked by a string of gruesome murders. The only lead anyone has? Each crime scene bears the same eerie signature—a drawing or symbol pointing to a shadowy figure known as “Longlegs.”

Enter our protagonist, FBI agent Lee Harker, with an unknown connection to Longlegs that even she isn’t aware of. Still, she somehow manages to “sense” where he is while on duty with a colleague, while they are working to track down more clues about this serial killer. While Maika Monroe plays the role of the FBI agent, Nicolas Cage delivers a spine-chilling, utterly terrifying performance as Longlegs.

Also Read: Longlegs Review: Nicholas Cage is Creepily Grotesque in Slow-Burn Horror

As Lee dives deeper, things only get creepier. She starts experiencing strange phenomena—shadows moving at the corner of her eye, mysterious symbols popping up around her home, and that one unsettling sound Longlegs makes. The closer she gets to unraveling the truth, the more she realizes Longlegs might be more than your average serial killer; he could have ties to the occult or supernatural. This all leads up to the final act, where we get a showdown and the big reveal of Longlegs’ origins.

By the end, we’ve followed Lee through a maze of creepy encounters with this mysterious figure. Longlegs seems to operate on a weird mix of supernatural and slasher rules—lurking in shadows, picking off characters, and leaving chaos in his wake.

The ending does two things: it reveals Longlegs’ identity (which, up until now, has been totally shrouded) and gives us insight into his motive. It turns out Longlegs isn’t just some random killer; he’s linked to Lee in a way that makes it all very personal. It’s one of those “the monster is closer than you think” vibes.

Then comes the final showdown. After countless close calls, Lee confronts Longlegs and uncovers some major backstory. We learn that Longlegs once targeted Lee’s family when she was young, but her mother, Ruth Harper, struck a deal with him to save her daughter. In exchange, Ruth would act as his accomplice, helping him claim more victims.

Together, Ruth and Longlegs would create lifelike dolls with sinister powers, like voodoo dolls with a hypnotic pull. Disguised as a nun, Ruth would deliver these dolls as “gifts from the church” for young girls’ birthdays (always on the 14th of any month). The families, accepting the dolls in good faith, would fall under their influence, causing the fathers to murder their families before taking their own lives.

After Lee discovers her mother’s dark allegiance, she rushes to stop Ruth from targeting her boss’s family. But she’s too late; her boss kills his wife and, with murder in his eyes, heads for his daughter Ruby. Lee manages to shoot him in time, then turns her gun on her mother, who refuses to stop and threatens Ruby herself. When Ruby keeps staring at the doll Ruth gifted her, Lee attempts to break its influence by shooting the doll.

Longlegs ends with Lee urging Ruby to leave with her, but Ruby resists. A flashback reveals Longlegs singing the “Happy Birthday” song before whispering, “Hail Satan.” The ending is ambiguous, suggesting that Lee might not fully escape the doll’s creepy satanic influence, and that she may even fall prey to Longlegs’ legacy herself. But maybe the ultimate takeaway here is this—while the FBI works hard, the devil works harder.

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Raise Hell! Issue #6 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

 Ah, Raise Hell by Jordan Alsaqa has got its groove back, because this was a fun one, unlike issue 5, which was less hell and more snooze-dom. The last issue ended on an intriguing cliffhanger—Reeves goes to school on ‘ditch day’ and is possessed by an evil demon who declares, “It’s time to raise hell!”

Issue 6 of Raise Hell begins with a red-eyed, demonic Reeves terrorizing students and causing chaos, while everyone who didn’t ditch school tries to bring her under control, without much success. Alistair, the impish demon, is also on the scene, and some of Reeves’ classmates ask him to bring her best friends, Miri and Victor, to the campus to help fight the demon.

If you remember, Reeves had a bit of a fallout with Miri and Victor after a petty fight, so she’s feeling upset with the whole world, and the demon takes advantage of her inner rage. Can the other high school students stop the demon before it does serious damage? From a witches coven led by an estranged friend, to a new weird demon-buster in town, this issue of Raise Hell dives into mayhem, madness, teen rage, friendships, and sticking together with those you love despite personal differences.

It’s a fast-paced edition that brings back some of the fun comedy that made me enjoy the first three issues a lot. Jordan Alsaqa closes the sixth issue on a happy note, and if the creator decides to end the season or the entire series here, it would be a strong high point.

Rating: 4 out of 5. You can read Raise Hell! on Kindle Unlimited.

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Uzumaki Series Review: Not As Hair-Raising as Ito’s Manga

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘Uzumaki’ begins with a rather plain scene of a beaten path with grass on the sides, but if you look closely, you’ll notice tiny spiral shaped plants hiding underneath the grass, one of the biggest motif of Junji Ito’s popular horror story. And even if you miss them in the opening second, soon, a close up shot ensures they are in your face. BTW – just in case you didn’t know – Uzumaki is Japanese for ‘swirl’ or ‘spiral’.

Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama and Yûji Moriyama, Uzumaki, the anime series, is just four episodes long and is based on Junji Ito’s horror manga of the same name. The first episode is damn good, setting an eerie tone for the story, which unfolds in the obscure seaside town of Kurozu. Just like in the manga, high school student Kirie Goshima narrates the twisted tale of a horrifying curse that begins to plague her hometown. It all starts when her boyfriend, Shuichi, tells Kirie about his father’s strange behavior and his obsession with anything spiral-shaped. Shuichi is convinced something is terribly wrong with their town and urges them to leave. While Kirie initially thinks Shuichi is overreacting, she will come to deeply regret not taking his concerns seriously.

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The 2-D animation style in ‘Uzumaki’ is quite faithful to Junji Ito’s original illustrations, from the character designs, to the haunted town of Kurozu, the animators bring the horror manga to life. However, they should’ve played with colors in some scenes, it feels like they were scared to experiment with any other tines that weren’t variations of black. The black-and-white colors obviously lend a solidly dark, retro, depressing tone to the tale, but some color would’ve lent an added visual appeal to the anime. Despite some truly disturbing events, the anime rarely creeps under your skin like the manga did.

After the first episode, the plot’s pace and mood settle into a steady rhythm, lacking the ups and downs needed for tension. This may be due to the monotonous color scheme and the subdued music score, which fail to heighten the terror or inject excitement into the horror story. As more and more people become maddened or weirdly transformed by the sinister spirals in the town, Kirie becomes desperate to find a way to leave town with her family. But the spirals also make it impossible for any resident to leave Kurozu.

Overall, thanks to Junji Ito’s original twisted material, that features an entire town under the grips of a grotesque, unexplainable curse, which twists them, kills them, or turns them into ghastly creatures, ‘Uzumaki’ is quite unsettling and eerie. However, the anime creators don’t do a lot to elevate the source material. An AI capable of transforming manga panels into animated scenes might have done just as well.

Rating: 3 on 5.

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Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Episode 4 Review

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“How about I become normal then?”

“Huh?”

“I will become your idea of a normal guy, Yoshino.”

Pretty much everything that comes out of Kirishima Miyama’s mouth further convinces Yoshino that he is completely off his rocker—a total psycho. Even his offer to become a “normal kinda guy” to woo Yoshino sounds like a crazy proposition.

Titled I Can’t Tell If You’re Smart or Stupid, episode 4 of the anime series Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii begins with the much-anticipated encounter between Kirishima and Shoma Toriashi. Non-manga readers learned in episode 3 that Shoma had been adopted into the Somei family by Yoshino’s grandfather, so the two are like family, even though they’re not related by blood. This latter fact fuels Kirishima’s jealousy when he sees the close relationship Yoshino shares with Shoma. Mistaking the envy for anger, Yoshino freaks out, wondering if he is bored and plotting to kill her. LOL.

A love-struck Kirishima is creepy and bad enough—imagine poor Yoshino having to deal with a jealous stalker now. Most of the episode focuses on the slowly changing dynamics between the two teens, and for the first time, Yoshino acknowledges the slight chance she might fall for Kirishima, while lover-boy already thinks they’re headed toward marriage!

Episode 4 of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is well-paced and reveals a few new sides to Kirishima, whose character is just too exaggerated to be a high-school kid. But, well, that’s the point of this comedic-violent-romance show. Yoshino’s ability to handle his bipolar moods and statements is truly impressive, and for the first time, Kirishima displays a genuinely caring attitude towards her. It’s going to be interesting to see if Yoshino warms up to him in the coming episodes.

You can watch the series on Crunchyroll.

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Fragile Review: Strong Friendships, Weak Romances

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

One of the most comically sweet moments in the Korean drama Fragile is a scene where five teen girlfriends turn up at a gynaecologist’s office because one of them fears she might be pregnant. “Don’t they look like high school students?” a man visiting with his wife comments on their appearance, but the girls reassure their friend not to care about anybody else.

Directed by Kim Ji Hoon, Fragile primarily follows Park Ji Yu (Kim So Hui), a high-school girl who spends most of her free time sneaking her boyfriend No Chan Seong (Kim Eo Jin) into her home. With no friends, Ji Yu is practically obsessed with her boyfriend and pays little attention to her grades. But when the new girl Seo Ara (Kwon Hui Song) befriends Ji Yu, the latter soon becomes part of a new fun girl group, discovering a new social life while still navigating the treacherous waters of love, jealousy, and boyfriend problems.

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The most enjoyable bits about Fragile are the teen girl gang hanging out and having fun, like kids their age should—going bowling, playing board games, having a pajama party, or simply studying together with lots of snacks. Ji Yu and Seo Ara become close friends with the cute Mi Na (Moon Ji Won), the laid-back, cheery, food enthusiast Yeo Eun-soo, and the cynical but smart Kim Ye Ri. The classmates’ personality clashes and differing opinions lead them to reexamine various aspects of their own lives, giving them fresh perspectives they might not have considered otherwise. For instance, Kim Ye Ri is constantly reminding the girls there’s more to life than dating boys.

Large chunks of Fragile focus on how Park Ji Yu’s romance with Chan Seong gets complicated when a senior, Nam Do Ha (Cha Se Jin), starts hitting on her. Chan Seong’s best friend, Kang San (Kong Ju Han), is quite supportive of Ji Yu; however, there are ample hints throughout the episodes that he either has a crush on Ji Yu or Chan Seong. In fact, even Park Ji Yu seems to have more than platonic feelings for Kang San too, displaying a streak of jealousy when he shows interest in someone else. Her constant confusion between men becomes annoying, and her personality is boringly one-dimensional. Supporting characters Seo Ara, Kim Ye Ri, and Yeo Eun-soo are a lot more entertaining. Actor Moon Ji Won is adorable as Mi Na, her character a prettier, dumber, and more emotional version of Ji Yu.

While Fragile is a well-shot teen drama with many relatable teen characters, each going through their own problems. The background score is understated, in a good way – it doesn’t stand out, but subtly complements the story. One wishes the creators had split the screen time between some of the actors more evenly. Yes, Kim So Hui is convincing as the doe-eyed Ji Yu, but she is also the least interesting character in the series.

First love, confusing crushes, secret relationships, eating disorders, cyberbullying—Fragile covers a lot of issues affecting its teen protagonists. Much of the show is engaging and a gorgeous cast is added bonus; however, its biggest pitfall is the disparate amount of time given to secondary characters, who could have used more screen time.

Episode eight, the final edition of the series, ends with a big cliffhanger, which is bound to make viewers feel a little cheated. Perhaps two more episodes, and this season could have ended more conclusively, but in its current form, Fragile feels unevenly broken. That said, I would watch a season two.

Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch ‘Fragile’ on Kocowa.

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Dan Da Dan: First Encounter Review – Like JJK, But Sillier, Madder

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

If you’re looking to fill the Jujutsu Kaisen-sized hole in your heart, ‘Dan Da Dan’ is a great answer – an anime that just a wee bit sillier, lighter, with a dash of romance and fewer characters, so you don’t scratch your head over who is who. It’s a genre-bending anime, that mixes humor, horror, and the horrifying embarrassment of teen love.

Directed by Fūga Yamashiro and written by Hiroshi Seko, ‘Dan Da Dan: First Encounter’ (Dandadan: Fâsuto Enkauntâ) the movie follows high school student Momo Ayase who rescues a nerdy classmate from bullies, only to start a crazy new friendship which entails fighting aliens and grotesque ghosts. The movie is essentially the first three episodes of the anime series, which is available to stream on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

Shion Wakayama voices the sassy Momo, a feisty teen with a soft spot for hunky boys, while Natsuki Hanae, known for voicing Tanjiro Kamado from ‘Demon Slayer’, lends his pipes to Momo’s new friend Ken ‘Okarun’ Tanakura, an otaku with a fierce passion for aliens. Momo doesn’t believe in aliens but thinks ghosts are real, as her beloved grandmother, Seiko Ayase, is a spirit medium. Seiko Ayase is very Satoru Gojo-coded—tall, confident, powerful, with white hair—though her way of dealing with spirits will remind viewers of Nobara Kugisaki. Not much is revealed about Okarun’s family in Dan Da Dan: First Encounter, although he is a lonely boy whose friendship with Momo completely changes his life. From a monstrous old ghost that consumes humans to unhinged aliens that want Momo’s banana (watch the anime to find out what that means—and yes, Momo’s banana, not the boy’s), these two teens face terrifying challenges together!

The animation style in ‘Dan Da Dan: First Encounter’ is colorful, dynamic, and two-dimensional in nature, and the creators often play with color, depending on the mood of a given scene. For instance, when Momo first encounters creepy aliens, the color palette shifts to become bright, neon, and is trippy in tone, as if you’re watching a cyber-punk or mecha anime. Or there’s a significant chunk where Momo and Okarun face-off a demonic, sumo-like alien entity, and those scenes are animated in black-and-white shades, adding a lot of theatrical effect to the violence, to convey the hopelessness and bleakness of their situation. Basically, the anime style is fun, and fittingly complemented by a spunky soundtrack, some sections of which are like remixed versions of retro arcade games music.

Between fighting each other, and fighting together against others, Momo and Okarun make a hilarious duo. Momo’s stunningly fit, ageless spirit-medium grandmother just adds to their mad dynamic. These two kids are the new ghost-busters in town, and can sometimes be scarier than demons. Just watch ‘Dan Da Dan’ if you’re looking for a new teen horror comedy.

‘Dan Da Dan’ is on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

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Killer Heat: Sun, Suspense, and a PI With Baggage

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Oh no, not another twin movie where the siblings fall for the same person! Sure, Killer Heat was out a good month before the Bollywood thriller Do Patti, but they’re both about twins who don’t get along and are further divided over love. I’ll give half an extra point to Killer Heat for being a proper murder mystery, with someone mysteriously dying right at the beginning, unlike Netflix’s Do Patti, which is about an “attempted murder” case.

Directed by Philippe Lacôte and written by Matt Charman, Roberto Bentivegna, and Jo Nesbø, Killer Heat is based on a short story called “The Jealousy Man.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays PI (private investigator) Nick Bali, who is hired by Penelope Vardakis (Shailene Woodley) to investigate the death of her wealthy husband’s twin brother, Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden). However, it’s not easy to gather clues because the Vardakises virtually own the Greek island they live on, and nobody would dare go against them. Was Leo murdered by Elias over a possible secret affair with Penelope, over a financial misdealing, or did he just fall to his death during a free solo climb? Nick Bali finds the truth.

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Nick Bali narrates the events in Killer Heat, beginning by recalling the Greek myth of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun, paralleling the themes with the lives of the high-flying Vardakis family. I just couldn’t warm up to the narration style; Nick narrates in the tone of a pretentious tragic hero, as if he’s some all-knowing god who has fallen. Besides, his own personal life often takes center stage in the narration, and he reveals his familiarity with jealousy due to his past. Even though his personal issues affect the investigation, they only slow down the tale.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of Nick Bali is like a middle-aged Hercule Poirot with drinking issues and baggage from a failed marriage. He knows how to get people to talk, yet isn’t as charming as Monsieur Poirot from Belgium. Richard Madden plays twins Leo and Elias: Leo is the awkward, reserved one, while Elias is the flirty, passionate, ambitious brother. There are very few scenes of Leo in Killer Heat, who appears only in flashbacks since he dies at the very beginning, so I couldn’t spot any differences between the brothers’ personalities—Richard Madden makes the twins feel like one person. Shailene Woodley doesn’t have much to do in the film except take occasional updates from Nick Bali on his investigation, and of course, there are some love-triangle flashbacks between her and the twins that don’t stand out.

Killer Heat is slow, pretentious, but has some beautiful shots of the Greek islands it’s set in. While some twists are predictable, there’s a climactic twist I didn’t see coming, and it was pretty good. Not sure how “short” the short story this is based on was, but Killer Heat feels boringly slow. Thanks to a talented cast, though, it’s still a watchable thriller.

Rating: 5 on 10. Stream ‘Killer Heat’ on Prime Video.

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Do Patti Movie Recapped & Ending Explained

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Plot Overview: Police officer Vidya Jyothi, or VJ, responds to a domestic violence report at a house and meets Saumya, a young woman with a head wound who insists she’s fine and was injured accidentally. However, scenes reveal her husband Dhruv’s repeated abuse, which she never reports. Saumya’s guardian, Maaji, tells VJ that Saumya would never appear vulnerable to her twin sister, Shailee, hinting at a deep-seated sibling rivalry.

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Twin Rivalry: Flashbacks show Saumya and Shailee lost their mother as children, with Saumya always expected to bow to her sister, as Shailee was seen as stronger. Their constant conflicts lead to Shailee’s placement in boarding school, leaving the sisters distant. Saumya grows into a shy, traditional woman, while Shailee is bold and ambitious. Saumya falls for a wealthy businessman, Dhruv, and they start a friendship, but Shailee’s return and captivating personality catch Dhruv’s interest. With Shailee’s impulsive nature causing him issues, Dhruv ultimately chooses Saumya to satisfy his family’s expectations. After their marriage, Dhruv’s true nature surfaces as he begins physically abusing Saumya. VJ asks Maaji to gather evidence, but Maaji struggles to capture anything incriminating. During one attack, Dhruv asserts he can frame Saumya as mentally unstable, threatening to use her antidepressant prescriptions against her. Dhruv’s refusal to have children, despite Saumya’s desire for motherhood, intensifies their conflicts, and Saumya suspects Dhruv may be rekindling his interest in Shailee. Desperate, she proposes going paragliding to reconnect with him.

The Climax: During their paragliding trip, Saumya’s screams for help draw witnesses who capture footage of what appears to be Dhruv attempting to push her. The two crash-land and hang from a bridge, where police intervene, and Dhruv is arrested. Saumya tells the cops he was trying to murder her. In court, Dhruv claims Saumya unbuckled her harness intentionally to stage the scene. However, it’s proven Saumya, terrified of heights, would not attempt such a move, leading to Dhruv’s conviction and a 14 year sentence.

The Truth: When Shailee notices her sister’s bruises, she urges her to leave Dhruv, only to discover Saumya’s worsening mental health. Saumya insists she has “two little daughters” to care for, so she cannot leave her husband, showing Shailee a childhood photo of themselves and revealing her fragile state. Realizing Saumya’s need for help, Shailee devises a plan. During the paragliding trip, the sisters switch places, with Shailee unbuckling her harness to frame Dhruv for attempted murder. VJ later uncovers the sisters’ scheme, contemplating reopening the case. However, Shailee confesses how their family covered up the true cause of their mother’s death, who also suffered from domestic violence, leaving a lasting impact in Saumya’s psyche. Traumatized by witnessing their father’s abuse, Saumya grew up mentally scarred, compounding her response to Dhruv’s violence. Shailee argues that Dhruv’s wealth and influence would have shielded him from consequences without drastic measures.

In the end, VJ decides against reopening the case, Dhruv remains in jail, and the sisters reconcile. Do Patti is now streaming on Netflix.

Kabul Disco: Graphic Novel Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

This graphic novel by French artist Nicolas Wild has a clickbait tagline: “How I Managed Not to Be Abducted in Afghanistan.” I’ll admit I felt slightly cheated at the end, since as a reader, you keep waiting for something explosive to happen—where the author is “almost abducted” but manages to hoodwink the villains through his wit… oh tosh, maybe I’ve been watching too many films! But purely as a travelogue about a French illustrator taking on a temporary job in conflict-stricken Afghanistan, Kabul Disco is highly entertaining.

The graphic novel opens with Nicolas Wild being broke, struggling to pay his rent, so he applies to a job in Kabul on a whim, drawn by perks like accommodation, food, and even transport. The job is with a communications agency called Zendagui Media, owned by a bunch of white dudes who love to ski. Nicolas’s temporary role is to help illustrate comics explaining the Afghan constitution to children, alongside another illustrator. But before he can even get to Kabul from Paris, he ends up stuck for days at Baku Airport in Azerbaijan, his stopover, due to canceled flights to Kabul. Once he finally arrives, Nicolas has to adjust to Kabul’s harsh winter in his poorly heated staff quarters while trying to get along with his new colleagues and bosses.

Nicolas Wild and his colleagues live in a special expat bubble in Kabul, which he humorously illustrates through the pages. Some of his biggest setbacks in the country include rising cigarette prices, repetitive local food (at least he doesn’t have to cook), and dealing with a perpetually broken toilet. Sure, he gets lost on a trip once, and things get tense for a hot minute, but it all ends quite comfortably for our narrator. One of the more random assignments he takes on is photographing Afghan soldiers for an army recruitment campaign run by Zendagui Media.

“Colonel Shapur is asking if you’re a trained war photographer?” someone asks him during the shoot. “Not really. I’m a trained children’s-book illustrator,” Nicolas replies. This low-key hilarious moment in Kabul Disco made me think of startup culture and those long-winded LinkedIn job posts where candidates are expected to do 100 things that shouldn’t be part of their role. Nicolas also inserts several pages from the comic book he’s creating for Zendagui, which cleverly conveys the political climate in Afghanistan through his cartoonish illustrations.

I didn’t particularly enjoy Nicolas’s simple doodle-art style and feel that a more detailed approach might have made Kabul Disco visually compelling. However, it’s a super fun travelogue, and Nicolas injects comedy into the most mundane interactions. What began as a short-term gig taken out of financial necessity becomes a memorable rollercoaster for Nicolas Wild. Although he initially says he’s only there for a few months, he soon finds himself hoping for a contract renewal so he can continue his great Kabul adventure.

Rating: 4 on 5. ‘Kabul Disco’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Longlegs Review: Nicholas Cage is Creepily Grotesque in Slow-Burn Horror

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Longlegs” begins with a shot reminiscent of 1970s home videos, featuring a creepy, snake-like man with flaky skin that looks ready to shed as he ominously approaches a little girl. Nicolas Cage plays the serial killer “Longlegs,” a hybrid of “if Nagini from Harry Potter had a child with Count Dracula, and the kid grew up to be a Satanist murderer.” Cage has already portrayed the latter (Dracula) with finesse in the horror-comedy Renfield.

I couldn’t watch this 2024 slow-burn horror movie during its opening week because it wasn’t even playing in any of the movie halls in the city I live in. So, I had to wait for it to come to an online platform. Now that it’s on Prime Video, Friday night at 11 p.m. was a date with Longlegs, which follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she tries to track down a nefarious serial killer who slaughters innocent families. The only clue the FBI has is cryptic, coded notes signed “Longlegs.”

What confounds the FBI about the Longlegs murders is the fact that there seem to be no signs of forced entry at the crime scenes, which leads Lee Harker to suspect an occult or supernatural connection to the deaths. Maika Monroe’s Lee Harker is a highly intuitive, perhaps even partially psychic protagonist, with an impressively sharp sixth sense. This suspense—whether the movie is a typical serial killer story or a supernatural one—is maintained tightly over the runtime.

But even though Longlegs is suspenseful, unsettling, and solidly eerie, it’s also slow—so slow that it could compete with a group of sloths in a race and lose. I had a hard time keeping sleep at bay and was tempted to hit the fast-forward button a few times, but it’s also the kind of film where you cannot afford to skip any scenes, as something crucial or catastrophic could happen at any second! In fact, it’s the deliberately haunting sluggish pace that makes the sudden bursts of violence truly daunting and horrifying—or even exciting—in the film. Yet, Longlegs somehow plays it safe when it comes to blood, murder, and gore. It’s a little like The First Omen, which was also slow and atmospheric, but I found it more engaging due to its stunning gothic imagery and a protagonist who establishes relatable human connections around her.

Agent Lee Harker on the other hand is like a ghost in her own right, a ‘hard to place’ kind of character, with whom it’s difficult to connect as a viewer. She’s even painfully awkward with her mom, Ruth Harker, a religious nut who resembles a hippie groupie. The creators silently differentiate between the mother and daughter through the differences in their living spaces. While Lee lives in a stylish wooden house, which exudes minimalism, Ruth’s place is grossly overflowing with clutter, a nightmarish horror for neatness enthusiasts. So, once you see the mom, you sort of understand why the daughter is a special kind of weirdo. The sorts who stares blankly at kids when asked a question, like they are hiding a knife behind their back.  

Nicolas Cage as the grotesque serial killer “Longlegs” will crawl under your skin, despite his limited screen time. The makeup team has transformed him into an otherworldly entity who looks more demon than man. Cage’s gnarly, heavy-set voice excellently complements his creepy scenes and violent outbursts, making him even creepier than the clown from Stephen King’s IT. Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina/Totally Killer) has a small, eerie cameo as one of the rare victims who survived a massacre perpetrated by Longlegs, though her testimony provides no real breakthroughs for the FBI in the case.

Some parts of Longlegs reminded me of the horror movie The Black Phone, which is about a serial killer targeting children. However, The Black Phone maintains sustained energy throughout most of its runtime, offering both hope and despair in the story as its young hero actively fights to escape a locked basement. In Longlegs, there’s only dread, stretched over a few yawns, until the tense climax finally reveals the strange modus operandi of the creepy titular antagonist (you know, how he’s been murdering people without leaving any traces). The twist is wicked, not wholly unexpected, amply foreshadowed, and somehow feels rewarding after you’ve managed to stay awake through the first half! I don’t mean this sarcastically—I really did enjoy the ending, as it finally resolves the conundrum over what kind of horror movie Longlegs truly is. Let me just say—traditional horror fans are going to be delighted.

Rating: 3 stars on 5. Watch the film on Prime Video.

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