A deciding guide to watching the hottest independent movie of the summer.
‘Longlegs’ (2024) is written and directed by Osgood Perkins. It follows young FBI agent, Lee Harker, as she navigates through the Longlegs murders through clairvoyance, and her intellect.
The movie itself was advertised in a calculated way to gain a following before its initial trailer was even released, and with this, they succeeded greatly. Even before its release day, the internet was swarming with theories and buzz, which evidently, boosted its popularity. The horror, thriller starring Maika Monroe and Nicholas Cage went on to make $22.6 million on opening weekend, a great sum for an independent film from the genre.
Since the film’s release on the 11th of July, it has received a variety of reviews and differing opinions. Many people who had followed since the teaser trailers claimed that it did not live up to their expectations, and they were overall disappointed with the film. Many others however, claimed that it was it a good film, due to the incorporation of different horror tropes which subsequently told a brand-new story, while still including some of the most classic horror conventions. In order for a genre to be successful, there must be change in order to keep audiences engaged, but ‘Longlegs’ manages to play on this idea, so well, that even if you claim to hate horror films, you will be engaged from the get-go.
Why is it so loving to watch?
‘Longlegs’ tackles themes of isolation, identity and the human psyche. The way these are explored resonates on a deep level with audiences, and despite not exactly being what everybody had anticipated initially, the reimagination of classic conventions and the comedic aspects to the film, can appeal to a much larger audience. An audience which doesn’t even need to remotely enjoy horror films, in order to enjoy watching this one.