“Longlegs” can’t tell a good story

As the leaves begin to change on campus, the Notre Dame community begins to prepare for spooky season. Halloween is just around the corner and that means painted pumpkins, scary costumes and, most of all, horror movies! Fellow students and I alike are excited to see what new films are coming to theaters this October, but hopefully none will be as good as this summer’s horror film, Longlegs.

I was very excited going into this movie – the trailer was scary, the soundtrack gave me goosebumps, and the movie actually seemed scary, which is important to me since I don’t get scared easily by horror movies. My friend and I really felt like this movie would do the trick. I have to admit that I was initially skeptical when entering the cinema because my other friends who had previously seen the film warned me about the linear plot and lack of tension. I quickly realized that I couldn’t agree more!

We meet the main character, Lee, who doesn’t give the audience much as a character. The actress (Maika Monroe) portrayed the character well, but was clearly limited. Lee was completely unattractive as the protagonist and had a dull, monotone demeanor most of the time. As a viewer, I felt no sympathy or interest in her discovering Longlegs’ identity because I was unable to empathize or sympathize with her. My only reason for caring about Longlegs’ identity was because of my curiosity as someone who took the time to watch this film and I expected more excitement from the film. After law enforcement captured Longlegs, the film lost its tension early on. Although the plot twist at the end was shocking, as a viewer I felt like I waited too long for this twist and was therefore disappointed – especially because we never find out who Longlegs really is. To pique your curiosity for those who haven’t seen the film, the plot twist is simply that Lee’s mother worked with Longlegs to protect her daughter and therefore Longlegs always knew who Lee was. Lee’s mother was creepy and creepy – very “horror-like”, but she was almost too scary, and her character became more repulsive than scary as the film progressed. As a viewer, I wish there was a deeper connection between Lee and Longlegs and a fulfilling revelation of his identity. By not knowing this, the audience is left on the wrong track that can never be cleared up.

Aside from the unresolved question and lack of suspense, I have to praise “Longlegs” for its blood-curdling imagery. For example, in the scene where Longlegs kills himself, he cracks his skull open and you see his face deform more and more as he repeatedly slams his head on the table. This gore made me feel uneasy, which was fun for me as I usually expect more gore than I should from horror films and am usually disappointed. For such a bizarre scene, the images were strangely realistic. Although I’ve been pretty critical so far, I have to praise the film for the scenery, props, setting, costumes and soundtrack. Although this story is not compelling, its presentation is excellent and horrifying.