One thing I haven't really seen talked about is that Longlegs kind of takes on a "father figure" role to Lee in his own macabre way. The dolls delivered infect the father, influencing him to kill his family. Lee doesn't have a father, so what does he do? He goes to do it himself. Further more, when in the interrogation room, he's talking about how excited and proud "we" were when she became a federal agent. Like a father telling his daughter about how overjoyed he and her mother were for their daughter's accomplishments. Also, there's another hint early on into the movie, when she's going through the psychic evaluation test; they're showing her pictures of seemingly random geometric shapes and there's one of an inverted triangle, which Lee associates with "father." The inverted triangle obviously being the pattern Longlegs uses to map out the murders. Finally, and this one is just conjecture, his codename is Longlegs...as in "Daddy Longlegs."
During the psychic assessment, Lee sees an upside-down triangle and says, 'Father.' Later, in her home out in the woods, we see a light fixture in that same shape right above her door. Longlegs of course had broken in to deliver her birthday card - exactly what an estranged father would do.
I think they were alluding to the man downstairs being Satan but at the end they reveal longlegs literally loved downstairs her mother’s house her whole life.
One of the thing Ive noticed is that when LongLegs targeted Lee’s family , the doll had affected Lee but the demon wasn’t able to possess a man in the family to do the killings because Lee doesn’t have a father , which is why on the 13th , one day before her birthday , LongLegs broke into Ruth’s house and decide to kill them both , making Lee his first kills (since birthday on 13th will be the first and last date needed to complete the inverted triangle) . That’s when Ruth did the pleading and become his accomplice
Also , another details I’ve noticed is the conversation between Lee and Ruth when asked about her prayers , when Lee said prayers scares me , some may interpret as because Lee has part of satanic soul within her . But Ruth’s response is really eerie when you think back after the movie , when she reply “prayer doesn’t actually works. Doesn’t protect us from these demons” and when you realise she said it because she knew the devil been living inside her home and saying prayers won’t do anything
Ahhh I randomly remembered that scene and was wondering wtf that was. The scene where is night, the mom sees car lights. She goes to get a shotgun. Then it jumps to her hogtied I think. But that's it.
All daughters birthdays are on the 14th, but the killings take place 6 days before and 6 days after, anywhere between the 8th and the 20th, but they, the FBI, didn't have a record of one on the 13th
Something I haven't seen anyone mention as to "how he did it"... Did no one else notice that the coroner who removed the metal ball from the Carrie Anne doll said that he thought he was hearing his ex-wife's name from the ball? The dolls themselves aren't necessarily enchanted, but the balls are, the voice of whatever demon affects adult men. Also, Lee's birthday is, I believe, the year before his first acknowledged victims at the camera family farm. Lee didn't have a father figure to manipulate in any way, not through a cult or psychopathic manipulation, or magic. He had to go in and do it himself. He would have left evidence, so it was also beneficial for him to have an accomplice. For that specific situation, 'Daddy' Long Legs is a father figure for Lee, which she didn't remember... She's also the one that got away for him and he kept tabs on her.
i thought he was her father. i could be wrong on the details but the scene where she wore white while driving his car screaming, it was clear to me that the theme of the movie is “you are like your parents in many ways whether you know it or like it or not.”
@@shanehe729 I don't think he's related to them or her bio-father. The mother, Ruth, didn't seem to recognize him when he first approached Lee. Over time, he at least had his workspace for his dolls downstairs and may have occasionally used Ruth's car(s), as sometimes Lee did as well.
Oh! So are you saying LL did the murders with an accomplice and the possession doll was just a deflection ? It makes sense now that I think about it there’s no need to overthink it sometimes the obvious answer IS the answer and some thing are better left unexplained ❤
@@Jets287south The act of making a doll in order to control someone goes way back in a lot of cultures. I think the reason for the ball in the dolls is twofold: manipulate male heads of household to murder their families, secondly, if the target girl should survive, the metal ball helps ensure the girl won't remember anything about LL. Maybe not even what happened to her family. I think he worked with different accomplices over time to avoid leaving any evidence of himself, except the birthday cards, dolls, or red pianos.
He did it for the lols. Hes a satanic incel where he thinks its funny to ruin peoples lives not just for his evil boss, but for his own gratification. The perfect hatable villain.
“[Longlegs is] someone who was a person and is a person, and whose life was sort of hijacked by the devil,” Perkins told Den of Geek. “You go into the service of that and it sucks, and you do your best to sort of be evil through it, with it, as a result of it, but in the end you’re also a person who gets tired.”
@@diaking900 yeah agreed, banality of evil is about how normal some cruel and disgusting acts can seem, not about how people who do evil are human. related maybe, but it's different.
I saw an interesting theory about this movie that the human we know as Longlegs is actually possessed by the demon Baal, a demon who is often depicted as having spider like legs. Baal would have children sacrificed for him so he could grant power. Despite being so powerful, he still serves satan a.k.a the Man Downstairs. Ruth, makes a deal with Longlegs to protect Lee, which is actually beneficial to both Baal and Satan because Baal cannot take Lee only Satan can and therefore, Ruth’s deal is the only way that Baal can, in a way, get Lee. Again this is a theory, but it makes me enjoy the movie even more now. I understand why some people weren’t satisfied with the ending, and if I was the writer, I might’ve made Longlegs a cult leader and Ruth the recruiter, and through these vibrations they would get these people to subliminally gain the desire to kill. I loved this film tho and Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe killed it.
I kept seeing the name of this movie come up and thought it sounded stupid. Then I heard Nic Cage was in it playing a serial killer. Then that there were occult elements to it. Upon learning that last bit, it dawned on me the killer may be “possessed” by Bael… great minds think alike!
Have seen this posted about as well but not sure it has legs honestly. You have to get pretty deep into subtext without anything else ever mentioning Baal etc. Maybe Oz didn't want to include sects of satanism which is kinda fair enough as it would've messed with the fluidity of the plot.
I don't understand anyone not liking this movie or the ending. This film is a MASTERPIECE and since seeing it I've been thinking about it constantly. ❤
There's an overlooked quote where Longlegs in the interrogation says something along the lines of 'I'll be a part of everything... they'll be wearing daddy's wigs.' The reason his hair is long is he grows it out to put it on the dolls. There's a focus on the dolls' hair in many shots in my opinion.
Is everyone overlooking the noise that came from the metal orbs during the autopsy of the doll? The Dr used an ultrasound machine and was surprised at the noise coming off of it, yet it was empty! This is terrifying and I am interested in an explanation at some point down the road from OZ PERKINS.
Someone above mentioned that Longlegs was possessed by the demon, Baal. My guess is that the metal balls are a play on Baal’s name. The metal balls hold a little bit of Baal inside them, which allows Baal and the victim to stay tethered
If you look at the ball it’s not smooth, it has many indents. I believe this is what gives it a certain sound frequency which may tap into dark corners of the mind, which is why the guy who listens to it hears his wife’s name. Maybe there’s a code hidden in the sound files of the film
Props to Alicia Witt. She absolutely delivered such a great performance. Cage and Monroe were amazing but Witt and Underwood were fantastic. Perkins has delivered another masterpiece!
Agreed. For anyone who was impressed by Witt's performance here I'd highly recommend season 2 of the tragically overlooked and underappreciated Fox series The Exorcist (currently streaming on Hulu) where she plays a pivotal character who appears at about the halfway point of the series. Her performance there is equally nuanced and chilling. The themes of this story arc are similar to Longlegs in a way as well, as it involves a demon that influences fathers to murder their children.
The whole time that I was watching this movie, all I could about was how similar some aspects were to the Manson Family. Accomplices, the singing, the interview of Longlegs. Even when I saw the mother, I thought she looked just like the girls that were involved.
Yeah, I've read complaints from people saying Cage was too over the top, but that's how Manson was. Singing, making faces, rattling off free association poems. So I loved Cage's performance.
@@Voodoochil111111the over the top shit to me personally makes him creepier, he has no remorse for what he has done and revels in it, that kinda shit scares me 🤷♂️
It's also worth noting that in his history of rebellion, Lucifer [Satan, Beelzebub, Baphomet, et al] has a way of copying (or mirroring) God's creative order in a blasphemous, antithetical way. In the story of creation, God creates man from the soil and then breathes the Breath of Life into Adam, making him a living being - but not just a living being, a mirror copy of the Trinity (Let us make man in Our own image). So God makes mankind His image bearers by breathing the Breath of Life into them. Longlegs appears to make the dolls his image bearers by kissing and breathing into them, essentially giving them a part of his soul - which would remain connected, in the same way God did with mankind.
Also, to tie back to the devil's mimicking/copying God's grand design, there are passages in Acts about the Apostles and the mighty, miraculous works they were doing while empowered by the Holy Spirit, and there are two instances named where handkerchiefs and blankets that had been touched by the Apostle Paul were able to heal people. Another example is when the Apostle Peter walked through town, the casting of his shadow was able to heal people - so the sick and the lame sat on the side of the road opposite the sun so that they could be healed when Peter walked by. There's also an Old Testament story in 2 Kings 13 about a man being buried on top of the Prophet Elisha, and when his dead body landed on top of Elisha's bones, he (the dead man, not Elisha) was raised from the dead. This type of transfer of power through touch has often been used in the occult.
when he has the mom tied up he says “You could have been rich with me” Longlegs is either the Father himself, meeting Lees mom when he was in a band or something, found out he had a daughter and wanted to sacrifice her or something, then instead the mom comes up with the idea of helping him instead , she says “ the devil wanted him for himself but i couldn’t allow that to happen” or something 🤷🏻
Nice theory. Personally, I believe Longlegs was also possessed/controlled the whole time. The times we see him on the screen he goes from catatonic to, I would say, distressed. His awkward mannerisms, laughter that bordered on almost crying. Then near the end he just says he's free before being forced to smash his face into the table (his face breaking into pieces I found oddly similar to the act of the doll heads breaking). Not to mention the obvious plastic surgery he's undergone with time (if he was a genius doll maker able to sculpt lifelike faces, who's to say he wouldn't make one for himself?). So was he both the vessel and the victim in this case? As for his backstory - I saw a review that described akin to a washed up 70s rockstar. Which actually makes a lot of sense - him breaking into several creepy songs throughout the film (especially screaming his throat off in the car). Personally I'd like to imagine he's an ex rockstar who came a little too close to the subject matter of his songs (think back to the satanic panic of the 70s). Perhaps that's why he wears so much make-up and prosthetics, to not be recognized? (this aspect reminded me of Michael Jackson actually)
Longlegs isn’t the devil. He’s just a crazy guy playing with powers beyond his control. There is some sort of dark power being imbued into the silver orbs but ultimately it’s still an unknown power. At least that’s my interpretation of it.
@@TheGililgi What I mean is that I don’t think he had any actual agency over what would actually be happening with the powers he was messing around with beyond manifesting them inside of the silver spheres. He wasn’t best buds with Satan or whatever the demonic powers were. He was just a crazy guy screwing with things he shouldn’t have been at the end of the day.
I truly think the reason she couldn't shoot the doll (as I stated in other comments) is because it doesn't matter if the doll is destroyed or not. There may be other dolls. And Satan isn't going anywhere. The evil Longlegs unleashed cannot end. It may be delayed, but never defeated. This makes mote thematic sense, especially if you think about how evil is portrayed in Perkins's earlier film The Blackcoat's Daughter.
I dont think there were any other dolls after Ruby's since Ruby's doll Completed LongLegs' Triangle. You have to remember each doll was specifically made to resemble the Targeted kid in the Family.
@@TheGililgi But also, who knows? That's my point. Harker will never know the truth beyond what's she's been given and the trauma she's received. There will always be doubt.
Wow, I saw it today and came back to check out other people's reviews. Unfortunately what I don't think some reviewers don't get is that there is a real character in the film that they miss is, the devil. He (the devil) is literally shown and herd in the film. (After Longlegs is dead) Are people so convinced that the devil isn't real that they don't get the film? Why the hell would the fathers (including the FBI agent) kill their families? Who called the female agent at the end? The devil made them do it. Duh.
I just want to note, I don’t think Lee was able to shoot the Ruby doll because she literally ran out of ammunition. She tries three times to pull the trigger, and it doesn’t work any of the times due to her having run out of bullets in the revolver.
Or, as her mother said, the doll was able to make her not see things/leave out things. Though I think it's more thematic that literal. Even if she shot the doll, it doesn't matter. Longlegs started something that cannot end.
@@abachniv you can literally hear the clicks that she ran out of bullets. Oz Perkins even said in an interview that the ending is so tragic because "the moment she "decided" to shoot her mother was actually the worst thing she could've done" i take this as lee couldve been stabbed but destroyed the doll or Avoid being stabbed yet the Pure Evil still lives.
@@TheGililgidon’t mean to be a bummer but everything Oz Perkins says in interviews about this movie is less interesting than the theories and interpretations going around.
@@TheGililgithe mom wasn't going to stab Lee, she was going to kill Ruby. The weird part was she goes to Ruby's house with a diffent sidearm than the one she uses in the rest of the movie.
This is my gut reaction interpretation of the ending (SPOILER WARNING; DO NOT READ!) The mom says that if they don't complete the final ritual, both her and Lee are going to end up in hell for eternity. Lee kills her mom despite knowing that they will both be damned to hell, but she can at least free Carver's daughter. Although Lee makes that sacrifice, the doll was protected by dark magic, and can't be destroyed. Now, Lee has to live the rest of her life knowing that the girl will either be possessed to come and kill her at any moment, or commit suicide after Lee dies so that Lee will still end up in hell regardless. Even though Lee was free of the dark influence and memory erasal, her mom still made a deal to carry out the plan until it was finished. The real dilemma seemed to be: do you let these parents and their little girl die to avoid eternal damnation, or do you try to do the right thing no matter the personal cost? Even though she tried to do the right thing, she still couldn't free the girl, and Lee and her mom are going to be in hell for eternity. I think that's why they showed Longlegs taunt her one last time.
Th devil was in the dolls and he stopped her from shooting the doll at the end. She shot the cop twice and her mom once so she still had 3 bullets left. The devil wouldnt let her destroy the doll. Also lee doll kinda brainwashed her and made her not see what wqs going on in her own home the whole time. If longlegs was in her basement for 20 years she would of heard him at least once hahaha so the doll had her in a spell or something
The dolls had the devil inside bro he would invoke the devil in it then take it to houses. Another thing the girl at the end didn’t even react when her dad killed her mom. Nobody notices this.
In the interrogation room Longlegs mentions - now that he is caught, he will be everywhere. He then kills himself. When Ruth shoots the doll black smoke arises, signalling Longlegs soul has spread into the air and everywhere. Lee is then set free of Longlegs' influence, which gave here psychic abilities in the first place. But when Lee wakes up its the part of Longlegs' soul that spread in the air which tells her the final victim is Carter's family.
Longlegs was her father but he transitioned. The little girl ran out excited when she saw her father's car but instead she met her father's new identity, Longlegs. Just like Ozgood's father prefered the company of men but it was a secret that was kept by his parents to protect the children and his career.
And because this was very taboo at the time, being trans could get interpreted as evil or satanic by regular society. He also has t-rex posters in his room, a glam rock band that was being shunned for having satanic lyrics (one song also repeats multiple times "give me your girls")
@@fabolousjada5070 Baphomet is NOT satan; he is a millennia old pagan idol, he represents balance hence him being part male, part female, part human, part animal and part bird.
It’s bizarre to me how many people are bothered by the supernatural element of the orb inside the dolls… like have y’all never watched a horror movie with supernatural elements? It’s kinda what the genre is at least partially known for lol
I think it's because the movie was set up as a police procedural: a detective hunts for a killer, uncovers clues, ascertains a killer's motive and tries to outsmart the killer. Instead of that we got a supernatural horror film in the body of a procedural. Thus the people coming for the detective bits were let down by how easily the answers were recovered (Lee just understands the cypher for example) and how nothing was really explained about the killer. Great for a horror movie, less great for a detective movie. I blame the marketing that was all "best serial killer movie since Silence of the Lambs" and when people didn't get that they were kind of put out.
I saw someone point out a possible connection to Baal. Baal has been described with legs of a spider and was the ruler of hell. Also, I saw someone say he is like a serpent. And you ‘wouldn’t recognize him’ as a serpent because he has his ‘long legs on’ meaning the serpent is in the body of a human,,, not in the body of something like a snake
nothing canonically or in the film other than his “i got my longlegs on today” bit at the beginning (also my favorite quote lol) which really just lends to theories like kel said - i really like the serpent thing in terms of layers but i also enjoy the daddy longlegs connection for its simplicity
Some people think the snake they kept showing was actually Long Legs. “serpent in human form” which is one possible explanation of why he said “you wouldn’t recognize me I’ve got my long legs on today”. If true would give context to why he was so physically freaky.
People who are trying to figure out, just about anything about any horror movie or sci-fi movie with logic, please! It’s the first rule of all horror that you put all logic aside because it’s all subjective. Long legs is Satan it’s pretty simple..it’s hilarious that people are really asking, now how did he get his essence into a solid silver orb exactly? How! Whatever your brain tells you in order for it to make sense is the reason because it’s not possible. Movies are subjective. This is a horror movie. Why does Jason survive getting burned alive or chopped up for 9 movies. It’s horror!
It's honestly not the silver ball or any of the supernatural stuff that bothers me. Because yeah, you just sorta have to accept that at face value... because it's a supernatural phenomenon and beyond human knowledge or comprehension. But I did have a problem with this movie. Despite an amazing atmosphere, the overall plot beats straight up did not make sense, even when allowing for the supernatural stuff. The character motivations are incomplete, why they do what they do (and how they do it) is unclear and vague or outright not addressed at all. The thing is, for a movie like this, the movie's goal is to get you to suspend your disbelief in these supernatural occurrences. And to do that, every other part of the movie has to be grounded in logic, make sense, and to some degree be relatable. It gives weight to the extraordinary elements and draws us in enough to accept the outlandish things that can't be explained. This movie didn't accomplish that. So there was no suspension of disbelief and I walked out of that movie with about 8000 questions and a bad taste in my mouth.
@@stephensloniker1761 that was a perfectly written answer! I’m going to think about it for a while. It is true. Everything that should make sense because it’s based on reality so that it is easier to accept the non reality/ horror aspect. That is brilliantly stated. Thanks man!
@@janesgems7 im glad you said that!!! But what happened to him?? How can he make orbs that mind control the dad to kill wife and kids? What is the answer?
Very good movie...havent seen anything scarier since the last grudge and hereditary...gotta give it up to the mother in this film tho...just goes to show yu mothers will do anything to protect their child
@@ArchWizardCji don’t think the mother was a satanist at first but more so she sold her soul to the devil to keep her daughter safe, the first time she had the family killed she threw up, obviously telling that she was disgusted with what she has done, after awhile she probably got so used to it she became desensitized and even started to enjoy it
How in the F was he putting his soul in the metal orbs? Super frustrating, makes no sense. What kind of metal was it, was it special, why a metal orb?...sigh 🤦♂️
It’s definitely supernatural and I like that it’s something unknown, it’s better than some hallucinagenic powder, I think that the satanic angle is really creepy and this movie will be a cult classic for years to come…
@daryldwayne3538 I think this movie does so many things brilliantly, but it doesn't explain enough, it just simply leaves the viewer a little bit too confused when the credits roll. So its hard for me to know if it will go down as one of those legendary films, or just another good one.
@@YuGiOhDuelChannelI think the problem is that some aspects of the story are a little too forced and contrived. As far as I’m aware, there is no actual reason that Longlegs 1. Used ciphers and wrote letters. He has no incentive in getting caught, like the zodiac killer had. 2. Makes dolls Why are they dolls?? He could’ve literally just given the orb to the families or something like a crucifix which I’ve mentioned in other comments on this video 3. What do the birthdays matter?? I get the revelation 13:1 thing but how does that relate to the kids birthdays Like all these elements are only in the film for aesthetic purposes and serve no actual purpose
@mikekasabion So I've been thinking more about it, and I think what makes this movie make more sense is if we from the very start treat longlegs as a doll himself possessed by a demon of some sort. It explains why he has supernatural abilities, because longles isn't creating the dolls the demon is. It uses dolls because that is what possession kind of is, using human bodies like dolls. It is why the demon says he is wearing his longlegs today, implying different forms. It explains that scene when longlegs is just sitting lifeless and motionless in his basement, because the demon isn't possessing that body at the moment. Why long legs bashes his head in and fully destroys the body, because it is captured and no longer useful. It explains why they say "hail, satan", but it is a servant of satan, trying to bring about their masters success through what they think will work, the birthday thing. It explains why longlegs has supernatural abilities, knows things he shouldn't, the future, and so on, and so on.
My biggest problem with this movie was why and how. I probably would’ve like the movie if we were to figure out why he did the things he did and how he even got into doing the things he did
Some people think the snake they kept showing was Long Legs. “serpent/demon in human form” which is one possible explanation of why he said “you wouldn’t recognize me I’ve got my long legs on today”. If true would give context to why he was so physically freaky.
So many things in this film just didn't add up. What was the purpose of finishing the pentagram? Why did Lee layout the days that way? -- the only way to create the pentagram. Why would they need to deliver in creepy dolls? Who would accept a doll from the church!? Why give the codes at all? Why give Lee the key to the codes. Some of these can be somewhat guessed at but overall, to me it just doesn't hold up to any scrutiny of the plot.
The purpose of finishing the pentagram was so Ruth and Lee wouldn't burn in hell for eternity.. its stated in the big reveal. The delivery of the Doll is ODD but you have to remember this is the 90s not Modern day so one could say Christianity was much stronger back than and Church's was never seen as a threat. The codes werent Given to Lee she solved it herself but the Hints were given because Longlegs wanted HER to find him. You have to remember, Lee was the "One he could never get" due to there being no Father in her house to have possessed and the deal Ruth made to work with him and provide sanctuary in order to spare her life.
@@TheGililgi Thanks for the reply! Yes the motivation for Lee's mother was clear. What I was referring to is why Satan was trying to complete this pentagram. There seemed to be no logical reason for it to be completed. The only reason I can come up with for that is Satan didn't really care about creating the pentagram it was just a trace of his evil. Your thoughts behind why the codes were kind of close to the conclusion I drew but a little different -- I figured Long Legs was a good man at one time and was possessed like Lee's mother. The small "human" part of him that still existed was leaving the clues in hopes of someone stopping him - lots of holes in that though so guessing the intent is closer to your thinking. Overall I REALLY wanted to like this movie but I just felt the story lacked some tangible idea I could grasp to make sense of the other stuff therefore it didn't creep me out like I thought it would. By the way, really appreciate someone not just saying "you're an idiot if you didn't get it". Refreshing when someone actually takes the time to offer some arguments and ideas about their takeaway. Thanks!
Am I the only one that thinks the supernatural element is one explanation. While the other explanation is perhaps some form audio hypnosis. We never got to break the ball open at the corners office. Only when Harpers doll is shot. We have to trust Harpers perspective which we already know isn’t the most reliable. I know the corner said there was nothing in the ball, but on the other hand he heard his dead wife’s voice. Harper calls with her mother often sounds like Long Legs voice is in the background. Which makes me think she was potentially hypnotized when she was young. Remember he sings to her when she’s a young girl in a strange tone. What if the officer who died was right and there is no magic voodoo. Remember she passes the test only as half psychic. I think the director wanted to leave enough evidence for it to be half magic or half this other rational explanation.
Longlegs was everywhere though. even after his Death, when Lee woke up in her mothers basement and answered the Phone you can hear him say "You're late for Ruby's Party" I need to see the movie one more time to see if it was really his voice or Ruth's but it sure did sound like him
If you need a website to explain all the backstory, you’re not doing a good enough job explaining it in the movie. If there’s ever another longlegs movie, I do hope it’s a prequel to explain alllllll of this
I wouldnt say its Longlegs' gateway but a gateway for a Demon to possess the Father of the house to kill the family... thats whats implied, also Lee had no father which is why Longlegs was gonna Kill her and her mother himself until The mother made a deal with him
She only used three bullets how could she have ran out ? The revolver has at least 6 bullets , and also it was strange that throughout the whole movie she had a 9mm pistol and all of a sudden at the very end she uses a revolver
@Obiwan116 hey all ik is that I just saw the movie and when she went to shoot the doll , it made the click noise like she pulled the trigger and there was no bullets . I wasn't mirco managing the scene ok, I just knw that she did indeed try and shoot the doll but something happened but she indeed try and shoot the doll. Maybe go watch the movie again and come back with evidence ok buddy 👍
The reason I think she ran out of bullets after three shots is because only three people were meant to be shot in the ritual. Question is, did the right three people end up being shot and killed?
@@samracchumi5315 what are you talking about lmao I just told you what happened in the movie, she tried to shoot and nothing came out because the “satan” stopped her from shooting the doll
I love movies that require me to have knowledge of a website to begin to make sense! I think this movie is that person in life who talks about subjects to sound smart but really can't explain anything about it, they just saw some shit on the History channel. It had numerous plot holes throughout. What's the deal with the dolls? Are they linked to the girls that then die? Why couldn't she remember Longlegs? Because of the doll? Why was the first doll marked so they could find it? There were so many things throughout this movie that made this less enjoyable, and I found it more annoying and lazy ultimately. Glaring plot hole? It was Satan! FBI agents entering a residence at night to find evidence under floorboards? Makes sense! She may be psychic but we don't know because that just goes away? But hey...dark magic! This movie is like the banana taped to the wall at the art gallery that so many people think is great but really it's just a fucking banana taped to the wall. Having said that, I had some fun with it and enjoyed the acting and the feel it had in the first act. I just think it wasn't nearly as good as some are saying and it was marketed as something way different than what it was. Wait for streaming.
All this stuff reminds me of Halloween like basically the same stuff happens Michael killed his sister we find out later that on same day or night another dude killed his family with the suggestion that this happens in every town basically hinting at a larger world that we aren't exploring because this story is about Michael but there's others doing what Michael is doing evil stuff what's making them do it who is is it just evil when they say that is it just the act they're doing or are they suggesting demons or the devil even Loomis says Michael had the devils eyes you said they are comatose that's how Michael looks and he's like that in the hospital for fifteen years and when he gets out and kills how he moves he moves like he's being controlled or at least being told what to do in the novelization it delves into the demonic spirit talking to him driving him is it just a demon or is the man down stairs himself definitely explains the black eyes and why he never dies lots of things reminds me of Michael Myers this included was there a longlegs giving people gifts that made them kill their families is it only on Halloween Michael being a vessel of evil also was on my mind when I'm watching the conjuring movies especially the one where ed says you can't destroy the object cause it'll release the evil inside normal object containing evil is that Michael if you are able to kill him is the evil released seems like it in four they think he's dead but his niece turns evil the same night in Halloween ends they described evil as a illness a sickness that spreads from person to person so do we even needs a gift doll to do evil stuff nope just looking into the Devils eyes will do it if you're susceptible which most are then you're inflicted with voices and feelings or lack there of very deep stuff you can easily connect everything via the evil its a larger story connecting lots of movies and media mostly horror genre lol
I think its getting confusing for people because of the fairy tale like ending, it should’ve been one type of story and they should’ve made Longlegs more threatening than just trying to run away, the supernatural part kinda wasn’t necessary
Oz Perkins said in interviews that he just liked the name, there was nothing more to it than that. He also said the concept of Longlegs himself predated the conception of the story, and that the character was used here because he just sort of fit.
@@12ozmouse99it’s not true, if you would know how dark the truth about these people really is, they harassed a woman for many years with a spy network and her main hashtag was Longlegs, She also had a pop music persona which featured some glam rock androgynous parts of music. Neon and Perkins were obsessed with her. There is a hidden network like in the Netflix show red rose which spies on mostly women. They have also created the movie ingrid goes west based on this person (ingrid is her real name), now they keep harassing her with movies. I’d say you should understand what kinds of people neon really are
Idk don’t really see the point of it there’s nothing gained. Writer or director said satan wanted her to shoot her mom in her head and her part of the story is over. No satan was very involved he’s in the background a bunch of times. I think would’ve been better if they completed ritual and something was gained but not the gate of hell played out.
Reminds me of Halloween is this guy the guy who was behind all that did he send dolls to Charlie bones family and the Myers family and both families met with tradegy how many others did he do this too cause the caretaker is like this happens everywhere so is long legs or somebody sending dolls or maybe something else to these families Michael was like in a trance he stared into space kind of like what happens in the possession when that girl got that box and its whispering to her and she's acting odd like Michael acted odd and Charlie was probably acting like that farmer in the crazies he was staring into space almost catatonic acting odd and ultimately kill his family and himself just like Charlie I'm assuming though Michael stopped at sister for some reason lol talking about dolls Laurie has the Annabelle doll in her room lol
this is how I know you didn't watch the movie, dude literally made her a doll and specifically put an incantation on it to blind her from the fact her own mother was the killer like it was very intently stated
@@ArchWizardCjso why would the mom shoot her daughters doll to set her free if she still had to take the doll to the cops house, knowing her daughter would try to stop her?
I would like to know why specifically Longlegs made DOLLS. Like what was the point other than it was creepy. Logistically wouldn't it make more sense for him to craft something like a crucifix?? Something a lot more discreet that could be hung on the wall, and achieve essentially the same effect? It seems to me Os made it dolls solely because dolls are creepy. Makes no actual sense for the story otherwise.
i get that. typically i’m all for plot threads and themes being fully fleshed out, but i think films like this, most horror tbh, benefit from not doing too much exposition. once you explain the mystery, you start to take the piss out of it and dumb the mystery down which might hurt it
Sure but I think they explained that dolls have a history with black magic. So it's not technically just cause dolls are creepy, they actually do have a history with black magic in that mythology or whatever the term would be. Not only that, but they could be used as literal voodoo type dolls where he can control/influence the victim through the doll. It felt like the dolls were specific to each girl. Like a dark magic version to gain possession of the girl victims' souls.
I think it's because dolls sort of capture the soul of a person. Before video and photographs (which are another major motif of this movie), creating a likeness of someone in the form of a sculpture was THE way to capture someone's soul.
First of all the Nun always brought it in a box first so family didn’t see how creepy it was before it was too late- also the nun would tell them the church ran a raffle and that they won-and it was always around the time of the little girls birthday so it was a free gift. Like other comments said dolls have history of voodoo. Long Legs is like a twisted Geppetto. Also some people think he was actually that snake they kept showing-and that’s why he said at beginning “you wouldn’t recognize me with my long legs on today”
@@filmbrat1 yeah I get that but then why does the film have one of the most arbitrary and lazy exposition dumps in the third act to essentially explain everything that is explainable?? Like it’s kinda insulting the film doesn’t trust its viewers to put that aspect together, and then cobbles it with a bunch of horror film tropes (ciphers, dolls, birthday killings) that don’t actually have purpose in the screenplay.
One thing I haven't really seen talked about is that Longlegs kind of takes on a "father figure" role to Lee in his own macabre way.
The dolls delivered infect the father, influencing him to kill his family. Lee doesn't have a father, so what does he do? He goes to do it himself. Further more, when in the interrogation room, he's talking about how excited and proud "we" were when she became a federal agent. Like a father telling his daughter about how overjoyed he and her mother were for their daughter's accomplishments. Also, there's another hint early on into the movie, when she's going through the psychic evaluation test; they're showing her pictures of seemingly random geometric shapes and there's one of an inverted triangle, which Lee associates with "father." The inverted triangle obviously being the pattern Longlegs uses to map out the murders. Finally, and this one is just conjecture, his codename is Longlegs...as in "Daddy Longlegs."
too real
banger.
Nice assessment
During the psychic assessment, Lee sees an upside-down triangle and says, 'Father.' Later, in her home out in the woods, we see a light fixture in that same shape right above her door. Longlegs of course had broken in to deliver her birthday card - exactly what an estranged father would do.
best comment ive ever read
I think they were alluding to the man downstairs being Satan but at the end they reveal longlegs literally loved downstairs her mother’s house her whole life.
exactly. Maybe both are the same person. One in flesh and one in spirit.
“downstairs” = hell
He's a friend of a friend.
FoaF = Longlegs
Friend = Satan
Her whole life? The girl was like 9 or 10 before he moved in
Lived.....not loved...❤
One of the thing Ive noticed is that when LongLegs targeted Lee’s family , the doll had affected
Lee but the demon wasn’t able to possess a man in the family to do the killings because Lee doesn’t have a father , which is why on the 13th , one day before her birthday , LongLegs broke into Ruth’s house and decide to kill them both , making Lee his first kills (since birthday on 13th will be the first and last date needed to complete the inverted triangle) . That’s when Ruth did the pleading and become his accomplice
Also , another details I’ve noticed is the conversation between Lee and Ruth when asked about her prayers , when Lee said prayers scares me , some may interpret as because Lee has part of satanic soul within her . But Ruth’s response is really eerie when you think back after the movie , when she reply “prayer doesn’t actually works. Doesn’t protect us from these demons” and when you realise she said it because she knew the devil been living inside her home and saying prayers won’t do anything
Ahhh I randomly remembered that scene and was wondering wtf that was.
The scene where is night, the mom sees car lights. She goes to get a shotgun. Then it jumps to her hogtied I think.
But that's it.
@@JGAbstract yea, it always the recall and the realisation that make these types of movies enjoyable and eerie , just like hereditary
Her birthday is the 14th, all of them are. But the killings happened in the pattern of the inverted triangle.
All daughters birthdays are on the 14th, but the killings take place 6 days before and 6 days after, anywhere between the 8th and the 20th, but they, the FBI, didn't have a record of one on the 13th
Something I haven't seen anyone mention as to "how he did it"... Did no one else notice that the coroner who removed the metal ball from the Carrie Anne doll said that he thought he was hearing his ex-wife's name from the ball?
The dolls themselves aren't necessarily enchanted, but the balls are, the voice of whatever demon affects adult men.
Also, Lee's birthday is, I believe, the year before his first acknowledged victims at the camera family farm.
Lee didn't have a father figure to manipulate in any way, not through a cult or psychopathic manipulation, or magic. He had to go in and do it himself. He would have left evidence, so it was also beneficial for him to have an accomplice. For that specific situation, 'Daddy' Long Legs is a father figure for Lee, which she didn't remember...
She's also the one that got away for him and he kept tabs on her.
i thought he was her father. i could be wrong on the details but the scene where she wore white while driving his car screaming, it was clear to me that the theme of the movie is “you are like your parents in many ways whether you know it or like it or not.”
@@shanehe729 I don't think he's related to them or her bio-father. The mother, Ruth, didn't seem to recognize him when he first approached Lee.
Over time, he at least had his workspace for his dolls downstairs and may have occasionally used Ruth's car(s), as sometimes Lee did as well.
She wasn't the only one that got away, though. She visited the girl in the psychiatric ward.
Oh! So are you saying LL did the murders with an accomplice and the possession doll was just a deflection ? It makes sense now that I think about it there’s no need to overthink it sometimes the obvious answer IS the answer and some thing are better left unexplained ❤
@@Jets287south The act of making a doll in order to control someone goes way back in a lot of cultures. I think the reason for the ball in the dolls is twofold: manipulate male heads of household to murder their families, secondly, if the target girl should survive, the metal ball helps ensure the girl won't remember anything about LL. Maybe not even what happened to her family. I think he worked with different accomplices over time to avoid leaving any evidence of himself, except the birthday cards, dolls, or red pianos.
He did it for the lols.
Hes a satanic incel where he thinks its funny to ruin peoples lives not just for his evil boss, but for his own gratification.
The perfect hatable villain.
Oz Perkins did an interview where he said that he just gets off on this, and loves causing chaos in the name of satan.
Next to Castor Troy.
Gotta love when a movie makes u feel contempt towards a character ha
i don’t think he’s an incel?? 💀 he’s more so in love with the devil it seems like
*loveable* 😘
“[Longlegs is] someone who was a person and is a person, and whose life was sort of hijacked by the devil,” Perkins told Den of Geek. “You go into the service of that and it sucks, and you do your best to sort of be evil through it, with it, as a result of it, but in the end you’re also a person who gets tired.”
The Banality of Evil
@@nono9543 not sure banality of evil applies to this case tho
Longlegs=Adulhood.
@@diaking900 yeah agreed, banality of evil is about how normal some cruel and disgusting acts can seem, not about how people who do evil are human. related maybe, but it's different.
I saw an interesting theory about this movie that the human we know as Longlegs is actually possessed by the demon Baal, a demon who is often depicted as having spider like legs. Baal would have children sacrificed for him so he could grant power. Despite being so powerful, he still serves satan a.k.a the Man Downstairs. Ruth, makes a deal with Longlegs to protect Lee, which is actually beneficial to both Baal and Satan because Baal cannot take Lee only Satan can and therefore, Ruth’s deal is the only way that Baal can, in a way, get Lee. Again this is a theory, but it makes me enjoy the movie even more now. I understand why some people weren’t satisfied with the ending, and if I was the writer, I might’ve made Longlegs a cult leader and Ruth the recruiter, and through these vibrations they would get these people to subliminally gain the desire to kill. I loved this film tho and Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe killed it.
I kept seeing the name of this movie come up and thought it sounded stupid. Then I heard Nic Cage was in it playing a serial killer. Then that there were occult elements to it. Upon learning that last bit, it dawned on me the killer may be “possessed” by Bael… great minds think alike!
Omg… Baal.. the metal ball… a bit of Baal is in each of the metal balls. Mind blown moment
Have seen this posted about as well but not sure it has legs honestly. You have to get pretty deep into subtext without anything else ever mentioning Baal etc. Maybe Oz didn't want to include sects of satanism which is kinda fair enough as it would've messed with the fluidity of the plot.
You definitely cooking
I don't understand anyone not liking this movie or the ending. This film is a MASTERPIECE and since seeing it I've been thinking about it constantly. ❤
There's an overlooked quote where Longlegs in the interrogation says something along the lines of 'I'll be a part of everything... they'll be wearing daddy's wigs.' The reason his hair is long is he grows it out to put it on the dolls. There's a focus on the dolls' hair in many shots in my opinion.
That's the way I interpreted it too. And in an earlier scene the coroner notes that the doll hair was human.
“I’ll be waiting in the father’s wings”**+**
"I'll be waiting in the wings... in the father's wings" is the quote, not wigs.
Is everyone overlooking the noise that came from the metal orbs during the autopsy of the doll? The Dr used an ultrasound machine and was surprised at the noise coming off of it, yet it was empty! This is terrifying and I am interested in an explanation at some point down the road from OZ PERKINS.
Someone above mentioned that Longlegs was possessed by the demon, Baal. My guess is that the metal balls are a play on Baal’s name. The metal balls hold a little bit of Baal inside them, which allows Baal and the victim to stay tethered
If you look at the ball it’s not smooth, it has many indents. I believe this is what gives it a certain sound frequency which may tap into dark corners of the mind, which is why the guy who listens to it hears his wife’s name. Maybe there’s a code hidden in the sound files of the film
Props to Alicia Witt. She absolutely delivered such a great performance. Cage and Monroe were amazing but Witt and Underwood were fantastic. Perkins has delivered another masterpiece!
Agreed. For anyone who was impressed by Witt's performance here I'd highly recommend season 2 of the tragically overlooked and underappreciated Fox series The Exorcist (currently streaming on Hulu) where she plays a pivotal character who appears at about the halfway point of the series. Her performance there is equally nuanced and chilling. The themes of this story arc are similar to Longlegs in a way as well, as it involves a demon that influences fathers to murder their children.
@@Polymorphia1965 Then they also need to check out Urban Legend. cheesy yes, but an oft forgotten y2k horror gem
The whole time that I was watching this movie, all I could about was how similar some aspects were to the Manson Family. Accomplices, the singing, the interview of Longlegs. Even when I saw the mother, I thought she looked just like the girls that were involved.
Yeah, I've read complaints from people saying Cage was too over the top, but that's how Manson was. Singing, making faces, rattling off free association poems. So I loved Cage's performance.
It takes pages from other serial killers, the coded messages were obviously Zodiac inspired, also a bit of Hannibal Lecter
@@Voodoochil111111the over the top shit to me personally makes him creepier, he has no remorse for what he has done and revels in it, that kinda shit scares me 🤷♂️
@@coreycasciano3255 definitely inspired, cool to see them and draw a line to the real life counterparts
Could also be a testament to a mother's unconditional love for their children. In this case a daughter.
It's also worth noting that in his history of rebellion, Lucifer [Satan, Beelzebub, Baphomet, et al] has a way of copying (or mirroring) God's creative order in a blasphemous, antithetical way. In the story of creation, God creates man from the soil and then breathes the Breath of Life into Adam, making him a living being - but not just a living being, a mirror copy of the Trinity (Let us make man in Our own image). So God makes mankind His image bearers by breathing the Breath of Life into them. Longlegs appears to make the dolls his image bearers by kissing and breathing into them, essentially giving them a part of his soul - which would remain connected, in the same way God did with mankind.
Also, to tie back to the devil's mimicking/copying God's grand design, there are passages in Acts about the Apostles and the mighty, miraculous works they were doing while empowered by the Holy Spirit, and there are two instances named where handkerchiefs and blankets that had been touched by the Apostle Paul were able to heal people. Another example is when the Apostle Peter walked through town, the casting of his shadow was able to heal people - so the sick and the lame sat on the side of the road opposite the sun so that they could be healed when Peter walked by. There's also an Old Testament story in 2 Kings 13 about a man being buried on top of the Prophet Elisha, and when his dead body landed on top of Elisha's bones, he (the dead man, not Elisha) was raised from the dead. This type of transfer of power through touch has often been used in the occult.
I agree. Awesome take on this
when he has the mom tied up he says “You could have been rich with me” Longlegs is either the Father himself, meeting Lees mom when he was in a band or something, found out he had a daughter and wanted to sacrifice her or something, then instead the mom comes up with the idea of helping him instead , she says “ the devil wanted him for himself but i couldn’t allow that to happen” or something 🤷🏻
Nice theory. Personally, I believe Longlegs was also possessed/controlled the whole time. The times we see him on the screen he goes from catatonic to, I would say, distressed. His awkward mannerisms, laughter that bordered on almost crying. Then near the end he just says he's free before being forced to smash his face into the table (his face breaking into pieces I found oddly similar to the act of the doll heads breaking). Not to mention the obvious plastic surgery he's undergone with time (if he was a genius doll maker able to sculpt lifelike faces, who's to say he wouldn't make one for himself?). So was he both the vessel and the victim in this case?
As for his backstory - I saw a review that described akin to a washed up 70s rockstar. Which actually makes a lot of sense - him breaking into several creepy songs throughout the film (especially screaming his throat off in the car). Personally I'd like to imagine he's an ex rockstar who came a little too close to the subject matter of his songs (think back to the satanic panic of the 70s). Perhaps that's why he wears so much make-up and prosthetics, to not be recognized? (this aspect reminded me of Michael Jackson actually)
Look up T Rex in reference to Longlegs, i know that sounds weird but trust me
Longlegs isn’t the devil. He’s just a crazy guy playing with powers beyond his control. There is some sort of dark power being imbued into the silver orbs but ultimately it’s still an unknown power. At least that’s my interpretation of it.
Longlegs isnt THE Devil but serves the Devil
@@TheGililgi What I mean is that I don’t think he had any actual agency over what would actually be happening with the powers he was messing around with beyond manifesting them inside of the silver spheres. He wasn’t best buds with Satan or whatever the demonic powers were. He was just a crazy guy screwing with things he shouldn’t have been at the end of the day.
When you need the power but later the power controls you...
@@TheGililgi Or thinks he does.
I don't think he is in control of anything. The devil makes him do it too. He's just like the mom except he has more fun with it
she tried to shoot the doll - her gun wouldnt fire.
A Prequel showing how longlegs fell into his world would be fantastic.
Exaktly my thoughts! Screw the sequel, we NEED prequel (plus, more Nic Cage obviously) 😂
@@KingaKucyk Yes, what I thought.
Someone on reddit pointed out that the gun she had was taken from Cobble's car, therefore his gun and simply didn't have enough bullets in it.
I truly think the reason she couldn't shoot the doll (as I stated in other comments) is because it doesn't matter if the doll is destroyed or not. There may be other dolls. And Satan isn't going anywhere. The evil Longlegs unleashed cannot end. It may be delayed, but never defeated. This makes mote thematic sense, especially if you think about how evil is portrayed in Perkins's earlier film The Blackcoat's Daughter.
I dont think there were any other dolls after Ruby's since Ruby's doll Completed LongLegs' Triangle. You have to remember each doll was specifically made to resemble the Targeted kid in the Family.
@@TheGililgi But also, who knows? That's my point. Harker will never know the truth beyond what's she's been given and the trauma she's received. There will always be doubt.
And that’s the real horror, even tho Longlegs is gone the devil still lives and will not stop in his killing
But long legs says there will be pieces of me everywhere
I really enjoyed it as well. The Analog horror aspects they used here and there I adored. I may see it again as well.
Wow, I saw it today and came back to check out other people's reviews.
Unfortunately what I don't think some reviewers don't get is that there is a real character in the film that they miss is, the devil.
He (the devil) is literally shown and herd in the film. (After Longlegs is dead)
Are people so convinced that the devil isn't real that they don't get the film? Why the hell would the fathers (including the FBI agent) kill their families? Who called the female agent at the end? The devil made them do it. Duh.
That’s pretty obvious 🤣
@coreycasciano3255 I thought so too, but it sounds like a lot of people want seven or silence of the la.ms
I just want to note, I don’t think Lee was able to shoot the Ruby doll because she literally ran out of ammunition. She tries three times to pull the trigger, and it doesn’t work any of the times due to her having run out of bullets in the revolver.
Or, as her mother said, the doll was able to make her not see things/leave out things.
Though I think it's more thematic that literal. Even if she shot the doll, it doesn't matter. Longlegs started something that cannot end.
@@abachniv you can literally hear the clicks that she ran out of bullets. Oz Perkins even said in an interview that the ending is so tragic because "the moment she "decided" to shoot her mother was actually the worst thing she could've done" i take this as lee couldve been stabbed but destroyed the doll or Avoid being stabbed yet the Pure Evil still lives.
@@TheGililgidon’t mean to be a bummer but everything Oz Perkins says in interviews about this movie is less interesting than the theories and interpretations going around.
@@TheGililgithe mom wasn't going to stab Lee, she was going to kill Ruby. The weird part was she goes to Ruby's house with a diffent sidearm than the one she uses in the rest of the movie.
@@STRANGEANATOMYBANDwe can choose not to listen to him
Loved the movie, I don't get how some people are confused. They don't explain everything, which I love, and they didn't need to. Think for yourselves.
You give people too much credit i fear..
The thing is that it wasn't even hard to figure out. I could do without the demonic third act though.
@@90ejb I’d like to know your take on how Longlegs brings (whatever that is) the black smoke in the sphere, and what’s the nature of it.
This is my gut reaction interpretation of the ending (SPOILER WARNING; DO NOT READ!)
The mom says that if they don't complete the final ritual, both her and Lee are going to end up in hell for eternity. Lee kills her mom despite knowing that they will both be damned to hell, but she can at least free Carver's daughter. Although Lee makes that sacrifice, the doll was protected by dark magic, and can't be destroyed. Now, Lee has to live the rest of her life knowing that the girl will either be possessed to come and kill her at any moment, or commit suicide after Lee dies so that Lee will still end up in hell regardless. Even though Lee was free of the dark influence and memory erasal, her mom still made a deal to carry out the plan until it was finished. The real dilemma seemed to be: do you let these parents and their little girl die to avoid eternal damnation, or do you try to do the right thing no matter the personal cost? Even though she tried to do the right thing, she still couldn't free the girl, and Lee and her mom are going to be in hell for eternity. I think that's why they showed Longlegs taunt her one last time.
Th devil was in the dolls and he stopped her from shooting the doll at the end. She shot the cop twice and her mom once so she still had 3 bullets left. The devil wouldnt let her destroy the doll. Also lee doll kinda brainwashed her and made her not see what wqs going on in her own home the whole time. If longlegs was in her basement for 20 years she would of heard him at least once hahaha so the doll had her in a spell or something
What did she say before the film ended?
@@coreycasciano3255let's get out of here
He's trying to jump start revelation. The devil is shown helping him. Fairly obvious.
I’m still confused, why did LongLegs target the Harker’s from the beginning. How did he know it was Lee’s birthday and why did he decide to visit her.
yeah that was really confusing
Because it's longlegs'in time
How did he know any of his victims' birthdays? I dunno maybe a serial killer would research his victims or something. Crazy.
devil
He got all of his help from whom he worshipped. The man downstairs. 😒
I liked the movie.. Saw it twice!
What about Hanbi? Wasnt there a teaser where when you decipher it says "beware Hanbi" or something like that
Very good breakdown. Thanks dude.
Fantastic analysis!
thank you!
Oz Perkins did a good job with this movie
(Reads thumbnail)
"The question is not WHY. The question is: HOW?"
I figured it was the two beasts with seven heads that make the number 14 significant. Not that 13+1=14
Because of yes.
I was figuring that he had to do a certain amount in the way of these rituals to summon the beast physically 🤔
The dolls had the devil inside bro he would invoke the devil in it then take it to houses.
Another thing the girl at the end didn’t even react when her dad killed her mom. Nobody notices this.
In the interrogation room Longlegs mentions - now that he is caught, he will be everywhere. He then kills himself. When Ruth shoots the doll black smoke arises, signalling Longlegs soul has spread into the air and everywhere. Lee is then set free of Longlegs' influence, which gave here psychic abilities in the first place. But when Lee wakes up its the part of Longlegs' soul that spread in the air which tells her the final victim is Carter's family.
Longlegs was her father but he transitioned. The little girl ran out excited when she saw her father's car but instead she met her father's new identity, Longlegs. Just like Ozgood's father prefered the company of men but it was a secret that was kept by his parents to protect the children and his career.
Yeah, he said something like “I’m wearing my longlegs” to her at the beginning
I think you're onto something...
And because this was very taboo at the time, being trans could get interpreted as evil or satanic by regular society. He also has t-rex posters in his room, a glam rock band that was being shunned for having satanic lyrics (one song also repeats multiple times "give me your girls")
@@nekrokulterthat’s because baphomet is trans buddy
@@fabolousjada5070 Baphomet is NOT satan; he is a millennia old pagan idol, he represents balance hence him being part male, part female, part human, part animal and part bird.
Loved the movie ❤
It's like The Shining meets Silence of The Lambs meets Annabel
It’s bizarre to me how many people are bothered by the supernatural element of the orb inside the dolls… like have y’all never watched a horror movie with supernatural elements? It’s kinda what the genre is at least partially known for lol
I think it's because the movie was set up as a police procedural: a detective hunts for a killer, uncovers clues, ascertains a killer's motive and tries to outsmart the killer. Instead of that we got a supernatural horror film in the body of a procedural. Thus the people coming for the detective bits were let down by how easily the answers were recovered (Lee just understands the cypher for example) and how nothing was really explained about the killer. Great for a horror movie, less great for a detective movie. I blame the marketing that was all "best serial killer movie since Silence of the Lambs" and when people didn't get that they were kind of put out.
@TNTales but the very first thing we learn about our main character is that she's psychic
The movie was excellent ❤🎉
It's worth seeing for the superb cinematography and the performances, especially Cage's.
The Golden Bough mentioned ⁉️⁉️⁉️🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️
Without that last "hail satan"scene,it was pretty good.
For me it was the singing. But the singing for me permitted the end shot
I agree, it was a little heavy handed at the end. 9/10 for me. One of my favorite movies this year.
he reminded me of the joker. i literally thought batman was going to interogate him in that scene
I feel the same it was way too goofy for me
You're right. I hated that part. It like they wanted you to know what the movie was really made for
Do we ever find out why he uses the name Longlegs?
I saw someone point out a possible connection to Baal. Baal has been described with legs of a spider and was the ruler of hell. Also, I saw someone say he is like a serpent. And you ‘wouldn’t recognize him’ as a serpent because he has his ‘long legs on’ meaning the serpent is in the body of a human,,, not in the body of something like a snake
i think it’s a reference to Daddy long legs cuz it’s always the dad killing the entire family before killing himslef
@@hueysoprano very true as well
Because Nicolas cage is daddy , as in daddy longlegs . But seriously this could be the reason , the father figure doing all the killings
nothing canonically or in the film other than his “i got my longlegs on today” bit at the beginning (also my favorite quote lol) which really just lends to theories like kel said - i really like the serpent thing in terms of layers but i also enjoy the daddy longlegs connection for its simplicity
Long legs real name was Cobble? Cobbler elves make shoes under the ground
Good catch!
That is so messed up, to find out your mother is a killer too 😳😳😳😳
They hyped this movie up waaaay tooo much
People discussing about the ball doesn’t make sense. Well the longlegs in real life doesn’t make sense. I thought the movie was amazing
Was the end image in the actual movie?😅
Remarkable flick!
I don’t mind that it’s not explained in universe, but I don’t think this film has deeper meanings or themes beyond the surface plot. I need to rewatch
Some people think the snake they kept showing was actually Long Legs. “serpent in human form” which is one possible explanation of why he said “you wouldn’t recognize me I’ve got my long legs on today”. If true would give context to why he was so physically freaky.
"Book of Revelations, isn't it?"
"Revelation. There's no 's'. It's singular."
She died for being dumb
maika is also good in the watcher. she does a good job there
People who are trying to figure out, just about anything about any horror movie or sci-fi movie with logic, please! It’s the first rule of all horror that you put all logic aside because it’s all subjective. Long legs is Satan it’s pretty simple..it’s hilarious that people are really asking, now how did he get his essence into a solid silver orb exactly? How! Whatever your brain tells you in order for it to make sense is the reason because it’s not possible. Movies are subjective. This is a horror movie. Why does Jason survive getting burned alive or chopped up for 9 movies. It’s horror!
It's honestly not the silver ball or any of the supernatural stuff that bothers me. Because yeah, you just sorta have to accept that at face value... because it's a supernatural phenomenon and beyond human knowledge or comprehension.
But I did have a problem with this movie. Despite an amazing atmosphere, the overall plot beats straight up did not make sense, even when allowing for the supernatural stuff. The character motivations are incomplete, why they do what they do (and how they do it) is unclear and vague or outright not addressed at all.
The thing is, for a movie like this, the movie's goal is to get you to suspend your disbelief in these supernatural occurrences. And to do that, every other part of the movie has to be grounded in logic, make sense, and to some degree be relatable. It gives weight to the extraordinary elements and draws us in enough to accept the outlandish things that can't be explained. This movie didn't accomplish that. So there was no suspension of disbelief and I walked out of that movie with about 8000 questions and a bad taste in my mouth.
@@stephensloniker1761 that was a perfectly written answer! I’m going to think about it for a while. It is true. Everything that should make sense because it’s based on reality so that it is easier to accept the non reality/ horror aspect. That is brilliantly stated. Thanks man!
@@StephanieHickey-v5e
Thanks, love discussing horror movies and getting different opinions / angles. My all time favorite genre.
He isn't satan, both Perkins and Cage said that. They said he was a normal person and then something happened to him.
@@janesgems7 im glad you said that!!! But what happened to him?? How can he make orbs that mind control the dad to kill wife and kids? What is the answer?
Beware of nuns bringing gifts that’s when have you ever known a nun to bring a gift that wasn’t a crack with a ruler
any ALAN WAKE fans see the visual references in the movie?
Bruh I shouldn’t be watching this shi at nite I’m scared asf now
I think the balls inside the dolls emitted a frequency that triggered the men to do those crimes.
Very good movie...havent seen anything scarier since the last grudge and hereditary...gotta give it up to the mother in this film tho...just goes to show yu mothers will do anything to protect their child
how or why?
So why was there a doll for Lee if she doesn’t have a dad?
I think her mother was able to convince LONGLEGS to become his accomplice and let Lee live by reasoning that the father wasn't in the picture.
Plothole
Exactly , and if the doll have long legs soul or the devil inside of it why would it lead Lee Harker to discovering everything
@@ArchWizardCji don’t think the mother was a satanist at first but more so she sold her soul to the devil to keep her daughter safe, the first time she had the family killed she threw up, obviously telling that she was disgusted with what she has done, after awhile she probably got so used to it she became desensitized and even started to enjoy it
How in the F was he putting his soul in the metal orbs? Super frustrating, makes no sense. What kind of metal was it, was it special, why a metal orb?...sigh 🤦♂️
It’s definitely supernatural and I like that it’s something unknown, it’s better than some hallucinagenic powder, I think that the satanic angle is really creepy and this movie will be a cult classic for years to come…
@daryldwayne3538 I think this movie does so many things brilliantly, but it doesn't explain enough, it just simply leaves the viewer a little bit too confused when the credits roll. So its hard for me to know if it will go down as one of those legendary films, or just another good one.
@@YuGiOhDuelChannelI think the problem is that some aspects of the story are a little too forced and contrived. As far as I’m aware, there is no actual reason that Longlegs
1. Used ciphers and wrote letters. He has no incentive in getting caught, like the zodiac killer had.
2. Makes dolls
Why are they dolls?? He could’ve literally just given the orb to the families or something like a crucifix which I’ve mentioned in other comments on this video
3. What do the birthdays matter??
I get the revelation 13:1 thing but how does that relate to the kids birthdays
Like all these elements are only in the film for aesthetic purposes and serve no actual purpose
@@mikekasabionWhy are people like you decide to be so critical and willfully ignorant instead of putting that effort in search for genuine answers ? 🤔
@mikekasabion So I've been thinking more about it, and I think what makes this movie make more sense is if we from the very start treat longlegs as a doll himself possessed by a demon of some sort. It explains why he has supernatural abilities, because longles isn't creating the dolls the demon is. It uses dolls because that is what possession kind of is, using human bodies like dolls. It is why the demon says he is wearing his longlegs today, implying different forms. It explains that scene when longlegs is just sitting lifeless and motionless in his basement, because the demon isn't possessing that body at the moment. Why long legs bashes his head in and fully destroys the body, because it is captured and no longer useful. It explains why they say "hail, satan", but it is a servant of satan, trying to bring about their masters success through what they think will work, the birthday thing. It explains why longlegs has supernatural abilities, knows things he shouldn't, the future, and so on, and so on.
My biggest problem with this movie was why and how. I probably would’ve like the movie if we were to figure out why he did the things he did and how he even got into doing the things he did
Some people think the snake they kept showing was Long Legs. “serpent/demon in human form” which is one possible explanation of why he said “you wouldn’t recognize me I’ve got my long legs on today”. If true would give context to why he was so physically freaky.
Simple case of he's extremist worshiper. The how part is left-open supernatural or not
Harker = jonathon harker from Dracula
My only question is how did he know about their birthdays?
So many things in this film just didn't add up. What was the purpose of finishing the pentagram? Why did Lee layout the days that way? -- the only way to create the pentagram. Why would they need to deliver in creepy dolls? Who would accept a doll from the church!? Why give the codes at all? Why give Lee the key to the codes. Some of these can be somewhat guessed at but overall, to me it just doesn't hold up to any scrutiny of the plot.
The purpose of finishing the pentagram was so Ruth and Lee wouldn't burn in hell for eternity.. its stated in the big reveal. The delivery of the Doll is ODD but you have to remember this is the 90s not Modern day so one could say Christianity was much stronger back than and Church's was never seen as a threat. The codes werent Given to Lee she solved it herself but the Hints were given because Longlegs wanted HER to find him. You have to remember, Lee was the "One he could never get" due to there being no Father in her house to have possessed and the deal Ruth made to work with him and provide sanctuary in order to spare her life.
The worst bit was the FBI not being able to decypher a code where letters were exchanged for symbols - one of the most basic cyphers out there
@@TheGililgi Thanks for the reply! Yes the motivation for Lee's mother was clear. What I was referring to is why Satan was trying to complete this pentagram. There seemed to be no logical reason for it to be completed. The only reason I can come up with for that is Satan didn't really care about creating the pentagram it was just a trace of his evil. Your thoughts behind why the codes were kind of close to the conclusion I drew but a little different -- I figured Long Legs was a good man at one time and was possessed like Lee's mother. The small "human" part of him that still existed was leaving the clues in hopes of someone stopping him - lots of holes in that though so guessing the intent is closer to your thinking. Overall I REALLY wanted to like this movie but I just felt the story lacked some tangible idea I could grasp to make sense of the other stuff therefore it didn't creep me out like I thought it would. By the way, really appreciate someone not just saying "you're an idiot if you didn't get it". Refreshing when someone actually takes the time to offer some arguments and ideas about their takeaway. Thanks!
@@sthlng2180not much different from the Zodiac message that was not too long ago uncovered
Am I the only one that thinks the supernatural element is one explanation. While the other explanation is perhaps some form audio hypnosis. We never got to break the ball open at the corners office. Only when Harpers doll is shot. We have to trust Harpers perspective which we already know isn’t the most reliable. I know the corner said there was nothing in the ball, but on the other hand he heard his dead wife’s voice. Harper calls with her mother often sounds like Long Legs voice is in the background. Which makes me think she was potentially hypnotized when she was young. Remember he sings to her when she’s a young girl in a strange tone. What if the officer who died was right and there is no magic voodoo. Remember she passes the test only as half psychic. I think the director wanted to leave enough evidence for it to be half magic or half this other rational explanation.
when nic says "i am everywhere " before going down, I was hoping shit to go wild, demonic shit should have happened but it was a let down.
Basic Hollywood horror would've done that, Os had a vision
Longlegs was everywhere though. even after his Death, when Lee woke up in her mothers basement and answered the Phone you can hear him say "You're late for Ruby's Party" I need to see the movie one more time to see if it was really his voice or Ruth's but it sure did sound like him
he is everywhere. he’s in so many movies. he’s so julia ah ahhh ahhh ahh ahhh
@@shanehe729 😂
The voice on the phone was the devil himself, not Longlegs.
Its a movie. You either like it or you dont. Just like most things in life.
That's profound. Never thought about it that way.
I have a copy of the Golden Bough
I’m sure at regular points in the film there are cloaked figures behind her. When she is in the fbi office for instance
If you need a website to explain all the backstory, you’re not doing a good enough job explaining it in the movie. If there’s ever another longlegs movie, I do hope it’s a prequel to explain alllllll of this
Why is the movie and character called long legs?
He's very tall
Thr mechanics of this possesion is not explained, so the solver orb is Longlegs gateway into the house then possess the father?
I wouldnt say its Longlegs' gateway but a gateway for a Demon to possess the Father of the house to kill the family... thats whats implied, also Lee had no father which is why Longlegs was gonna Kill her and her mother himself until The mother made a deal with him
Can you show his face reveal?
Honestly, he doesn't really have a "reveal". He just shows up in one scene driving and you just see his face. But before that you see bits and pieces
@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep Okay, thank you. 🤙❤️
nick cage needed way more screentime, the movie felt rushed
She didnt shoot the doll at the end because she ran out of bullets.
She only used three bullets how could she have ran out ? The revolver has at least 6 bullets , and also it was strange that throughout the whole movie she had a 9mm pistol and all of a sudden at the very end she uses a revolver
@Obiwan116 hey all ik is that I just saw the movie and when she went to shoot the doll , it made the click noise like she pulled the trigger and there was no bullets . I wasn't mirco managing the scene ok, I just knw that she did indeed try and shoot the doll but something happened but she indeed try and shoot the doll. Maybe go watch the movie again and come back with evidence ok buddy 👍
The reason I think she ran out of bullets after three shots is because only three people were meant to be shot in the ritual. Question is, did the right three people end up being shot and killed?
@@Obiwan116because that was her coworker hun that the mother killed prolly
@@samracchumi5315 what are you talking about lmao I just told you what happened in the movie, she tried to shoot and nothing came out because the “satan” stopped her from shooting the doll
That damn doll... 10:08/10:36
I love movies that require me to have knowledge of a website to begin to make sense! I think this movie is that person in life who talks about subjects to sound smart but really can't explain anything about it, they just saw some shit on the History channel. It had numerous plot holes throughout. What's the deal with the dolls? Are they linked to the girls that then die? Why couldn't she remember Longlegs? Because of the doll? Why was the first doll marked so they could find it? There were so many things throughout this movie that made this less enjoyable, and I found it more annoying and lazy ultimately. Glaring plot hole? It was Satan! FBI agents entering a residence at night to find evidence under floorboards? Makes sense! She may be psychic but we don't know because that just goes away? But hey...dark magic! This movie is like the banana taped to the wall at the art gallery that so many people think is great but really it's just a fucking banana taped to the wall. Having said that, I had some fun with it and enjoyed the acting and the feel it had in the first act. I just think it wasn't nearly as good as some are saying and it was marketed as something way different than what it was. Wait for streaming.
Movie sucked
Did I miss what you were going to say about the girl in the psych ward. I didn’t understand that part.
All this stuff reminds me of Halloween like basically the same stuff happens Michael killed his sister we find out later that on same day or night another dude killed his family with the suggestion that this happens in every town basically hinting at a larger world that we aren't exploring because this story is about Michael but there's others doing what Michael is doing evil stuff what's making them do it who is is it just evil when they say that is it just the act they're doing or are they suggesting demons or the devil even Loomis says Michael had the devils eyes you said they are comatose that's how Michael looks and he's like that in the hospital for fifteen years and when he gets out and kills how he moves he moves like he's being controlled or at least being told what to do in the novelization it delves into the demonic spirit talking to him driving him is it just a demon or is the man down stairs himself definitely explains the black eyes and why he never dies lots of things reminds me of Michael Myers this included was there a longlegs giving people gifts that made them kill their families is it only on Halloween Michael being a vessel of evil also was on my mind when I'm watching the conjuring movies especially the one where ed says you can't destroy the object cause it'll release the evil inside normal object containing evil is that Michael if you are able to kill him is the evil released seems like it in four they think he's dead but his niece turns evil the same night in Halloween ends they described evil as a illness a sickness that spreads from person to person so do we even needs a gift doll to do evil stuff nope just looking into the Devils eyes will do it if you're susceptible which most are then you're inflicted with voices and feelings or lack there of very deep stuff you can easily connect everything via the evil its a larger story connecting lots of movies and media mostly horror genre lol
I think its getting confusing for people because of the fairy tale like ending, it should’ve been one type of story and they should’ve made Longlegs more threatening than just trying to run away, the supernatural part kinda wasn’t necessary
You didn't get it
@@cram2979people can "get" things and still not agree or like the things done
I’ve watched multiple reviews on the movie and no one has been able to explain why he’s called Longlegs.
Oz Perkins said in interviews that he just liked the name, there was nothing more to it than that. He also said the concept of Longlegs himself predated the conception of the story, and that the character was used here because he just sort of fit.
@@12ozmouse99it’s not true, if you would know how dark the truth about these people really is, they harassed a woman for many years with a spy network and her main hashtag was Longlegs,
She also had a pop music persona which featured some glam rock androgynous parts of music.
Neon and Perkins were obsessed with her. There is a hidden network like in the Netflix show red rose which spies on mostly women.
They have also created the movie ingrid goes west based on this person (ingrid is her real name), now they keep harassing her with movies.
I’d say you should understand what kinds of people neon really are
I did not like that ending
Idk don’t really see the point of it there’s nothing gained. Writer or director said satan wanted her to shoot her mom in her head and her part of the story is over. No satan was very involved he’s in the background a bunch of times. I think would’ve been better if they completed ritual and something was gained but not the gate of hell played out.
why do you refer to long legs as they? Hes reffered to as HE?
Yes, Longlegs is an androgynous male, not nonbinary.
Wish it never took a supernatural route.
Reminds me of Halloween is this guy the guy who was behind all that did he send dolls to Charlie bones family and the Myers family and both families met with tradegy how many others did he do this too cause the caretaker is like this happens everywhere so is long legs or somebody sending dolls or maybe something else to these families Michael was like in a trance he stared into space kind of like what happens in the possession when that girl got that box and its whispering to her and she's acting odd like Michael acted odd and Charlie was probably acting like that farmer in the crazies he was staring into space almost catatonic acting odd and ultimately kill his family and himself just like Charlie I'm assuming though Michael stopped at sister for some reason lol talking about dolls Laurie has the Annabelle doll in her room lol
Prisoners and Hereditary r better tho
All are very good movies. Only the very lame pit good movies against one another.
@carlossaraiva8213 nope, just the practical people do
She psychic yet didnt know her own mother was a killer 😂
Their relationship was pretty much non-existent besides a few phone calls.
Right because she had a relationship with the serial killer in the beginning too
this is how I know you didn't watch the movie, dude literally made her a doll and specifically put an incantation on it to blind her from the fact her own mother was the killer like it was very intently stated
All I’m saying is she’s psychic…
@@ArchWizardCjso why would the mom shoot her daughters doll to set her free if she still had to take the doll to the cops house, knowing her daughter would try to stop her?
Sounds lame
A very lazy screenplay. Character traits come and go, smart people do incredibly stupid things, etc… just a goofy movie
The film was not good
I would like to know why specifically Longlegs made
DOLLS. Like what was the point other than it was creepy.
Logistically wouldn't it make more sense for him to craft something like a crucifix?? Something a lot more discreet that could be hung on the wall, and achieve essentially the same effect?
It seems to me Os made it dolls solely because dolls are creepy. Makes no actual sense for the story otherwise.
i get that. typically i’m all for plot threads and themes being fully fleshed out, but i think films like this, most horror tbh, benefit from not doing too much exposition. once you explain the mystery, you start to take the piss out of it and dumb the mystery down which might hurt it
Sure but I think they explained that dolls have a history with black magic. So it's not technically just cause dolls are creepy, they actually do have a history with black magic in that mythology or whatever the term would be. Not only that, but they could be used as literal voodoo type dolls where he can control/influence the victim through the doll.
It felt like the dolls were specific to each girl. Like a dark magic version to gain possession of the girl victims' souls.
I think it's because dolls sort of capture the soul of a person. Before video and photographs (which are another major motif of this movie), creating a likeness of someone in the form of a sculpture was THE way to capture someone's soul.
First of all the Nun always brought it in a box first so family didn’t see how creepy it was before it was too late- also the nun would tell them the church ran a raffle and that they won-and it was always around the time of the little girls birthday so it was a free gift. Like other comments said dolls have history of voodoo. Long Legs is like a twisted Geppetto. Also some people think he was actually that snake they kept showing-and that’s why he said at beginning “you wouldn’t recognize me with my long legs on today”
@@filmbrat1 yeah I get that but then why does the film have one of the most arbitrary and lazy exposition dumps in the third act to essentially explain everything that is explainable?? Like it’s kinda insulting the film doesn’t trust its viewers to put that aspect together, and then cobbles it with a bunch of horror film tropes (ciphers, dolls, birthday killings) that don’t actually have purpose in the screenplay.
Did f***ing what. Love Nic Cage and Maika, but this movie blows hard.
Plot was weak
Satan is real. Jesus Christ is too! Jesus is Lord!
This movie was not good