Film Review : "Longlegs"

 If the clever trailer had you looking forward to this movie you should not be disappointed as it deviates from the standard Hollywood horror formulas. The premise of a young female FBI agent is tracking a serial killer whose involvement in a series of murders spanning decades might seem like a riff off of "Silence of the Lambs' but aside from the investigative nature rather than being a slasher the similarities end there, and the movies has some twists and turn to keep it in it's own corner of the genre. It looks great, the acting is solid with Nicholas Cage being as bat-shit as the role calls for, and it's smart they kept him out of the trailer, as there is a mild similarity to Buffalo Bill. Though the makeup department has him almost unrecognizable makes him look more like a blond Marilyn Manson. 

One of the film's strengths is the atmosphere it creates, right from the jump. There is a lingering eerie feeling of unease that shows the protagonist's awkwardness with her job. She is almost depicted as being autistic. The creepiness is stronger as this is not a movie that tries to use jump scares, chase scenes, or gore to put you in the uneasy emotional spot that horror movies should. There is a bleakness to this film that is tangible, rather than shocking you into submission, or keeping you at the edge of your seat, though you do become invested in the labyrinth they lead you into. Director Osgood Perkins is the son of Anthony Perkins of "Psycho" fame, so horror is in his blood. I really like 'Gretel and Hansel" and while this film is not devoid of supernatural elements, it's more grounded in reality than his take on the folk story. 

I would not say Nic Cage steals the show, but he adds the perfect color of crazy this film needed, as well as immerses himself in the role in a way where you do not see him as Nic Cage, but as the character he portrays which might make this the best role of his career. But all of the acting his strong. Is this movie perfect, no but it is better than anything else that has come out this year so far, with "In a Violent Nature" being the next closest film in the running for the top spot. The more realistic manner of violence in this movie is what elevates it from 'In a Violent Nature" which was also visually interesting. If you are tired of Blumhouse dumbing things down to the younger audience they are aiming for, then this movie is refreshing, as it is a grim affair with an ending that leaves no one unscathed by darkness the ambiance casts around it. 

Film Review - "In a Violent Nature"

 If it has not been a reboot or remake of an already established legacy character, not much new blood has really been shed in the slasher genre of horror. There have been note-worthy serial killer films, but not slashers in the vein of Friday the 13th or Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  The puritanical tone of Western Culture plays a part in this, as toxic masculinity is railed against in the court of public opinion, it makes the sensitive people pleasing souls of Hollywood capitulate. Canadian Film Maker Chris Nash, boldly leaves his thumbprint on the genre, with a different take that manages to be savage, yet introspective enough not to ruffle feathers. 

Nash went about making the movie as if he was shooting a nature documentary. This film's title reflects how nature has nurtured the waking machine of violence that rises from the earth to go on the kind of rampage that is more familiar to horror fans. The pace at which this revenge is pursued is where it brings something new to the table. The scenery is often the focal point, and things come full circle to point to how the vast forest is scary in its own right with its isolating breadth. There is a hyper-realistic quality about the pacing and how everything is shot, the lack of tension built by a creepy score, yet when it gets time for violence, it's like they brought in the FX crew from "Terrifier". Some it I wish they had just read an anatomy book, rather than some of the absurd manner they try to contort a human body. This is not a deal breaker, but it keeps this from being a flawless master class in taking chance in horror to a very tasteful cult classic

At the halfway point of the year, this is likely the best horror movie so far, though there is not much competition with 'Late Night With the Devil" the only movie that comes close, and it is done in such a different manner the only thing the two films have in common is the fact they both fall within the horror genre. The movies with the biggest buzz like 'I Saw the TV Glow' just outright sucked, so much so I could not even bring myself to waste any more time thinking about it by reviewing it..  What this movie does right is doing something different that you can take seriously, and the willingness to indludge in sadism.