One cool thing about Oz Perkins is how he makes woman-centered horror stories that don't include sexual assault. As a female viewer, that's very refreshing.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've been thinking constantly about Perkins saying he took from his own relationship with his mother and how she was hiding the fact that Anthony was gay and sleeping with men outside of their marriage from her kids. Which considering the fact that the tabloids found out Anthony Perkins had HIV before he did and Oz was a teenager at the time... Yeah, I can see that inspiration of childhood trauma and complicated family dynamics from how you described it.
I couldn't help but compare Nicholas Cage's character with the antagonist from Mandy. Like Longlegs is the caliber of occult mastermind that Jeremiah Sand aspired to be, but failed.
I kinda wish that Linus Roache had played Longlegs, he would have absolutely nailed the character. Cage was OK, but he can't resist the urge to go crazy a little too quickly.
there's this throughline in both Panów Cosmatos movies where antagonists are pathetic outcasts hiding behind false trappings of power. Longlegs is reverse externally pathetic but it hides a terryfying power
For me, the "scares" in horror movies come much later... like months and even years later, and then it's more like a general "spooked" feeling... * shivers *
The biggest theme that I haven't seen almost anyone else discuss or interpret this way is the historical treatment of people on the autism spectrum. I mean, Harker seems very evidently neurodivergent, and to then reveal her to be "demon possessed" seems intentional.
The start of the movie was so good, I was so excited to watch it, but towards the end it lost me. Idk, I guess the beginning made me expect something different
I went to see Longlegs and there was a group of five rowdy boys trying to buy tickets to my screening, but when they got tickets for the later screening they exclaimed “LET’S GOOOO!”. Longlegs fever isn’t just sweeping the nation, it’s sweeping internationally.
I stopped this video, then planned a trip to my local theater. I watched it today and loved it. It’s the first time in a while that a horror movie held my attention so much and also made my heart race.
Deeeefinitely turned to my roomie when the first scene wrapped up and said "we're about to see something special", so I relate to that for sure, but I am about to diverge in a sec (maybe in a way that directs some of that heat to me, who knows!) ... The interpretation of the horror in this movie as a stand in for child hood trauma, that rings really fucking true, and I didn't make that connection. That meaningful process, or maybe process of making meaning, whatever, I think really saves this movie from, potential hot take #1, Longlegs just being another vehicle for Nic Cage to be whackadoodle. I never did lose the sense that I was watching something special here, but I did wind up leaving thinking that this movie had been overhyped to audiences like me who are rabidly devouring horror offerings left and right. In that respect, maybe I just need to take a break from the constant content mill and I'd be able to appreciate it more. But I also think it is worth saying that, if this movie DIDN'T have Nic Cage, we would not, collectively, be forgiving it the very silliest choices of its characters or its knowing winks at us through the 4th wall. I think we would be alot more critical. But it's Nic, so we don't. Osgood Perkins has really proven himself, on basically every conceivable level, as a storyteller, director, the lot, and especially when it comes to a good spook. It's one of the reasons I ignored the rumors comparing it to Silence of the Lambs, and swallowed the initial gut reaction I had to the sussy gender performance in that first scene; I trust Perkins not to do me dirty, and he didn't betray the trust. But as others have pointed out, this movie is in conversation with Mandy (and SotL) and the satanic panic era, and what you're saying about the idea of the devil having door to door missionaries, I think this is more of a key to getting the movie than it first appears. This really does play like a kind of idle joke or funny improv scenario you imagine to yourself for a chuckle, suddenly invested with good budget and star power, but is more clever than it is deep, more craftsmanship than art. I liked it, a great deal, but I can't find it moving in any regard, much like the only thing that struck me as even a little "scary" was whether I was going to have to endure Cage's interpretation of Buffalo Bill. How much of that is due to having processed my own trauma differently is anyone's guess. But this brings Perkins, for me, closer to Ti West than I would have hoped in that, hottest of takes, Ti West fully embodies to me the auteur "oh I have seen so many movies and I can reference them beautifully while telling bleak stories about people it's almost impossible to care about doing nothing worth mentioning for hours". For me, filmmakers like him are the problem, and not Blumhouse, and I know Perkins is a hell of a lot better than that. I very much hope we don't wind up remembering Longlegs as his best work as the years go on, and I'd leave it there, while still admitting it was a damn fun time in the theater.
Been watching May's videos since March 2017. Good analysis, thoughtful, real, and a reserved enthusiastic energy. If there has been any change in all these years it has been from an nervous energy to a confident energy. Those pandemic videos got me through when I still had to go to work. Concerning this video, great video as always. Thanks.
Is it time again to immediately stop what I was doing and watch May's new video? Yes! Am I writing this before watching this? Yes. Have a nice day everyone as we're watching this together!
Never commented before, but just want to say I really enjoy your objective approach to talking about... anything. I realized this when I was watching your Elden Ring video and I don't give a single fuck about those games but it was just interesting to hear you talk about them. I'm super glad you're back to making videos regularly, and I pretty much enjoy everything you create. Please continue!
I was hyped for this movie, but I walked out after 45 minutes. Turns out the whole concept of the murders was genuinely too upsetting for me as the mother of a daughter. If that makes me a weenie, so be it, I guess. Walking out was an oddly empowering experience though, like I was telling myself I don't have to sit through something that is making me uncomfortable. So anyway I fall into category 3, people who walked out but want to know how it ends 😂😂
Don’t ever try watching Schindler’s list as a parent. I only saw a few scenes and the ones with kids absolutely broke me and I even ran into the bathroom throwing up being so upset
It was okay. Alicia Witt was great though. Ending was telegraphed at the beginning. We were watching it and saying what was going to happen, so i didn't like that
Couple of mysteries: main characters moms fridges door has a kid like draw of five people holding hands... so wheres the dad? does she have a sister and brother? In the scene when her mom picks the shotgun as she sees the car arriving: is the man Longlengs? is it the husband? why do the two ladies love alone, away from wolves and anyone? whats up with that. Also why does Longlegs leave the letter at her house with the code? to help a little? if im counting right then Ruby would be victim number 13, then 14 would be the main character?
PERFECT TIMING i literally just got out of the cinema after seeing this movie and i loved it!!! i immediately want to rewatch it where i can pause it i loved how incredibly carefully this film was put together, and how well acted it was. idk if other ppl get the feeling that lee hawker was meant to be autistic but as a neurodivergent person i found a lot of her mannerisms and acting to be very relatable i was also surprised by the appearance of nick cage and damn!!!! he was really giving it everything!!!
It was so satisfying to watch Longlegs. I had such a great experience with the film. The acting was good, the film making was good, there were themes that were theme-ing. I loved that it ended with the T. Rex song playing over the credits--it was like the film was saying that was a fun experience wasn't it? Like it didn't take itself too seriously, just told the story it wanted to tell and did it well.
The reason she wakes up from being comatose isn't because Longlegs visited! It's because they removed the crucifix that was nailed over her doll's hiding place. My boyfriend figured that one out. I also assumed it was because he visited.
I thought it was because they took the ball out of the head of the doll, but didn't destroy it. But also I also feel like it's one of those things where the movie knows how the magic works, but doesn't always tell us.
@@mistressofstones they never open that ball, it still whispers even when out of the head, AND the character controlled by the ball is STILL under its influence when they talk to her, she even says she’ll do anything for him still. If the ball was destroyed all influence would be gone.
You know, I get that everyone is like “omg NSFL iceberg” sorta brain rotted and clearly that audience hasn’t transitioned as well to the more “normal” nyx fears content but I found the channel through that and have just absolutely fallen in love with everything may has done outside of that
I don't understand why someone would watch your opinion and then complain about. I love your videos, TRASH is good sometimes but what trash we love is so personal, your opinions are always welcome, and I devour a ton of horror, and I devour your content, and your thoughts are of VALUE.
wow okay you’ve described WHY I watch you and reviews like yours so I can see through many lenses! Thank you for putting words to the feeling…yup gonna go now and try not to be a super creep rn
Saw it last night, and still have it rattling around my brain . Thought what May articulated- that it takes a bunch of hackyned tropes and makes something interesting
I saw the movie last minute technically the movie will probably be out of theaters really soon, I’m so happy I went ahead and got tickets, I’m so happy I did It wasn’t the scariest movie ever but i loved it, Idk if it’s Nick Cage’s performance or like how weird he is but I loved every second Longlegs was on screen and that last scene like lives in my head rent free rn. The character is the perfect mix of comedic and unsettling. I hope Nick Cage does more horror movies cause I honestly would love to see him be more disgusting killer people.
I generally really liked Longlegs. I thought it was extremely well-made and thought provoking, but for some reason the ending twist didn’t hit. I felt a sort of dissonance between what seemed heavy-handed to me (the full explanation of events - I think I was just expecting something more esoteric) versus the aspects of the film that felt really smart and subtle. I maybe could have done without the flashback scene where Lee’s mom is explaining her involvement in great detail since a lot of that information already felt implied to me? Idk, I’m not smart about films and I’m sure it’s a matter of personal taste but overall a great watch and I’ll definitely be revisiting it at some point to see how my opinion of it might change!
Saw it at the Noon Matinee today & was quite impressed. Lucky for me I have to sit in the handicapped seats these days. Christ, I'm old! 😆 Beats walking up steps tho...
Just got out of the movie theater, here in russia noone really gave a shit about longlegs so i was almost alone in the theatre. I was a bit dissapointed, the movie looks fantastic but i cant help but not be impressed by any of this, the script just didnt do it for me. Felt empty after seeing this, i was really excited to see it and then its nothing idk im rambling On another note yesterday i listened to fluids and it was absolutely amazing (never want to experience it again lol) its really sad that a lot from this book was taken from Mays life but it makes me so happy that May is alive and creative im so glad i found her
I first thought you said Michael Monroe and I was like huh?????? What is an aging Finnish glamrock star doing acting in a movie like this? (he does look creepy enough to do it though)
wow... i really didn't care for this film. watched it a second time because all the hype made me feel like i missed something. came out thinking it was even more horrible hahahahaha so far no ones really expressed that sentiment. the only redeeming factor is the atmosphere and his direction, but the script was terrible and the plot was even worst.
Glad to know I'm not the only one who still thinks of Blink 182 whenever they hear any combination of the words "took my time" and "hurried up". And now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly feel a powerful urge to wander around a Hot Topic and not buy anything.
Just got back from seeing it, first thing I said to my spouse was “now I can watch may talk about this movie” I liked the touch of the pictures she was giving names to Rorschach style at the beginning being references to things that happened later, I had fun looking for them when I realized they would be coming up. I love how detailed the movie was in general!
7:10 wait, what's trashy about Ari Aster? Edit: finished the review and it sounds like maybe you're actually saying that Aster is the opposite of trash?
when u call things 'trash' i read 'camp' not 'absolute shit', terrifyer 2 is the campest fucking movie ive seen excluding john waters. anyways longlegs was great, i wont forget a thing about it, thanks for making this video!
@@nyxfears He was just over the top nick cage lol. Who cares where he came from. We know as much about him personally as we did before the movie started. He has NO PERSONALITY beyond "wacko pathetic satanist". Idk bruh. I liked most of it. But people need to get off this movies dick tbh
i was so hype on this but i'm so disappointed that the premise ended up being 'the devil is real, people have repressed memories from interacting with satanic cults.' like. yeah okay one of the most harmful moral panics of the modern era is true and real and scary actually cool cool cool.
There’s a billion movies where it goes “Erm the supernatural entities is actually not real” and I’m so tired of that trope. It was incredibly refreshing to watch a movie that did the exact opposite. I get it if you don’t dig that it “reinforces” satanic panic, but I don’t think it’s was made to do so. I believe that Oz chose the time period solely because it was on people’s minds at the time and killers like zodiac were also prevalent.
@radmanstan413 I understand what you mean, but I think the supernatural could still have been present without the recovered memories of ritual abuse, that's the part I hate, not the devil.
I know real fans had a good time, but mad rejections of 'slow sleeper', which was compared to it's advertisements (which gave the strong essence of a 'Slasher'.) It's not.
I didn’t like movie very much. It was shot really well. But idk. This movie just felt like a movie I’ve seen 100 times before. “Demons” are just not a compelling enough bad guy for me. Also it felt like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. There’s too much stuff happening on screen (demons/satan in shots) but it’s also maybe not real? The decisions made thru out were comically dumb. Investigating the barn at night? Why? The Longlegs prosthetics were pretty rough and the scene. That one. Was just not something I needed to see to make the movie better. I feel like the crazy guy hurts himself by hitting his head till it breaks thing is getting really played out.
I think a big chunk of this movie is the marketing. I deliberately stay away from movie marketing. But my SO found this movie thru the elaborate marketing campaign. Idk it feels a bit like a movie that they’re trying to manufacture into a hit. Like it’s a mid horror movie for me. One I’ll probably end up watching again in my life but not one I’d ever recommend to someone unless they’re already looking for this specific movie.
Shame on everyone who fed into the whole “this is the scariest movie of the decade” narrative. I went into the movie as blind as possible, not even watching the trailers. Still, I was horribly let down by such a boring plot. It felt like they looked at silence of the lambs and hereditary and thought they could just mash them up and get a good movie out of it. The problem I think is that they shout their shots too early, I think the movie was severely lacking any real mystique. And the final scene to me felt like the horror movie equivalent of premature ejaculation. That being said, every other aspect of the movie was a 10/10. Cinematography, directing, acting, theming, etc, it was all flawless. Just the actual plot was boring and last me feeling pretty let down from all the hype, despite my best efforts not to buy into all the hype.
I avoided watching any of the trailers past the teaser a few months ago and I was still disappointed with Longlegs. I enjoyed it but even trying to avoid as much marketing and hype that I could it was still hard to not go in expecting a lot. When I got home I watched the full length trailer and was even more disappointed, the trailer was WAY more interesting than the final product. This is such an annoying issue with horror movies, the trailers are either showing the WHOLE DAMN MOVIE or are very misleading.... Also as a side tangent, Longlegs is the newest example of the rampant and ridiculous hyperbole that the horror community is absolutely filled with. We have both extremes: journalists and critics touting this as the new "Scariest Movie of the Decade!!!" cause they want their damn blurbs on the poster and then random people in comments sections saying Longlegs is "one of the WORST movies they've ever seen".... How do either of these stances help the movie at all or give any kind of rational nuanced feelings towards the movie?
Now I want you to make a video on your perspective on Ari Aster and "elevated horror". I really liked Midsommar and Hereditary, but they were some of the first horror films besides The Shining that I ever really watched. I do want to get into more horror movies, but I generally enjoy hearing you talk about horror more than I like the idea of watching gory slashers
I have had this exact moment from the movie on repeat in my head ever since I saw it. It was so unexpected, but also so weirdly compelling and uncomfortable, but I just can’t stop thinking about it.
The true horror is that you're filming your thoughts on a horror movie with a door and window behind you and you don't have a single worry about being jumpscared. My need-to-see-all-entrances/exits anxiety that flares up after seeing a horror movie couldn't handle that
i'll always remember my experience because i had horrible IBS and had to leave about three quarters of the way through (very bummed about this) but then i immediately found out that there had been an attempted assasination. wild experience 9/10
WOW I’ve watched at least 20 reviews and you’re the first person I’ve heard about childhood trauma making you shut down and be cold and repress memories of traumatic events. Doing my dishes and said ‘wowwwww’ out loud. Thank you, that’s a great key to interpreting the film.
The thesis of being forced to live with something you can't accept is also reflected on Longlegs himself. It's not lost on me that his possibly self inflicted cosmetic atrocities are a reflection of his work as a dollmaker. The dolls are meant to be a perfect personification of their targets with none of the flaws, none of the scars, none of the unpleasantness of living. He tries to accomplish the same for himself by becoming a living doll as best he can. He's just a vessel for someone else's perceived desires (Satan). And through malice or tragedy he's finally found a form of himself he can accept by Longlegs himself being accepted by Satan. He wants to spread that release of burden of trauma by indoctrinating other families into the mental freedom of surrendering yourself to Satan as a way out of the cycle of being forced to live with trauma. I may be waaay off, but even if I am I love movies like this that are oozing with intentionality and have enough grissle to chew on to make it satisfying to dissect what is trying to be said.
I really appreciate your analysis here and the observation of his cosmetic features being a result of self dollification didn’t even occur to me! Bravo 👏
THANK-YOU. I thought I was going nuts being the only person thinking the stuff with the balls borrowed heavily from Twin Peaks: the return. Have seen literally NO ONE mentioning this.
OMG the Tulpa! I was thinking meditation ball/Phantasm ball? My friend and I were laughing thinking it was going to rise in the air, sprout blades and fly into someone's head! 😂
Not just the one trailer. Every teaser made for the film has been vague and creepy as hell. Making the hype around it that much more anticipated. And the ARG from the website made it even more intriguing.
When I first saw Nick Cage I was like “oh no it’s doing the killer in drag thing that would be catastrophic for the biggest horror movie of the year to have that” but I guess he was just supposed to look pale and creepy. I doubt this was Perkins plan but I hope the Satan obsessed bigot crowd doesn’t get ahold of this movie
I found that his pale face is less like drag and more like he's painting himself to resemble a doll bc he too is also a vessel for Satan to channel through.
the way he’s talked abt Longlegs (the character) in interviews, I’ve seen him use ‘he/she’ pronouns (like ‘he/she is rly pale’) and say stuff like Longlegs has both male/female energy, but also is based on his mom like w that high voice (‘ohh! there she is! the almost birthday girl!’) I’m still digesting the notion, but I’d be down for a bigender serial killer character. Cage never used words like ‘bigender,’ ‘trans,’ etc in interviews and Longlegs’ gender/presentation doesn’t seem to be overtly relevant anyway, so I think it’s fine?
@@rotisseriepossum yeah I mean as a drag performer I lowkey love the killer in drag trope (I’ve done a Norman Bates number lol) I just think with everything going on it’s kind of perilous territory
@@callum6123You have a good point and I don't think people are ready to acknowledge it. 2024 isn't really in a place where it's responsible to have LGBTA+ villains in the mainstream. I still cringe every time the community recommends rocky horror as an introduction to the uninitiated cishet, because two hours later it's followed up with "wtf Dr. Frank-n-Furter literally SAs the protagonists and people love this guy? This movie isn't about sexual liberation, it's really predatory!" It's a movie made by a transphobe. Like Sleepaway Camp, it is NOT something you put on for someone who's not neck deep in the culture and ready to digest it for what it is. I'm not trying to make a "don't scare the cishets they're such pearl clutchers" argument, just pointing out a safety concern for people who don't accurately read the atmosphere. Be careful when reinforcing stereotypes around people already susceptible to them hhhhhh
I liked the individual elements of the movie but it just did not hang together for me. After the beginning of the movie, the reveal of the mechanism of murder being evil dolls with devil balls was was, I think, a bridge too far for me to follow lol
Yeah, when the spooky remote psychic murders turned into “actually he had an accomplice who dressed as a nun, drove a really conspicuous car into the suburbs, carried a giant package into the murder house, watched the murders happen, and then emerged, blood-covered, in the middle of the day to drive her blue beetle away” it deflated basically all of the tension. It made the supposedly mindhunter level psychic FBI super squad look completely incompetent. Like even ignoring the spooky doll element, the FBI never canvassed the neighborhood to ask about suspicious persons? I mean, I don’t know, I understand the movie wasn’t About that, but like, the more things were explained, the stupider it got. I was actually mad leaving the theater cos it was like “well that was a fuckin waste of my time” But I do like the cinematography, I thought the sound work was incredible, Maika Monroe was carrying the whole movie so hard I thought I was going to have a panic attack in sympathy with her. I enjoyed Nic Cage’s performance, too, but it did feel a little Buffalo Bill-esque, like they never SAID the character was trans or trans adjacent but boy was it implied. Felt kinda regressive in a way I didn’t like. I mean at least the movie made me feel things, even if it was mostly anger and frustration lol
I'm with you. I was so so excited to see this movie, and I was so disappointed when I did. There were so many great elements to it, and Maika Monroe's performance was fantastic and her character was fascinating, but it was all in service of a story that was just too silly or too nothing to care about.
I liked the film a lot, but I didn’t like it as much as I think I should and I’m not entire sure why. There’s something that just wasn’t working and I can’t put my finger on what it was. I’ll have to give it another watch I think.
One cool thing about Oz Perkins is how he makes woman-centered horror stories that don't include sexual assault. As a female viewer, that's very refreshing.
Yes! 100%
Or romantic relationships
Love that
What a low bar we have to have 😂
@@carysbebard3690that's unfortunately the truth though
@@synesthesia.aesthetic Well, what’s wrong with including a romantic relationship? That is definitely not the same thing!
Nic looked like Marilyn Manson mixed with Mickey Rourke mixed with a powdered donut.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've been thinking constantly about Perkins saying he took from his own relationship with his mother and how she was hiding the fact that Anthony was gay and sleeping with men outside of their marriage from her kids. Which considering the fact that the tabloids found out Anthony Perkins had HIV before he did and Oz was a teenager at the time... Yeah, I can see that inspiration of childhood trauma and complicated family dynamics from how you described it.
I couldn't help but compare Nicholas Cage's character with the antagonist from Mandy. Like Longlegs is the caliber of occult mastermind that Jeremiah Sand aspired to be, but failed.
He was originally ask to do the Jeremiah Sands
character.
I kinda wish that Linus Roache had played Longlegs, he would have absolutely nailed the character. Cage was OK, but he can't resist the urge to go crazy a little too quickly.
@@gnomefoam4299oh wow, that's a name I haven't heard for a long time I used to love his work!
there's this throughline in both Panów Cosmatos movies where antagonists are pathetic outcasts hiding behind false trappings of power. Longlegs is reverse externally pathetic but it hides a terryfying power
@@michakiewicz5674 That's a great observation!
For me, the "scares" in horror movies come much later... like months and even years later, and then it's more like a general "spooked" feeling... * shivers *
Da fuq
Nic Cage knocks on your door, "Do you have a moment to discuss our dark lord and Satan?"
Yes- but imagine he would sing it- in falsetto!
Me, a raging Diabolist: ... I mean yea sure come on in.
Holy heck the Elden Ring video and this in the same week? You spoil us May!
The sudden silent cut to the doll in the mirror has been burned into my brain from the very moment I saw the scene.
The biggest theme that I haven't seen almost anyone else discuss or interpret this way is the historical treatment of people on the autism spectrum. I mean, Harker seems very evidently neurodivergent, and to then reveal her to be "demon possessed" seems intentional.
Interesting to note for absolutely no reason: severe childhood trauma can also manifest with autism-like symptoms.
The start of the movie was so good, I was so excited to watch it, but towards the end it lost me. Idk, I guess the beginning made me expect something different
I went to see Longlegs and there was a group of five rowdy boys trying to buy tickets to my screening, but when they got tickets for the later screening they exclaimed “LET’S GOOOO!”. Longlegs fever isn’t just sweeping the nation, it’s sweeping internationally.
I stopped this video, then planned a trip to my local theater. I watched it today and loved it. It’s the first time in a while that a horror movie held my attention so much and also made my heart race.
Same
Deeeefinitely turned to my roomie when the first scene wrapped up and said "we're about to see something special", so I relate to that for sure, but I am about to diverge in a sec (maybe in a way that directs some of that heat to me, who knows!) ... The interpretation of the horror in this movie as a stand in for child hood trauma, that rings really fucking true, and I didn't make that connection. That meaningful process, or maybe process of making meaning, whatever, I think really saves this movie from, potential hot take #1, Longlegs just being another vehicle for Nic Cage to be whackadoodle. I never did lose the sense that I was watching something special here, but I did wind up leaving thinking that this movie had been overhyped to audiences like me who are rabidly devouring horror offerings left and right. In that respect, maybe I just need to take a break from the constant content mill and I'd be able to appreciate it more. But I also think it is worth saying that, if this movie DIDN'T have Nic Cage, we would not, collectively, be forgiving it the very silliest choices of its characters or its knowing winks at us through the 4th wall. I think we would be alot more critical. But it's Nic, so we don't. Osgood Perkins has really proven himself, on basically every conceivable level, as a storyteller, director, the lot, and especially when it comes to a good spook. It's one of the reasons I ignored the rumors comparing it to Silence of the Lambs, and swallowed the initial gut reaction I had to the sussy gender performance in that first scene; I trust Perkins not to do me dirty, and he didn't betray the trust. But as others have pointed out, this movie is in conversation with Mandy (and SotL) and the satanic panic era, and what you're saying about the idea of the devil having door to door missionaries, I think this is more of a key to getting the movie than it first appears. This really does play like a kind of idle joke or funny improv scenario you imagine to yourself for a chuckle, suddenly invested with good budget and star power, but is more clever than it is deep, more craftsmanship than art. I liked it, a great deal, but I can't find it moving in any regard, much like the only thing that struck me as even a little "scary" was whether I was going to have to endure Cage's interpretation of Buffalo Bill. How much of that is due to having processed my own trauma differently is anyone's guess. But this brings Perkins, for me, closer to Ti West than I would have hoped in that, hottest of takes, Ti West fully embodies to me the auteur "oh I have seen so many movies and I can reference them beautifully while telling bleak stories about people it's almost impossible to care about doing nothing worth mentioning for hours". For me, filmmakers like him are the problem, and not Blumhouse, and I know Perkins is a hell of a lot better than that. I very much hope we don't wind up remembering Longlegs as his best work as the years go on, and I'd leave it there, while still admitting it was a damn fun time in the theater.
Been watching May's videos since March 2017. Good analysis, thoughtful, real, and a reserved enthusiastic energy. If there has been any change in all these years it has been from an nervous energy to a confident energy. Those pandemic videos got me through when I still had to go to work.
Concerning this video, great video as always. Thanks.
Oh my gorn, the legs are elongated dooooongs?
Is it time again to immediately stop what I was doing and watch May's new video? Yes!
Am I writing this before watching this? Yes. Have a nice day everyone as we're watching this together!
Anyone who liked Longlegs who hasn't seen Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure should watch Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure.
7 min into the video and i’m getting scared again like i wanna cry. that movie dug into my bones
Never commented before, but just want to say I really enjoy your objective approach to talking about... anything. I realized this when I was watching your Elden Ring video and I don't give a single fuck about those games but it was just interesting to hear you talk about them. I'm super glad you're back to making videos regularly, and I pretty much enjoy everything you create. Please continue!
Speaking of Twin Peaks: The Return - Alicia Witt is the mom aka Gersten Hayward.
I was hyped for this movie, but I walked out after 45 minutes. Turns out the whole concept of the murders was genuinely too upsetting for me as the mother of a daughter. If that makes me a weenie, so be it, I guess. Walking out was an oddly empowering experience though, like I was telling myself I don't have to sit through something that is making me uncomfortable. So anyway I fall into category 3, people who walked out but want to know how it ends 😂😂
Don’t ever try watching Schindler’s list as a parent. I only saw a few scenes and the ones with kids absolutely broke me and I even ran into the bathroom throwing up being so upset
It was okay. Alicia Witt was great though. Ending was telegraphed at the beginning. We were watching it and saying what was going to happen, so i didn't like that
Couple of mysteries: main characters moms fridges door has a kid like draw of five people holding hands... so wheres the dad? does she have a sister and brother? In the scene when her mom picks the shotgun as she sees the car arriving: is the man Longlengs? is it the husband? why do the two ladies love alone, away from wolves and anyone? whats up with that. Also why does Longlegs leave the letter at her house with the code? to help a little? if im counting right then Ruby would be victim number 13, then 14 would be the main character?
PERFECT TIMING i literally just got out of the cinema after seeing this movie and i loved it!!! i immediately want to rewatch it where i can pause it
i loved how incredibly carefully this film was put together, and how well acted it was. idk if other ppl get the feeling that lee hawker was meant to be autistic but as a neurodivergent person i found a lot of her mannerisms and acting to be very relatable
i was also surprised by the appearance of nick cage and damn!!!! he was really giving it everything!!!
yes! also autistic and related to her heavily
Loving the tunes lately.
I always appreciate and enjoy your thoughts. Please keep making videos! ❤️
Thonglegs
It was so satisfying to watch Longlegs. I had such a great experience with the film. The acting was good, the film making was good, there were themes that were theme-ing. I loved that it ended with the T. Rex song playing over the credits--it was like the film was saying that was a fun experience wasn't it? Like it didn't take itself too seriously, just told the story it wanted to tell and did it well.
The reason she wakes up from being comatose isn't because Longlegs visited! It's because they removed the crucifix that was nailed over her doll's hiding place. My boyfriend figured that one out. I also assumed it was because he visited.
No, it's because they opened the silver ball I think, that changed the lead character too
@@mistressofstonesno they never did open the metal ball, thats why longlegs had power over her, and why she ended up jumping at the end
I thought it was because they took the ball out of the head of the doll, but didn't destroy it. But also I also feel like it's one of those things where the movie knows how the magic works, but doesn't always tell us.
@@mistressofstones they never open that ball, it still whispers even when out of the head, AND the character controlled by the ball is STILL under its influence when they talk to her, she even says she’ll do anything for him still. If the ball was destroyed all influence would be gone.
@@tape-6 exactly! She outrightly states that she’s still fully controlled by the devil even though she’s been released from her comatose state.
nic cage really ate and left no crumbs in this movie... my jaw was on the floooor
hyped to come back to this once I've watched it 🙏 always love seeing another Spooky Movie Review from MAY ❤️
You know, I get that everyone is like “omg NSFL iceberg” sorta brain rotted and clearly that audience hasn’t transitioned as well to the more “normal” nyx fears content but I found the channel through that and have just absolutely fallen in love with everything may has done outside of that
Nick cage was nick caging and it made me laugh out loud in the theater specifically during the scene in the interrogation room
I laughed when I saw his name in the credits and then abruptly stopped laughing as soon as he came onscreen lol
@@t3hpenguinofd00m yea I had to stop that laughing shit real quick
Fell asleep halfway through the second part then woke up for the jump scare 11/10
I don't understand why someone would watch your opinion and then complain about. I love your videos, TRASH is good sometimes but what trash we love is so personal, your opinions are always welcome, and I devour a ton of horror, and I devour your content, and your thoughts are of VALUE.
wow okay you’ve described WHY I watch you and reviews like yours so I can see through many lenses! Thank you for putting words to the feeling…yup gonna go now and try not to be a super creep rn
Saw it last night, and still have it rattling around my brain . Thought what May articulated- that it takes a bunch of hackyned tropes and makes something interesting
girl the bolan poster in his room
I saw the movie up close to the screen too, this movie really scared me. Loved it
if you watch this movie in ultra-high quality, you can see the teeth marks from where Nic Cage is chewing the scenery.
I saw the movie last minute technically the movie will probably be out of theaters really soon, I’m so happy I went ahead and got tickets, I’m so happy I did
It wasn’t the scariest movie ever but i loved it, Idk if it’s Nick Cage’s performance or like how weird he is but I loved every second Longlegs was on screen and that last scene like lives in my head rent free rn. The character is the perfect mix of comedic and unsettling. I hope Nick Cage does more horror movies cause I honestly would love to see him be more disgusting killer people.
I generally really liked Longlegs. I thought it was extremely well-made and thought provoking, but for some reason the ending twist didn’t hit. I felt a sort of dissonance between what seemed heavy-handed to me (the full explanation of events - I think I was just expecting something more esoteric) versus the aspects of the film that felt really smart and subtle. I maybe could have done without the flashback scene where Lee’s mom is explaining her involvement in great detail since a lot of that information already felt implied to me? Idk, I’m not smart about films and I’m sure it’s a matter of personal taste but overall a great watch and I’ll definitely be revisiting it at some point to see how my opinion of it might change!
Only review for this I’ve wanted. Lol
Saw it at the Noon Matinee today & was quite impressed.
Lucky for me I have to sit in the handicapped seats these days. Christ, I'm old! 😆 Beats walking up steps tho...
I wasn't blown away but i did like it. Anyone else think Cage played Longlegs like an evil Emo Phillips?
So happy you posted today
Thank Satan that all of of the minions gave Neon their black flowers 🖤also girl how did you not know Nic was in this?
I love your reviews they're so real lol
Brandt Island
I totally knew you’d be posting a video on either this or Maxxxine lol
Just got out of the movie theater, here in russia noone really gave a shit about longlegs so i was almost alone in the theatre. I was a bit dissapointed, the movie looks fantastic but i cant help but not be impressed by any of this, the script just didnt do it for me. Felt empty after seeing this, i was really excited to see it and then its nothing idk im rambling
On another note yesterday i listened to fluids and it was absolutely amazing (never want to experience it again lol) its really sad that a lot from this book was taken from Mays life but it makes me so happy that May is alive and creative im so glad i found her
Sick Anor London shirt.
yay!
Is that a fuckin Anor Londo shirt? We love to see it 😝
whats the song at the end of the vid
It’s called You Don’t Know The Difference. It’s on my upcoming album A Touch of Grace
@@nyxfears amazing thank you mother
I first thought you said Michael Monroe and I was like huh?????? What is an aging Finnish glamrock star doing acting in a movie like this? (he does look creepy enough to do it though)
Your opinion matters to us
wow... i really didn't care for this film. watched it a second time because all the hype made me feel like i missed something. came out thinking it was even more horrible hahahahaha so far no ones really expressed that sentiment. the only redeeming factor is the atmosphere and his direction, but the script was terrible and the plot was even worst.
Glad to know I'm not the only one who still thinks of Blink 182 whenever they hear any combination of the words "took my time" and "hurried up". And now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly feel a powerful urge to wander around a Hot Topic and not buy anything.
It's from "Come As You Are" by Nirvana.
New sub ❤
Love the new video!
Just got back from seeing it, first thing I said to my spouse was “now I can watch may talk about this movie”
I liked the touch of the pictures she was giving names to Rorschach style at the beginning being references to things that happened later, I had fun looking for them when I realized they would be coming up. I love how detailed the movie was in general!
I saw it for my birthday 🎉😅
It was fun but didn’t live up to my expectations. Not really unsettling at all. Cool concept, just not enough of it.
This film felt like a "conjuring-verse" film done much better, and not trying to indoctrinate you into being a Christian conservative
may would you watch strange darling
"The trailer was specifically very vague" you mean what a trailer actually should be?
7:10 wait, what's trashy about Ari Aster?
Edit: finished the review and it sounds like maybe you're actually saying that Aster is the opposite of trash?
Fuckin loved it aye, great movie
when u call things 'trash' i read 'camp' not 'absolute shit', terrifyer 2 is the campest fucking movie ive seen excluding john waters. anyways longlegs was great, i wont forget a thing about it, thanks for making this video!
You thought Longlegs as a character was fascinating? Hes the MOST 1 note character
False
@@nyxfears He was just over the top nick cage lol. Who cares where he came from. We know as much about him personally as we did before the movie started. He has NO PERSONALITY beyond "wacko pathetic satanist". Idk bruh. I liked most of it. But people need to get off this movies dick tbh
im surprised they were people watching u who dont know about the fine art of good trash cinema
i was so hype on this but i'm so disappointed that the premise ended up being 'the devil is real, people have repressed memories from interacting with satanic cults.' like. yeah okay one of the most harmful moral panics of the modern era is true and real and scary actually cool cool cool.
Thanks for that recap you've convinced me to not see it. Living through the satanic panic for me was torture.
There’s a billion movies where it goes “Erm the supernatural entities is actually not real” and I’m so tired of that trope. It was incredibly refreshing to watch a movie that did the exact opposite. I get it if you don’t dig that it “reinforces” satanic panic, but I don’t think it’s was made to do so. I believe that Oz chose the time period solely because it was on people’s minds at the time and killers like zodiac were also prevalent.
@radmanstan413 I understand what you mean, but I think the supernatural could still have been present without the recovered memories of ritual abuse, that's the part I hate, not the devil.
It sounds like y'all wanted MKUltra so you're upset it's a demon/devil
@@michealvega1373 incorrect. Weird projection.
i thought the direction and presentation was pretty good but i just can’t do it with nicolas cage. maika monroe was great though!
I know real fans had a good time, but mad rejections of 'slow sleeper', which was compared to it's advertisements (which gave the strong essence of a 'Slasher'.) It's not.
Is that you standing behind 100 gecs on their boiler room?
Yeah Laura’s my girlfriend
@@nyxfears yooooooooooooo
Rodriguez John Jackson Kenneth Taylor Gary
Yessssss gurrrlllllll. Saw this opening night. Can’t wait to hear your opinion. Pre watch. I hated it 😂
I didn’t like movie very much. It was shot really well. But idk. This movie just felt like a movie I’ve seen 100 times before. “Demons” are just not a compelling enough bad guy for me. Also it felt like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. There’s too much stuff happening on screen (demons/satan in shots) but it’s also maybe not real? The decisions made thru out were comically dumb. Investigating the barn at night? Why? The Longlegs prosthetics were pretty rough and the scene. That one. Was just not something I needed to see to make the movie better. I feel like the crazy guy hurts himself by hitting his head till it breaks thing is getting really played out.
I think a big chunk of this movie is the marketing. I deliberately stay away from movie marketing. But my SO found this movie thru the elaborate marketing campaign. Idk it feels a bit like a movie that they’re trying to manufacture into a hit. Like it’s a mid horror movie for me. One I’ll probably end up watching again in my life but not one I’d ever recommend to someone unless they’re already looking for this specific movie.
praise satan~! mwah!
my problem was that the whole middle of the move was boring as fuck to me
Shame on everyone who fed into the whole “this is the scariest movie of the decade” narrative. I went into the movie as blind as possible, not even watching the trailers. Still, I was horribly let down by such a boring plot. It felt like they looked at silence of the lambs and hereditary and thought they could just mash them up and get a good movie out of it. The problem I think is that they shout their shots too early, I think the movie was severely lacking any real mystique. And the final scene to me felt like the horror movie equivalent of premature ejaculation.
That being said, every other aspect of the movie was a 10/10. Cinematography, directing, acting, theming, etc, it was all flawless. Just the actual plot was boring and last me feeling pretty let down from all the hype, despite my best efforts not to buy into all the hype.
but can we talk about the actual appearance of Longlegs? as a trans woman I said now wait a damn minute...
I avoided watching any of the trailers past the teaser a few months ago and I was still disappointed with Longlegs. I enjoyed it but even trying to avoid as much marketing and hype that I could it was still hard to not go in expecting a lot. When I got home I watched the full length trailer and was even more disappointed, the trailer was WAY more interesting than the final product. This is such an annoying issue with horror movies, the trailers are either showing the WHOLE DAMN MOVIE or are very misleading....
Also as a side tangent, Longlegs is the newest example of the rampant and ridiculous hyperbole that the horror community is absolutely filled with. We have both extremes: journalists and critics touting this as the new "Scariest Movie of the Decade!!!" cause they want their damn blurbs on the poster and then random people in comments sections saying Longlegs is "one of the WORST movies they've ever seen".... How do either of these stances help the movie at all or give any kind of rational nuanced feelings towards the movie?
Now I want you to make a video on your perspective on Ari Aster and "elevated horror".
I really liked Midsommar and Hereditary, but they were some of the first horror films besides The Shining that I ever really watched. I do want to get into more horror movies, but I generally enjoy hearing you talk about horror more than I like the idea of watching gory slashers
Dude
AND I WILL COME BAAACK
NOT OOONCE
NOT TWIIIICE
BUT AS MANY TIMES AS I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE 🎶
I have had this exact moment from the movie on repeat in my head ever since I saw it. It was so unexpected, but also so weirdly compelling and uncomfortable, but I just can’t stop thinking about it.
Masterpiece
DADDYYYYY
MOMMYYYYY
UUUUNMAKE MEEEE
@@jethroreading7168. What song was that? I didn’t recognize the lyrics
@@TrevyTrev-andTheFunkyPets It's something Longlegs scream-sings in the movie.
The true horror is that you're filming your thoughts on a horror movie with a door and window behind you and you don't have a single worry about being jumpscared. My need-to-see-all-entrances/exits anxiety that flares up after seeing a horror movie couldn't handle that
consider: they can see the door and window because of the recording viewfinder, giving her even more range of vision
consider: I live in the woods and am not paranoid of where I live.
i'm a weenie you see
i'll always remember my experience because i had horrible IBS and had to leave about three quarters of the way through (very bummed about this) but then i immediately found out that there had been an attempted assasination. wild experience 9/10
At the movies? Omg I’m glad you’re okay
They mean of the president
@@Skullkan6 Lmfaoooooo oh. Embarrassing…Ty for telling me
WOW I’ve watched at least 20 reviews and you’re the first person I’ve heard about childhood trauma making you shut down and be cold and repress memories of traumatic events. Doing my dishes and said ‘wowwwww’ out loud. Thank you, that’s a great key to interpreting the film.
saw this on a first date, theater was almost entirely sold out. we both loved it and we have another date thursday :)
Same homie
Lovelegs ❤️
ah!! i took my partner on a date to see this film too! thank u nick cage for the perfect date night film lol
Hell yeah
My dream first date, I really wish I could do that
The thesis of being forced to live with something you can't accept is also reflected on Longlegs himself. It's not lost on me that his possibly self inflicted cosmetic atrocities are a reflection of his work as a dollmaker. The dolls are meant to be a perfect personification of their targets with none of the flaws, none of the scars, none of the unpleasantness of living. He tries to accomplish the same for himself by becoming a living doll as best he can. He's just a vessel for someone else's perceived desires (Satan). And through malice or tragedy he's finally found a form of himself he can accept by Longlegs himself being accepted by Satan. He wants to spread that release of burden of trauma by indoctrinating other families into the mental freedom of surrendering yourself to Satan as a way out of the cycle of being forced to live with trauma.
I may be waaay off, but even if I am I love movies like this that are oozing with intentionality and have enough grissle to chew on to make it satisfying to dissect what is trying to be said.
I really appreciate your analysis here and the observation of his cosmetic features being a result of self dollification didn’t even occur to me! Bravo 👏
13:39 YES! Thank you for perfectly articulating why the "I wore my long legs today" line from the opening scene got *such* a reaction out of me
That line burrowed instantly under my skin and is still making me shiver uneasily
THANK-YOU. I thought I was going nuts being the only person thinking the stuff with the balls borrowed heavily from Twin Peaks: the return. Have seen literally NO ONE mentioning this.
OMG the Tulpa! I was thinking meditation ball/Phantasm ball? My friend and I were laughing thinking it was going to rise in the air, sprout blades and fly into someone's head! 😂
@@a_Cynthia_Main TBF if it was actually Tulpas and it worked like phantasm balls this movie would rule
@@KarlaBowdringAnd if Sam and Dean Winchester showed up that would be even BETTER
Not just the one trailer. Every teaser made for the film has been vague and creepy as hell. Making the hype around it that much more anticipated. And the ARG from the website made it even more intriguing.
Watched it for my birthday. Which was on the 14th 😀 That was a fun surprise!
When I first saw Nick Cage I was like “oh no it’s doing the killer in drag thing that would be catastrophic for the biggest horror movie of the year to have that” but I guess he was just supposed to look pale and creepy. I doubt this was Perkins plan but I hope the Satan obsessed bigot crowd doesn’t get ahold of this movie
Was lucky to go to a screening that Perkins did a Q&A at after, apparently Nic's look was meant to give botched plastic surgery vibes.
I found that his pale face is less like drag and more like he's painting himself to resemble a doll bc he too is also a vessel for Satan to channel through.
the way he’s talked abt Longlegs (the character) in interviews, I’ve seen him use ‘he/she’ pronouns (like ‘he/she is rly pale’) and say stuff like Longlegs has both male/female energy, but also is based on his mom like w that high voice (‘ohh! there she is! the almost birthday girl!’)
I’m still digesting the notion, but I’d be down for a bigender serial killer character. Cage never used words like ‘bigender,’ ‘trans,’ etc in interviews and Longlegs’ gender/presentation doesn’t seem to be overtly relevant anyway, so I think it’s fine?
@@rotisseriepossum yeah I mean as a drag performer I lowkey love the killer in drag trope (I’ve done a Norman Bates number lol) I just think with everything going on it’s kind of perilous territory
@@callum6123You have a good point and I don't think people are ready to acknowledge it. 2024 isn't really in a place where it's responsible to have LGBTA+ villains in the mainstream.
I still cringe every time the community recommends rocky horror as an introduction to the uninitiated cishet, because two hours later it's followed up with "wtf Dr. Frank-n-Furter literally SAs the protagonists and people love this guy? This movie isn't about sexual liberation, it's really predatory!"
It's a movie made by a transphobe. Like Sleepaway Camp, it is NOT something you put on for someone who's not neck deep in the culture and ready to digest it for what it is.
I'm not trying to make a "don't scare the cishets they're such pearl clutchers" argument, just pointing out a safety concern for people who don't accurately read the atmosphere. Be careful when reinforcing stereotypes around people already susceptible to them hhhhhh
I liked the individual elements of the movie but it just did not hang together for me. After the beginning of the movie, the reveal of the mechanism of murder being evil dolls with devil balls was was, I think, a bridge too far for me to follow lol
Same here when the movie ended I thought "that's it? Huh."
the ending retroactively made the movie less effective in its uneasiness to me. it just felt silly.
Yeah, when the spooky remote psychic murders turned into “actually he had an accomplice who dressed as a nun, drove a really conspicuous car into the suburbs, carried a giant package into the murder house, watched the murders happen, and then emerged, blood-covered, in the middle of the day to drive her blue beetle away” it deflated basically all of the tension. It made the supposedly mindhunter level psychic FBI super squad look completely incompetent. Like even ignoring the spooky doll element, the FBI never canvassed the neighborhood to ask about suspicious persons? I mean, I don’t know, I understand the movie wasn’t About that, but like, the more things were explained, the stupider it got. I was actually mad leaving the theater cos it was like “well that was a fuckin waste of my time”
But I do like the cinematography, I thought the sound work was incredible, Maika Monroe was carrying the whole movie so hard I thought I was going to have a panic attack in sympathy with her. I enjoyed Nic Cage’s performance, too, but it did feel a little Buffalo Bill-esque, like they never SAID the character was trans or trans adjacent but boy was it implied. Felt kinda regressive in a way I didn’t like.
I mean at least the movie made me feel things, even if it was mostly anger and frustration lol
I agree, I was much more intrigued in the first half-ish when it was more of a serial killer mystery
I'm with you. I was so so excited to see this movie, and I was so disappointed when I did. There were so many great elements to it, and Maika Monroe's performance was fantastic and her character was fascinating, but it was all in service of a story that was just too silly or too nothing to care about.
Kiernan coming back as yet another unhinged character who’s quiet and threatening at the same time is just a great addition
I liked the film a lot, but I didn’t like it as much as I think I should and I’m not entire sure why. There’s something that just wasn’t working and I can’t put my finger on what it was. I’ll have to give it another watch I think.