Spoiler Alert: This article contains major spoilers for the Longlegs film.Longlegs‘ tragic conclusion has left us with many questions, and director Oz Perkins has answered most of them in a recent interview. The movie has been praised by critics as one of the most unsettling and darkest films of our time, and it certainly lived up to the hype after its release, grossing $28.5 million thus far — more than any other horror film released this summer.
In the film, FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) pursues the infamous satanic killer Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). As the investigation progresses, Lee learns that the killer had an accomplice, which is revealed when Cage’s Longlegs takes his own life by smashing his head on a table.
It turns out that Lee’s mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt), has been Longlegs’ hidden accomplice, helping him find victims in return for protecting her daughter’s life. Ruth dresses up as a nun and delivers mysterious dolls created by Longlegs, which brainwash families into killing each other. It was also revealed that Longlegs lived in Harker’s basement and the doll he made for Lee gave her semi-psychic abilities.
Longlegs
4.5/5
- Release Date
- July 12, 2024
At the conclusion, Lee discovers that Ruth’s next target is the family of FBI investigator Carter (Blair Underwood), but before she can reach their house, they are brainwashed. Carter murders his wife and as he’s about to harm his daughter, Lee shoots both Carter and Ruth in the hopes of putting an end to everything — but she is unable to shoot the doll for unknown reasons.
While Perkins did provide some insight into the film’s ending, most of it was left ambiguous. In any case, here’s what he said to Variety about the Longlegs finale:
The ending was meant to be tragic. The devil wins again on a small scale. The story of Lee Harker ends with the ending of the movie. The last shot that she fires is the worst thing that can happen to her.
Perkins’ comments imply that he meant the ending to be tragic, which was quite evident from Harker’s lifelong guilt over her mother’s role in the killings. But is there more to the ending than meets the eye?
Related
20 Realistic Horror Movies That Are Hard to Watch
Some “scary” films are meant to frighten, while others are meant to truly horrify and sit with us long after the credits have finished rolling.
What Does the Ambiguous Ending of Longlegs Mean?
The film leaves many questions unresolved, and it seems like Perkins is hesitant to offer an explanation since it would negate the whole “ambiguous” aspect. Since the devil has clearly prevailed in the film, and considering that Perkins was inspired by Se7en‘s serial killer, it’s safe to assume that the presence of the antagonist will last forever, maybe turning Harker into a killer as the devil intended.
While this is just speculation on our part, it makes a fair amount of sense given the hints provided at the conclusion. When Harker kills both Ruth and Carter, she is unable to shoot the doll made for Carter’s daughter, maybe due to the devil’s persuasion. So, it’s safe to assume that the serial killings will continue beyond the film’s conclusion, and that Harker, who has been trapped in the trauma caused by Longlegs since childhood, may emerge as the true evil.
Longlegs is now playing in theaters.
