The Prayers Don’t Help Anyway: The Terrifying Truth of Osgood Perkins’ Film, "Longlegs"
Osgood Perkin’s latest horror film, Longlegs, leaves a plethora of themes waiting to be discussed among movie buffs. From the idea of family and what is kept ‘in the basement’ to the devil’s choice of targeting little girls, Perkins’ vast exploration allows audiences to run with whatever tickles their fancy. However, one significant topic Perkins dissects in Longlegs is the concept of control and, moreover, what happens to a person when their perceived control is taken away from them. Through the exploration of control, Perkins does in incredible job at intertwining the experiences of the main character, Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), and the audience. As Harker’s dread, confusion, and panic increases, the audience is left with a similar curiosity that results in a mirroring rapid heart rate as character and audience alike all wait for the moments of impact. Once the film reaches part three, the ultimate manipulation to all involved is unveiled. Alongside Harker, viewers reach the sudden and horrific realization that all the events since Longlegs arrives at Harker’s house have been predetermined not by the prolific serial killer in which gives the film its name, but by an even worse dominating evil power. It is this omniscient evil which puppeteers Harker’s life since she is nine years’ old and, regardless of beliefs held, actions done, or effort made, Harker was always going to fall directly into her fate: a concept that is fundamentally terrifying at its core.
PART ONE: The Concept of Control and How Harker Attempts to Keep It.
The idea of control and what functions it serves to the human brain/body has been a widely-discussed topic in the field of psychology for years. In their article, Perceived Control and Health, Wallston et al. describes control as something that can be perceived and is a “’belief’ that one can determine one’s own internal states and behaviour, influence one’s environment, and/or bring about desired outcomes” (1987). Using this definition, the viewer repeatedly sees Harker attempt to keep control throughout the film both visually and verbally. Perkins chooses to emphasize Harker’s labored breathing as the main auditory stimulus during the initial FBI scene when Harker is left to walk through the house after her partner gets shot. This decision demonstrates Harker’s purposeful attempt at controlling her body’s actions/internal states. Furthermore, in the later half of part one when Harker sees a figure standing outside her house she decides to go and figure out who it is instead of staying inside. From a viewer’s perspective, this reads like a dumb decision but Harker is trying to gain control of the situation by exerting power over her environment – once she realizes who is out there, she may reassess the situation to decide upon future steps. Harker also continuously reaches for/uses her gun in moments when control feels sparse. Her gun then demonstrates a symbol of control which Harker uses as a tool to regain a feeling of agency when she feels out of control and/or threatened in her environment.
The symbol of the gun is further emphasized when the viewer sees Harker realize that she is descending into total loss of personal agency. The more her control is stripped away, the more uncomfortable Harker appears. One notable, and seemingly useless, gun reach is when she sees her mother shooting Agent Browning in the driveway. There is nothing she can do to save Agent Browning in that moment, but nonetheless she automatically reaches for the gun exhibiting her need to gain back control. Harker also displays negative emotions/heightened anxiety, again, through her labored breathing in times of stress, her body language/shakiness in multiple moments throughout the film, and crying during her interview with Longlegs. Harker’s consistent discomfort demonstrates what Leotti et al. claim as the “belief in one’s ability to exert control over the environment and to produce desired results is essential for an individual’s wellbeing. It has repeatedly been argued that perception of control is not only desirable, but is also probably a psychological and biological necessity […] and that the need for control is a biological imperative for survival” (2010). The examples noted suggest that Harker is not only uncomfortable when her perception of personal control is threatened, but also demonstrates to viewers that she wants to keep some form of control over herself and her surroundings to help comprehend the events unfolding around her.
PART TWO: The First level of Lost Control Through the Manipulative Evil.
As the film progresses into its second part, it slowly becomes evident that Harker has less control than she, or the audience, initially believes. Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) begins obtaining more screen time as his antics are steadily revealed to be the primary manipulative factor in his own FBI case. The viewer learns along with Harker than Longlegs is the one killing families for over 30 years in a specific way: he somehow controls the father into doing the dirty work for him. The only way the FBI knows he has any connection to the crimes is because of the letters he leaves behind with the cryptic alphabet that only he can read. Two critical elements that demonstrate Longlegs’ vast control regarding the murders of seemingly normal families and the FBI’s inability to solve the case.
Harker and other FBI members become increasingly uncomfortable as they continue learning how much control Longlegs has over the case. However, Harker’s relationship with Longlegs is revealed as more intimate when he goes to her house late at night to deliver a letter with her name on it. Ruth Harker (Alicia Witt), Lee Harker’s mother, helps uncover more clues about Harker and Longlegs’ connection which further illustrates his past and present control over not only the case, but Harker’s life. Ruth, luckily, never throws anything away and points Harker in the direction of her old photographs. It is here that Harker finds the photo she took of Longlegs when he arrived at her house all those years ago. Both Harker and viewer then simultaneously learn that Longlegs has been in her life for years. This harrowing bit of information adds intensity to two critical comments made by Ruth: that Harker was allowed to grow up and that praying doesn’t actually work. It is through both comments that Ruth reveals the vast extent to which Longlegs has been controlling her life since she was nine years old.
An uncomfortable atmosphere then penetrates audiences as viewer follows Harker into the holding cell to interview Longlegs. The moment Harker walks into the room there is an immediate sense that Longlegs was waiting for this moment all along. Longlegs greets Harker the same way he did when she was almost nine with, “hello to the almost birthday girl” indicating that he has been around and in control for years. He then shares a final reveal that he laughed while an other was upset when Harker joined law enforcement before declaring ‘hail Satan’ and killing himself right on front of her. His blood splatters remain on Harker’s neck as her breathing quickens, heart rate climbs, and eyes widen with the newfound definite knowledge that although Longlegs is gone, there has been an unknown accomplice in this 30-year case, and her life, all along.
PART THREE: The Devil Is In the Details
Harker leaves the interview room and is met with hostility as Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) shares through furious words his anxieties about losing control of the case with the death of Longlegs. With Longlegs dead, Carter profusely exclaims that “there is no voodoo, someone is helping him” as he storms off down the hallway. Harker is now forced to return to her childhood home as Ruth, who met Longlegs the same day as Harker, is the only person left that can offer any insight into whom Longlegs’ ally may be. Upon arrival at the isolated house, a soul-crushing realization occurs as a nun version of Ruth appears and walks around the car to shoot Agent Browning (Michelle Choi-Lee). As Harker rushes out to see if Browning is alive, audience and Harker are met with Ruth holding a gun to Lee’s doll. With an empty voice, Ruth shares the shocking revelation that everyone has been waiting to hear: since Harker’s ninth birthday, it was not Longlegs’ mortal soul that was controlling their lives, but the work of the devil. Harker and viewer are left in mutual disbelief as questions are answered and all clues, signs, and haunting moments come together as a perfectly executed master plan by Satan to get Harker to fall into a trap she could not escape.
Throughout various scenes of the film there is an outline of a shadow with horns standing behind Harker, outside a window, and outside her house. The first shot of the film is also from the perspective of the devil through Harker’s doll. When Longlegs pulls up to the Harker house it initially seems that viewer is looking at the house from Longlegs’ perspective in the car. Upon closer inspection, the perspective is coming from the passenger seat, not the driver’s seat. There is also a thin black drapery effect over the camera lens most noticeable on the right-hand side of the shot further indicating that it is Harker’s doll with the classic black sheet over it like the other dolls throughout the film. The camera also periodically looms on the car with the passenger seat facing the characters as if to show someone or something is watching from afar. The devil’s presence in various moments suggests that the devil is always watching her every move to calculate his next steps and ensure everything is going as planned.
As the film progresses Harker and viewer learn that it is not Longlegs controlling the murders but the dolls – evil conduits for the devil made by Longlegs and transferred by Ruth. Once Ruth brings the dolls into the chosen house the doll possesses the fathers of the families to murder everyone including themselves. As Agent Carter indicates, these are all seemingly perfectly normal families who attend church, go on vacations, and love each other. The decision of using ‘normal’ families that one day become murderous crime scenes demonstrates the immense power that the devil has over anyone he chooses.
However, the devil controls Harker’s fate more than anyone else’s. It becomes apparent that Harker’s so-called psychic abilities was the devil encouraging her to make specific choices to ultimately lead her to the present moment. First, she picks the correct random house during her door-to-door neighborhood walk through, which proves her worth and gets her put on the Longlegs case. She then gets to work alongside Agent Carter who not only invites Harker to his house to meet his family, but grants her the opportunity to get invited to Ruby’s, Agent Carter’s daughters, birthday party on January 13, the one missing day on the inverse triangle. Now that Harker is officially on the Longlegs case it makes sense that the serial killer may start targeting her. She then receives the letter with the decodable message allowing her to discover the remaining clues through Longlegs’ previous coded letters. His letters prove useful and lead to the Camera family farm, the conversation with Carrie Anne, capturing Longlegs, and ultimately forcing Harker to return to Ruth for more answers. Past now catches up with present as Ruth’s story ends with ‘freeing’ Harker by shooting her doll in the head, revealing a fine black smoke wafting out of the silver orb. Harker then faints and with her fall marks a significant shift in the remainder of the movie.
Harker wakes up from her sleep in Longlegs’ bed due to her mom’s telephone ringing in the kitchen. The camera begins following Harker upstairs upside down. This is the only time Perkins chooses to use an upside-down camera shot indicating a 180-degree shift in Harker’s characterization from before her doll was shot to this moment. One Harker answers the phone she learns, from a deep raspy voice, that she is missing Ruby’s birthday party. In a panic, Harker rushes outside to find the car with Agent Browning in it to be gone. This forces Harker to make yet another decision which mirrors Longlegs’ actions: take his car to the birthday party. While Harker is driving, the viewer receives camera shots similar to moments with Longlegs. One of the outside view of the car driving down a road Longlegs previously took and another shot from the passenger seat of Harker screaming at the wheel. The mirroring effect of the car moments and the upside-down camera angle proceeding Harker’s awakening suggest that, following her newfound freedom from her doll, she is the new conduit for the devil to puppet as she heads directly where the voice on the phone told her to go.
Once at the birthday party, Harker figures out that she is too late. Agent Carter’s eyes are already tear-filled as he delivers gruesome lines of murder, Ruby is mutely hugging her doll, and Ruth sits on the couch ensuring that everything goes according to plan. In an unsettling climatic point, Carter stabs his wife then attempts to kill his daughter. Stepping into the protective role, Harker then kills Agent Carter and her mother before either successfully kill Ruby. However, the most important moment in this sequence is when Harker takes her final shot at Ruby’s doll but has ran out of bullets. After a few attempts to shoot it, both Harker and viewer realize that Harker had exactly enough bullets to kill the mortals and save Ruby, but not stop the evil coming from the doll. Known from Harker’s and Carrie Anne’s experiences with their respective dolls, if Ruby’s doll is not destroyed the evil within the doll will continue to haunt her. The doll remaining intact indicates that Ruby is now linked to an evil entity which Harker has endured since she was nine. Thus, a new era is born where Lee takes her mother’s place and becomes the adult conduit and Ruby will be the child Harker strives to protect.
The cycle then continues in the devil’s predetermined plan. Throughout the film, Harker tries to regain the control all humans crave as it slips further from her grasp. As personal agency is passed from mortal to demonic being, Harker and viewer slowly slip into the terrifying realization that nothing Harker, or anyone in her life, could have done would have changed her fate – the harder she tries to stop it, the easier she falls into the trap. Perkins’ stylistic choice to end the movie with a clip of Longlegs saying ‘hail Satan’ while kissing the camera delivers an everlasting final blow: there is nothing anyone can do to stop the evil overtaking the lives of innocents. As Lee Harker concisely phrases it, “its revelation, singular, not plural”.
Works cited (in order of quotation):