Warning: Major spoilers for Longlegs below!
Summary
Longlegshas become the most buzzed-about horror movie of 2024, and those viewers who loved it must check out an acclaimed Japanese horror endorsed by Martin Scorsese.Reviews forLonglegshave drawn many comparisons between it and classic chillers likeSe7enorThe Silence of the Lambs. On the surface these comparisons are apt, since all three feature disturbing scenes of violence and unnerving villains. Still, director Os Perkin’s horror smash stands apart and infuses what could have been a standard serial killer thriller with a fairy tale edge.
The result is one of the most intense horror efforts of recent years, with Nicolas Cage possibly adding another iconic character to his collection.Longlegs’tragic endingisn’t exactly hinting at a sequel, though Perkins' next filmThe Monkey- based on a short story by Stephen King - will arrive in February 2025.The odds ofLonglegs 2feel decidedly slim, but viewers who enjoyed the movie can always seek out its cinematic inspirations.
Cure
Cast
Cure is a psychological thriller directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Set in Tokyo, the film follows Detective Takabe, played by Kōji Yakusho, as he investigates a series of bizarre murders where each culprit has no memory of committing the crime. The investigation leads him to a mysterious drifter whose influence over people appears to be linked to the killings.
Perkins has acknowledged the influence of films likeThe Silence of the Lambs, but an arguably better comparison toLonglegsis 1997’sCure. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse) wrote and directed this mix of detective thriller and psychological horror, where Kōji Yakusho’s Detective Takabe looks into a wave of deaths where normal people suddenly murder loved ones and crave an X onto their bodies. Takabe soon realizes the mysterious Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) connects the killings and is using the power of hypnotic suggestion to drive people to murder.
Using hypnosis as a means of murder links both Mamiya and Nic Cage’s Longlegs, as neither directs murders anybody. The biggest difference is that Mamiya’s goals - if he even has any - are never made clear, while Longlegs believes his killings are serving Satan himself.CureandLonglegsshare more than a killer with similar methods in common. Both use long takes and measured pacing to great effect, so when violence suddenly breaks out, it hits much harder.
Both are chilly, psychological thrillers, where the protagonists find themselves being along by forces they can’t fully comprehend. This goes for audiences too, with bothCureandLonglegs' ending on hauntingly ambiguous notes. It feels likethe most accurate description ofLonglegswould be that it mashes up bothSe7enandCure,with a large sprinkle of the supernatural on top.
Cure Was One Of The First Big J-Horrors Of The 1990s
Thankfully Cure didn’t receive a lukewarm American remake
Cure lacks any dark-haired ghost girls or an overtly supernatural tone, but it has certainly aged the best of the J-horror run.
When it comes to features discussingthe J-Horror moviecycle of the late 1990s and early 2000s,Cureisn’t often mentioned. Some would argue the film technically isn’t even horror, though it has enough tension and shocking moments to quality. Still,Curearrived before the likes ofThe RingorThe Grudge, which are often labeled as the ones that kicked this period off. 1998’sRingwas such a word-of-mouth success that it led to a high-profile American remake in 2002, which in turn led to Hollywood snapping up as many Japanese horror films as they could to rework.
Where To Watch Longlegs: When & Where The 2024 Horror Will Arrive On Streaming
Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe headline the 2024 horror movie, and there are options for where to watch Longlegs on streaming.
The originality ofRingwith its intricate mythos, terrifying ghost and shock ending saw it ripped off by many of its contemporaries. Soon,the image of a shambling ghost girl whose face was obscured by long, dark hair became laughable to audiences, so after early hits likeThe GrudgeorAudition, this trend quickly burned itself out.Curelacks any dark-haired ghosts or an overtly supernatural tone, but it has certainly aged the best of the J-horror run. It’s an elegant, eerie and deeply unsettling psychological horror, and one that rewards multiple viewings.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’sPulsereceived a poorly-reviewed American remake itself in 2006, starring Kristen Bell.
Cure Has Celebrity Fans In Martin Scorsese & Bong Joon-ho
Longlegs' success will hopefully bring more fans to Cure
Cureholds an impressive 94% onRotten Tomatoes, and is part of the prestigious Criterion Collection. In the years since its release, Kurosawa’s film has built quite a cult following, with many articles and essays analyzing its themes and trying to decode its meanings. Martin Scorsese is a vocal fan ofCuretoo and gaveDirecTV(viaFilmboards) a glowing review.
Along with Pulse, which is about ghosts on the Internet, Cure is [Kurosawa’s] most terrifying movie. The excellent Kji Yakusho (he and Kurosawa have worked together many times) is a detective confronted with a seemingly inexplicable phenomenon: a series of murders in which the perpetrators are standing by unaware of how or why they did it, with red X’s carved on the necks of the victims. There are startling images and moments in this picture that will haunt you for a long time to come, and I suppose I should say that it’s not for the faint of heart. But be brave, because it’s worth it.
In 2012, Director Bong (Parasite) also listedCureon his greatest films of all time list forSight & Sound, alongside 1953’sThe Wages of Fearand David Fincher’sZodiac. The 1997 film remains something of a cult film that cinephiles recommend to one another, but maybeLonglegs’success will inspire curious viewers to check outCurefor themselves.
Longlegs
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
