Photo by @Neon
By Tommy Paladin, Staff Writer
This movie is honestly really scary, but I want to start this review by addressing “the scariest movie ever” discussion. It’s not. It’s the slow, lurking, indie horror where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I think people are getting anxiety and that uncomfortable feeling confused with the traditional horror movie fright.
This movie really managed to get under my skin. I simultaneously wanted to look away while keeping my eyes glued to the screen. I was consumed. It is a very uncomfortable personal film that consistently gives you this sense of paranoia.
It is a hunt for a serial killer that doubles down as a psychological dissection of a girl’s mind that is constantly burdened by family chaos and isolation. It pushes the boundaries of something supernatural, but what really makes this film terrifying is the sense of something lurking, never seen, which makes you question everything around you. While watching the movie you feel the presence of longlegs in almost every single scene, but he’s never actually seen.
The camera work and cinematography in this movie is amazing, I haven’t watched a movie in a while where the filmmaking alone gave you an uneasy feeling, and this movie does a wonderful job at that. Perkins really explores this idea of negative space in his cinematography which is absolutely phenomenal. He is begging the audience to engage with his film and question the unknown. It’s very ambiguous, but not in a way that creates a tiresome experience.
This movie gives the audience a full horror immersion which is great to see in films. Centered shots that have equal focus on the backdrop, making viewers terrified of the protagonist’s mind and what she’s experiencing, while also giving the feeling as if the titular character is present and constantly lurking in places where he’ll never be seen. It’s so creepy.
All in all this movie is such a great piece of cinema. Although there are some slow moments throughout the film, the ideas explored throughout and the paranoia and tension that is constantly building, leaves your mind in a jumble. I would totally recommend this movie to anyone that loves a psychological horror-thriller film.
