Longlegs director Osgood Perkins said that the horror movie's ending was "always" the plan.
Longlegs tackles the story of a sinister serial killer known for murdering entire families without any trace of him being present at the crime scene.
The movie stars Nicolas Cage as the titular killer with Maika Monroe's FBI agent Lee Harker hot on his trail.
[ Here's Why Longlegs Movie Is Called 'Longlegs' ]
Longlegs Director Reveals Truth About Movie's Ending
In a shocking twist, Lee Harker's mother, Ruth, was Longlegs' accomplice all along after making a deal with him to spare her daughter.
Longlegs and Ruth's modus operandi revolved around Ruth dressing up as a nun to visit different families to drop off mysterious dolls as gifts. Longlegs then used his supernatural abilities to brainwash these families, leading to them murdering each other.
Lee ultimately killed her mother to break the spell, but she wasn't able to destroy the dolls because she hesitated, implying that she may have turned to the dark side as well.
Longlegs director Osgood Perkins spoke with Variety to explain that the movie's ending was "meant to be tragic," noting, "The devil wins again on a small scale:"
"That was always the ending. The ending was meant to be tragic. The devil wins again on a small scale. One of the fun things about using the devil as your villain is that the devil never really goes for world domination. The devil always feels like, “I’ll just fuck with this person, I’ll wreck this family, I’ll mess this kid up, I’ll torment this priest.” It’s never like, “I’m going to eat the Vatican.' It never gets to that point for me with the devil. The devil is a little more amusing and playful than that."
Perkins' comments hint that the devil successfully manipulated Lee's downfall, capped off by killing her mother.
The filmmaker continued by noting, "The last shot that she fires is the worst thing that can happen to her:"
"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."
Speaking with Collider, Osgood Perkins felt that the cycle is complete for Lee, considering that she killed her mom cemented it as "the worst thing that [one] can do:"
"I've talked about it a little bit. I feel like it is complete for her. Where she has to get to at the end, her final act with her mom is the worst thing that you can do, right? Matricide, let's say, is probably the lowest form of — that's your worst moment, right? You can't be like, “Oh, well, something else sucked worse than that.” So I think the fact that the devil gets it to this place where that's what she has to do, the devil's like, [wipes hands clean]."
Perkins also told Den of Geek that Lee's eventual downfall is what the devil wanted. It may sound like a small-scale evil act, but the director said that it is a proud moment for the devil:
“I think the ending for her is about as bad as it could have turned out. Like shooting her mom in the head, that’s about as bad a day as a person can have. So I think that ultimately one could say that the entire movement of the movie—or the entire movement of all of Longlegs’ crimes, starting from crime number one all the way to the Carter family—it’s all about getting this poor girl to a place where she shoots her mom in the head. Like that’s kind of the flourish, the Devil’s ‘Yep, I did that.’”
Why Longlegs’ Ending Is Tragic, Yet It Makes Sense
Longlegs' ending proved that the devil always finds a way to win, and he does not care how many lives are sacrificed. He doesn't mind that it takes a while to achieve his goal, and he has no regard for human life.
Longlegs director Osgood Perkins perfectly showcased the devil's evil machinations anchored by the titular killer.
Some have also pointed out that Nicolas Cage's killer represented the devil since he is the one pulling the strings behind the murders despite him not being present at the crime scene. But the truth is, he's also a pawn in the grand scheme of things.
Longlegs cemented that evil is everywhere and anyone can fall victim to it. Once someone becomes a target, the sad truth is it is hard to escape evil's consuming nature.
Longlegs is still playing in theaters.
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