I have been longing for aSilence of the Lambsreplacement ever since I first watched it , and , thankfully , this newNicolas Cagehorror movie ends my search . presently after its release in 1991,The Silence of the Lambsbecame a worldwide striking , grossing over $ 270 million against a relatively lowly budget of $ 19 million . However , the celluloid ’s success extended far beyond its box office numbers . In the years that follow , it became one of the most influential film , inspiring several crime thrillers that attempted to duplicate it but fell short .
Over three decade after its release , The secrecy of the Lambsstill holds upincredibly well and sustains its bequest as one of thebest psychological horror moviesever . owe to this , when many critic were equate Nicolas Cage ’s novel horror photographic film withThe Silence of the Lambs , I could not aid but enquire whether the comparison was hyperbole or had some semblance of Sojourner Truth . Although I have faith in Nicolas Cage and have a go at it what he brings to the screen with each horror motion picture , I cautiously measured my expectations . astonishingly , the film went well above and beyond .
Like The Silence Of The Lambs, Longlegs Keeps Its Villain’s Screen Time Brief But Impactful
Both Anthony Hopkins & Nicolas Cage Have Incredible Screen Presence As Villains
It would be unfair to say thatLonglegsis narratively similar toSilence of the Lambsbecause , despite morphologic similarity , the two films are significantly different . However , it is still concentrated not to notice howLonglegs — knowingly or unknowingly — adopts some of the elements from the Jonathan Demme motion picture . Among these , the most noticeable element isLonglegs ' handling of its villain .
Cage ’s Longlegs is not as articulated and magical as Hopkins ' Lecter , but exudes a similar menacing but friendly presence that looms even when he is not on - covert .
LikeAnthony Hopkins ' Hannibal Lecter , Nicolas Cage ’s titular Longlegs barely has any screen time in the moving-picture show . However , when he does appear , Cage ’s brainy carrying into action and the eerie ambiguousness with which his character is portrayed are enough to crawl under one ’s skin . Cage ’s Longlegs is not as articulate and sorcerous as Hopkins ' Lecter but exudes a similar ominous but friendly comportment that looms even when he is not on - screen .
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon.
Maika Monroe’s Lee Harker Is Reminiscent Of Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling
Both Characters Are Misfits In Their Respective Stories
Both Clarice Starling and Lee Harker are treat as foreigner in the FBI . While Clarice struggles to find her place in a male person - dominant workplace , Lee Harker ’s reserved demeanor is often take care as a liability . In a abbreviated but memorable shot fromLonglegs , I could not help but see Lee Harker as the perfect opposite number to Clarice Starling . When Lee visits her hirer ' home , she shortly draw to interact with his daughter , who asks her if it is chilling being a female FBI agent .
The two films also sport similar interrogation scenes where Lee and Clarice are thrown into the lion ’s lair , making them confront the worst of humanity .
Although Lee remains restrained , she says " yes " with calm reassurance , evocative of all the moment fromSilence of the Lambswhere Clarice stand as a stark contrast against the manlike recruits in her organization . Despite its lack of terrors , it is a powerful scene because it show how the vernal young lady is the only character who get at empathizing with Lee without being judgmental . Many story details inLonglegsalso suggest that , like Clarice , Lee end up link police enforcement because of her childhood trauma .
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.
Whether star in a tardily - paced and tense thriller or a horror funniness , Maika Monroe delivers a strong functioning in every motion-picture show she appears in .
The two films also feature similar query fit where Lee and Clarice are confound into the Leo ’s hideaway , making them confront the spoiled of humanity . After their respective encounters with the central sequential killer , both character face blatant sexism . While Lecter ’s neighboring yardbird fling semen at Clarice , Lee ’s higher-ranking blame her or else of showing any empathy when the interrogation does not go as planned . Only a distaff factor then comes forward and insists on dropping her back home .
Longlegs Is More Supernatural But Unfolds Like A Typical Crime Procedural
Some Of Longlegs' Mysteries Are Grounded In Realism
As I mentioned earlier , despite the many similarities , LonglegsandThe Silence of the Lambsare narratively two distinct picture show . The primary reason behind this is thatLonglegshas many supernatural factor . Unlike Jodie Foster ’s Clarice Starling , Maika Monroe ’s Lee Harker is clairvoyant , allowing her to see things in offense that extend beyond her co - workers ' human mother wit . stiltbird ' climactic murder mystery twist is also supernatural and is more evocative of films likeHereditarythan criminal offence procedural thriller likeThe Silence of the Lambs .
However , despite this , Longlegs unfolds like a typical procedural in its first half , immersing viewer and make them active participants in its puzzle box of closed book . Its adjective elements are sometimes predictable and miss the nuance thatThe Silence of the Lambsbrings to the tabular array . But it render enough intrigue with these story scene to keep one captivated till its white - knuckling supernatural twists begin come up .
Longlegs' Climax Is As Thrilling As The Silence Of The Lambs'
Both Films Have Terrifyingly Ambiguous Developments In Their Endings
InThe Silence of the Lambs ' endingarc , Clarice Starling faces one of her biggest challenge when she struggles to find Gumb in the darkness while he stalk her wear night - visual modality glasses . Starling ’s betting odds of survival in this state of affairs seem unbelievably blue , but she , as luck would have it , reacts quickly and shoots Gumb when he sashay his revolver . Even though I am well aware of the outcome of this setting , every time I rewatch it , I can not serve but halt my breath when Starling struggles to find Gumb .
Even though Nicolas Cage received immense plaudits for his delineation of the titulary grapheme in Longlegs , he has confirmed he will never represent a sequential killer again . " I know that the phone ’s move to be ring off the hook to take on consecutive killer after ' stilt . ' And that ’s not really what I like to do . I do n’t wish violence . I do n’t require to play people who are suffer citizenry , " he enjoin ( viaThe New Yorker )
I felt something like when I watchedLonglegs ' terminal electric arc where Lee Harker is force to make the quick decision of shoot her ranking and then her female parent before they can harm her . Just when I thought I could sigh with fill-in while watching both celluloid , they left me with disturbing end where the heavy vicious lingers . While Hopkins ' Lecter narrate Starling that he is " have an sometime friend for dinner , " John Milton Cage Jr. ’s satanic " the human race downstairs " becomes liberal in ways he was n’t before .
Is Longlegs As Good As The Silence Of The Lambs?
It Comes Close To Being As Chilling & Atmospheric
Longlegs ' overall appealingness seems to be more recess compare toThe Silence of the Lambs , specially because of its supernatural twists . Its adjective aspects are also far less elaborated and more predictable than the 1991 flick ’s . However , when it comes to leaving a live shock on a viewer , I can confidentially say thatLonglegs felt as invasive with its terrors asThe Silence of the Lambs . Like the Jonathan Demme film , Oz Perkins’Longlegspresents a account that felt too personal , pull in me believe it could happen to me .
Movie
Tomatometer Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
The Silence of the Lambs
87 %
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.
66 %
Himantopus stilt
95 %
While it still arguably falls brusk of matchingThe secrecy of the Lambs ' legacy , Longlegsmanages to etch its own unparalleled identity in the psychological repulsion music genre . Owing to its distinctive trend and melange of genres , it seems likely that theNicolas Cagemovie ’s initial response will be comparatively more factious thanThe muteness of the Lambs ' . However , likeTrue Detectiveseason 1 , which also coalesce supernatural horror with thrilling police detective crime drama , it will gradually get hold a dedicated audience .
What Director Osgood Perkins' Has Said About Using Silence Of The Lambs As Inspiration For Longlegs
The Director Used Silence Of The Lambs As An Invitation To Longlegs' World
Osgood Perkins unwrap ( viaIGN ) that " The Silence of the Lambs stuff " inLonglegsserves as the watcher ’s " admission fee slate " to get them " through the doorway . " The manager ’s explanation makes a lot of sentiency given how , from a storytelling standpoint , Longlegsonly seems similar toThe Silence of the Lambsin its opening spark . The more its storyline progresses and inches closer to its gimmick ending , the more it open a unique narrative that diverges from its initial similarities .
Longlegsultimately turn out to be far more supernatural than initially expected , butitsSilence of the Lambsparallels allow it to hold back a semblance of realism . Its unholy winding makes it more exchangeable to Oz Perkins ' premature line of horror films . However , likeThe Silence of the Lambs , theNicolas Cagehorror movieperfectly sell itself as a gripping police adjective .
stilt plover is a horror thriller moving picture by author - director Osgood Perkins . When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case , their probe lead them down a rabbit fix riddle with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all . When the trail of evidence reveals a personal association , it becomes a slipstream against time to prevent another slaying .