Longlegs' ending for Lee is as horrible as it gets.
Directed by Osgood Perkins, the terrifying horror film Longlegs follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she probes a serial killer case that veers dangerously. Although viewers would first believe the movie is about the titular serial killer, "Longlegs" (played by Nicolas Cage), the narrative really centers on lethal family secrets and the evil impact of the devil.
After effectively tracking down Longlegs, Lee finds a startling truth: he has an accomplice—her own mother, Ruth Harker—played by Alicia Witt. This realization drives Lee to make a heartbreaking decision emphasizing the main idea of evil's sneaky character in the movie.
Perkins says that since this is the devil's final scheme, the entire movie builds to the scene when Lee is compelled to murder her mother. Not interested in compiling victims, the devil uses his magic to empower Longlegs in his murders wants to cause terrible suffering on an innocent woman. Perkins says, "I think the ending for her is about as bad as it could have turned out. That's about as bad a day someone can have, like shooting her mother in the head. Starting from crime number one all the way to the Carter family, I believe that ultimately one could say that the entire movement of the movie—or the entire movement of all of Longlegs' crimes—is all about getting this poor girl to a place where she shoots her mom in the head."
Longlegs: The Real Nature of Evil
The last scene of the movie emphasizes the unpleasant truth of evil. It is a more personal and sneaky kind of cruelty, not about big, aspirational plans. Longlegs is caught early on, yet the devil's actual intent is shown to be far more sinister. Perkins says the devil approaches torturing humanity more playfully than it seeks "world dominance." He enjoys their suffering and keeps subtle but terrible influence over events.
The devil's activities across the movie fit a particular pattern. Rather than Longlegs personally committing the murders, he targets families using his magic, driving the husbands or fathers to kill their loved ones before ending their own lives. Working in apparently little ways to destroy families and individuals, this painstaking method highlights the devil's deliberate cruelty.
Ultimately, Lee must kill her mother in order to stop another murder, but Perkins's interpretation adds still another level of significance. According to him, Lee was always the devil's target—a pawn in his warped game of suffering and manipulation. Although some would consider Lee as a winner since he saves the next possible victim, the movie's conclusion implies that the devil finally succeeds with his sneaky scheme.
Longlegs reminds us that evil often lurks in plain sight and works in subdued but catastrophic ways. Perkins's portrayal of the devil's actual character is one of a chilling, personal, and relentless want to cause suffering on innocent life, not of grand schemes of conquest. Ultimately, the movie reminds us that evil can be just as terrible in its subdued, personal form as it is in its more obvious, aspirational forms.
