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Film reviews

LongLegs Review

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LongLegs will terrify its audience. LongLegs will make moments of horror flash simultaneously in the heads of its audience. Nicolas Cage is LongLegs. He plays a sadistic killer with a mental health disorder of many. His performance is stellar, surreal, and breathtaking. LongLegs is a cult of scary moving parts that made me ache in fear. I was mesmerized by what was making me scared with LongLegs.

As one who loves investigative movies and TV shows, LongLegs takes the direction of killings and clues to a level with context. With a secluded setting where roads have no destination to go for miles, there are murders to happen. Writer and director Oz Perkins uses imagery (in many moments) to heighten the scare factor of LongLegs. There are moments when it feels like a strobe light attack. The audience feeling an impact is the definition of monumental with LongLegs.

The time frame around this horror flick is the 1990s. Filming was around Canada, British Columbia, and the United States. Its main character (the one put up to face the evidence of LongLegs) is Agent Lee Harker (played by Maika Monroe). Lee absorbs her head into all the crime scenes assigned to her. Lee is persistent and mentally compelled to solve the murders that have been happening in unexplained patterns. Her assistant is Agent Carter (played by Blair Underwood). Carter is a tenure agent who is just working to get paid. Lee takes on the case much more than Carter.

Lee’s discoveries are the first portion of the sparkling world of a cult in LongLegs. With killings happening at different times, they leave the symbol with the name LongLegs listed. There is also the added layer of killings that have occurred with items from inside the victim’s homes. Many questions are for LongLegs. Why is he killing families in a pattern that is like a triangle? Why is he killing people with items that do not belong to him? What motivates him? Who is next on the list? Time is of the essence as events happen unpredictably. The events will chill its audience to the bone.

It is not only the tactic of Cage’s terror that makes LongLegs spellbinding. There is also the mental health of Monroe’s performance as the detective in the case. In her role as Lee, Lee has a mixed dynamic with her mother for various reasons. Her childhood troubles fuel her rage and persistence in solving the puzzle. Her mother is Ruth Harker (played by Alicia Witt). Ruth has moments that are uncomfortable in many sequences of LongLegs. It is along the lines of questioning based on her characteristics. Could her characteristics correlate to the troubles of the puzzle with the disturbances of LongLegs? There is a treat at every door, in every character, and in every aspect of this phenomenon from Perkins.

I was in fear with LongLegs. There is a moment when Lee is asked by her mother, “Do you still say your prayers?” With that question, I knew there was more than what I was getting into with LongLegs. I felt I was seeing ghosts. LongLegs is a knockout in its sequences to horrify. It is a trail of clues, events, and characteristics that keeps on its invigoration. It is one of the best horror flicks of 2024. My rating is four out of four stars for LongLegs.

Film reviews

Isleen Pines Review

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Written and directed by Matthew Festle and Alexys Paonessa, two filmmakers who do all they can to ensure their projects have meaning and are high quality. Their direction is exhilarating and spellbinding in Isleen Pines which is an adventure of creepiness that keeps delivering. Isleen Pines has a cinematic vibrance that lets audiences know that they are in for a true treat. From theopening credits, you feel like it is time to party thanks to joyful tunes and Halloween decorations that help set the stage for an unknown chain of events which are about to arise.

Isleen Pines is the name of the town on Halloween night where the holiday festivities abound. The first party guest is The Vampire (played by Jackson Turner) and the second is The Ghost (played by Matthew Festle). The host of the party is The Witch (played by Naiia Loije), and then there is The Zombie (played by Darren Deng). The character names are labeled to correspond to the characters they are dressed up as. This is awell-written way of keeping track of the Halloween-style scares. In the town, The Man (played by Glen Plummer) is not so sold on the Halloween holiday because he is clearly introverted. For those hoping for a relaxing Halloween celebration…they are in for an unexpected treat.

I love how the film begins with a boiling point conversation between The Vampire and The Witch. This discussion creates an odyssey of tension before the party gets more wickedly crazy. The horror of moving parts with creepy vibes gradually intensifies in Isleen Pines. There is also a table moment between The Witch, The Ghost, The Zombie, and The Vampire. There is a creature found by The Ghost that the other individuals do not take seriously.  Their thinking, however, has irreparable consequences. The Ghost then starts to feel repulsive and suffersside effects which are grotesque and uncomfortable. Still, the party goes on. Isleen Pines tests its limits by pushing the envelope during scary moments which are sparked by innovative creativity. Soon, the Halloween party starts to push anxiety to the highest peak.

With an ugly aftermath, the film finds itself in a place of shock and confusion. It is an immersive and psychological experience where time is of the essence. An alien-creature egg leads to the film’s evil doors waiting to be opened. The joy of Halloween is stolen due to the terror which impacts the party guests. With no signal to call for help, spirits are lurking, and the fate of Halloween is in jeopardy in Isleen Pines. The movie’s many moving parts create a dynamic of how it feels to be really scared.

This film is a revolutionary Halloween thriller. While many are enjoying Halloween activities, others are dealing with various scary situations. The statement, “We have to come up with a plan to leave or fight back,” speaks to how serious the terror is.  Isleen Pines is extremely creepy and fun. It stays on track and evolves in an attention-getting way. The presentation of the film makes it seem like the setting is a safe community…but beware! Four stars!

59th Chicago International Film Festival, Capsule Reviews, Film reviews

Late Night with the Devil Review

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This is an interactive horror film that offers a different experience due to a vibe of twists. For those who love both talk shows and horror, Late Night with the Devil combines these two formats into a relentless ride that does not hold back. The writing is stellar, the continuity is obscure, and the scenes are a blur of enticing excitement. Late Night with the Devil is a film where the fun never ends. The Halloween theme in Late Night with the Devil is one to die for. Think about talk shows ranging from hosts such as Larry King, David Letterman, Jimmy Carson, and Jay Leno. Then imagine those shows and throw in The Exorcist. That describes the experience that audiences will get with Late Night with the Devil.

The film is set in 1977. The audience is introduced to a talk show host, Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian). Jack has had many years of success followed by many years filled with tragedies. However, in his next talk show segment, he plans to make it his best one yet to help boost his popularity. His difficult upbringing does not serve him well for this segment which features guests ranging from June Ross-Mitchell (played by Laura Gordon), Carmichael Hunt (played by Ian Bliss), Christou (played by Fayssai Bazzi), and Lilly D’Abo (played by Ingrid Torelli). The concept of the show is to talk about demons, spirits, and reality. The setup may seem focused on entertaining shocks and awes, but as the show progresses, the nightmare for Jack and his guests evolves rapidly. Some feel like they are possessed, some feel like they are zombies, and some feel they must say, “The power of Christ compels you,” just for survival. Jack must figure out the backstory behind such demonic moments impacting his show. If he does not, it may be too late. During the film, the cinematography goes black when they go on station breaks. I liked this part of the film’s creative process, because it felt like color was a signal to get scared, and black and white meant the audience could take a break from being scared.

The karma surrounding Late Night with the Devil is where the haunts were most effective. It is a film where the scares will make viewers laugh, gasp, and think about what other surprises are next. Dastmalchian is brilliant as the lead and must not panic or break character. His performance is harrowing and his character is realistic and spellbinding. The film provides anexperience where the terrors have power which continue to grow. The talk show is doomed, the audience is scared, and the reality TV setting means all bets are off.

This is one of the best horror films I have seen this year because of an interesting premise and a set of clever surprises. It has anartistic side that is highlighted by a surreal galore of terror. There is no hiding from the unexpected in Late Night with the Devil. Three out of four stars.