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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Friday 12 July 2024
In the chilling thriller ‘Longlegs,’ Maika Monroe cuts like a knife

By JAKE COYLE scene, a locked up barn, an
AP Film Writer old witness in a psychiatric
A chilling, half-remembered hospital. Longlegs (Cage)
encounter from childhood is skulking about, too, and
looms over “Longlegs,” Os- leaves a letter for Harker.
good Perkins’ stylishly com- We see him fleetingly at
posed 1990s-set horror film first. He’s a bleached, pale
about a young FBI agent figure who, with long white
(Maika Monroe) whose hair, looks increasingly clown-
past seems to hold a key to ish the nearer we get to him.
a decades-long serial killer If Manson belonged to the
suburban spree. ‘60s, Longlegs, with his Bob
In the opening flashback Dylan Rolling Thunder Revue
scene of “Longlegs,” a young white face, seems a product
girl walks out of her house to more in the ‘70s. T.Rex opens
meet a stranger on her snow- and closes the film and the
covered yard. We never see album cover of Lou Reed’s
more than the bottom half “Transformer” sits above his
of his face, but the sense of This image released by Neon shows Maika Monroe in a scene from “Longlegs.” Associated Press mirror.
creepiness is overwhelming. Perkins (“Gretel & Hansel”),
The image, with a scream, Is the buzz warranted? That the deaths of 10 families over Manson. “Manson had ac- is the filmmaking son of An-
cuts out before “Longlegs” may depend on your toler- the course of 30 years. Sent complices,” Harker reminds thony Perkins, who famously
properly gets underway. ance for a very serious proce- to knock on doors, she gazes him. Also troubling: all of the played one of the movies’
Twenty five years later, that dural that’s extremely adept up at a second floor window victims have a daughter with most unsettling characters in
girl (Monroe’s Lee Harker) at building an ominous slow and knows immediately. “It’s a birthday of the 14th of the Norman Bates of “Psycho.”
is now grown and brought burn yet nevertheless leads that one,” she tells a partner month, a trait Harker, natu- The roots of “Longlegs,” which
into the investigation. She’s to a pile-up of horror tropes: (Dakota Daulby) whose lack rally, shares. Perkins also wrote, have per-
preternaturally good at de- satanic worship, scary dolls of faith in her intuition quickly Families are prominent in sonal connections for the
coding the serial killer’s cho- and an outlandish Nicolas proves regrettable. the narrative, too. Harker director, Perkins has said,
reographed targets, but her Cage. Harker is brought in for a occasionally visits her shut-in about his own upbringing
psychological astuteness has It’s a credit to the harrow- psych evaluation that dem- mother (Alicia Witt) and their and his father’s complicated
a blind spot. In Osgood’s grip- ingly spell-binding first half of onstrates her strange clair- brief interactions suggest a private life. But something
ping if trite horror film about “Longlegs” and to Monroe voyance. Agent Carter (Blair knowingness with the cruelty deeper struggles to pierce

an elusive boogeyman, the that the film’s third act disap- Underwood) gives her all the of the world. One time on the “Longlegs.” Its sense of horror
most unnerving mystery is points. After that prologue accumulated evidence, phone, Harker tells her she’s seems to come mainly from

the foggy, fractured nature presented in a boxy ratio with which suggests the same been busy with “works stuff.” little besides other movies.
of childhood memory. rounded edges, as if seen killer every murder scene “Nasty stuff?” the mom asks. “Se7en” and “The Silence
“Longlegs,” which opens in through an overhead projec- has a coded letter left signed “Yep,” she answers. of the Lambs” are clear
theaters Thursday, is arriving tor the screen widens. Harker, by Longlegs but at the time Scenes of dread follow as touchstones. Longlegs ulti-
on its own wave of mystery a terse, solitary detective, is points to no intruder within they hunt the killer in rural mately feels like more of a
thanks to a lengthy, enig- part of a large task force to the homes of the murdered. Oregon. They frequent the stock boogeyman and big-
matic marketing campaign. track down the killer behind Carter is reminded of Charles usual spots: an old crime screen vessel for Cage. q

Music Review: ‘Louis in London,’ a 1968 live album, captures a

joyful, late-career Louis Armstrong

By STEVEN WINE mance took place weeks He sings “baby” like no one
Associated Press after he reached No. 1 on else.
At the end of his career, the UK charts with “What a Armstrong’s trumpet plays
every note from Louis Arm- Wonderful World.” only a supporting role, but
strong still exuded the joy of That song is included, its his still-brilliant tone makes
being alive. unabashed sentimentality every entrance a bracing
That’s true of a live album in defiance of news head- embrace.
out Friday titled “Louis in lines then and now. Arm- The supporting cast, both
London,” heralded in pro- strong also has the room tight and loose, includes
motional material as his swaying to songs from way Tyree Glenn on trombone,
“last great performance.” back when, starting with a Joe Muranyi on clarinet,
The 13-track set captures hearty reading of his long- Marty Napoleon on pia-
Armstrong and a strong time theme song, “When no, Buddy Catlett on bass
five-piece backing combo It’s Sleepy Time Down and Danny Barcelona on
recorded before an audi- South.”The set is primarily drums.
ence at the BBC on July 2, a vocal album dominated They form a parade of siz-
1968. Armstrong’s chronic by Armstrong’s sunny show- zling soloists on the two in-
health issues soon wors- manship and unmistakable strumental cuts, Dixieland
ened, and he died in 1971. baritone. His voice dances renditions of “(Back Home
Nearly half the material on through every tune, riding Again In) Indiana” and
“Louis in London” is previ- improvised flourishes that “Ole Miss.”
ously unreleased, and the include wordless grunts, The latter tune, by W.C.
This cover image released by Verve/UMG shows “Louis in album provides a snapshot growls and gurgles. Even Handy, is believed to be
London (Live at the BBC)” by Louis Armstrong. of Armstrong at a peak the simplest lyric benefits the first composition Arm-
(Verve/UMG viaAssociated Press) of popularity. The perfor- from his distinctive stamp: strong played in public.q