Long Legs

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Are we going to have serial killings returning to the screen?

Vampire Bat: We can have as many serial killers as we wish to see around.

Vampire Owl: Are they supplied by Dr. Frankenstein after research?

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has no research truly running.

Vampire Owl: He has access to many serial killer scientists.

Vampire Bat: They are more of psycho killers who do not kill serially.

Vampire Owl: Still, they commit interesting scientific murder.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that Mr. Frankenstein is a pseudo-scientist.

Vampire Owl: The greatness of a monster creator shall never fade.

Vampire Bat: Even the greatest empires fade, and he is just shade.

[Gets a chicken samosa and three cups of mixed tea].

What is the movie about? :: A young FBI agent named Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) gets assigned a new case, and this one involves a series of killing and suicides, much to the surprise of her co-workers. This is also that kind of a case related to which not much of an inroad was made, especially with the same pattern repeating itself. These are basically understood as murder–suicides, and each case consists of a father killing his whole family the committing suicide, leaving behind just a letter with a writing “Longlegs” notes in strange language, with some strange handwriting which remains unidentified. Agent William Carter (Blair Underwood) feels that something could be done with her added to the team, as she seems to know things and also has a perspective different from others, as she is known to act according to the same. Yet, she is not someone who is that much confident about the same, and a certain amount of fear seems to be gripping her. It only seems to be getting stronger as she gets into the case.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: For some reason, the newly appointed detective shows a certain amount of psychic energy that seems to help her to solve a part of the mystery. She solves the mystery in part, but does get the threat from the unknown that she herself hunts and do not intend to stop in between. Further investigation leads to the information that each family had a nine-year-old daughter born on the fourteenth day of the month and that all the murders all occurred within six days before or after that birthday. This is something which she feels that she could connect with the missing elements well. It is then that a doll with a metal orb in its head discovered, much to the dismay of the detectives. It remains to be seen how Lee would be able to connect all these dots, and also save her mother from the threat from the unknown. But the evil force seems to know her, and as this connects well to her own life, it is to be seen how she deals with this situation, as time is almost running out for everyone.

The defence of Long Legs :: The movie has its moments, and it also got that suspense and twist maintained till the end, and a few moments right there would not be guessed that easily. The struggle of the protagonist is felt early itself, and the danger feels very much active here. There is the feeling of something not just terrifying, but also something unsettling ready to happen, with the atmosphere well-set for the same. It is applicable to both human and the supernatural side, as something is felt like lurking in the corners at all times. The devilish side is done with effectiveness, even though the same could have been scarier and closer to the core. The realization that the demons will come to us now or at some other point, and the supernatural in our world cannot be ignored, will keep us going. Even in the modern world, this presence is once again asserted, as required, as people have been deviating a little too much from even the neutrality between good and evil, as the latter always finds a way. The performances are good, and working well to support the movie.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains too slow, and this lack of pace would affect any movie with murder investigations, not just this one. The struggle seems to be not of the protagonist, but of the movie to get its pace right, on many occasions. There are moments when the movie seems to sleepwalk, and this one is surely not required to go any minute over ninety, and maybe would stay perfect at eighty five. There will be doubts if the movie is pointing to where it is supposed to go, as it keeps slowing down, and at times, moves on with the feeling of going somewhere else. The first few moments itself do not bring the interest to the movie, and the ending itself does not satisfy those who have been watching that long and slow build-up. The world of murders with supernatural intent should also be that quick and clear as the works with serial killers and psychotic murderers, but this one is not twisted enough to justify those slow and often clueless paths taken in between. In Prime Video, that Hindi audio felt strange, and it is advised not to take that one.

The performers of the soul :: It is Maika Monroe who leads the way in a way that keeps us interested even when the movie slows down, and stops beside a snail at times. She is surely quicker than the movie in keeping us glued to the screen. There are moments of helplessness and that of determination that seems to work so well with her around. Nicolas Cage comes out of nowhere to make an impact too, even though he is not much there to extend beyond – his character should have surely meant a lot more than what we see here. We know that one reason for us to think about watching this movie was surely seeing him around again, this time as a much different character, something he might not do again in Hollywood. Blair Underwood makes a solid impact here, even though not that much in the later stages. Alicia Witt remains a strong force here, seemingly not that much in the early stages, but gaining in strength as the movie progresses. Michelle Choi-Lee adds on well around here too.

How it finishes :: Long Legs is that kind of a movie which will appeal to a smaller group of horror lovers, and most probably will not has one interested in a sequel, despite some scope being there considering the ending. There is no denying the fact that there is the effort to make it twisted, and the same is reflected in the title and right in the beginning itself – the same only works at times, but we are interested enough to continue and wait for the big revelation with that supernatural twist that hides and has sneak peaks in between. This is surely not going to be your Stream, Halloween or Scream killer, or the supernatural of The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Insidious or Sinister. Instead, this will be just another movie that comes with a killer with that supernatural angle which often feels forced, but still works. Long Legs is available on Amazon Prime Video, and adds to the list of horror movies that you can watch with the subscription to keep the horror world of your mind growing, and it is always good to have one more of the genre.

Release date: 12th July 2024
Running time: 101 minutes
Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, Kiernan Shipka, Maila Hosie, Jason Day, Lisa Chandler, Ava Kelders, Carmel Amit, Peter Bryant

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Independence Day: Resurgence

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I was never a fan of the original Independence Day.

Vampire Bat: I have never really found the reason why it was so much liked during those days.

Vampire Owl: Some movies just get to be lucky for no reason.

Vampire Bat: I watched that movie a few years after it released as I had read that it was so good and collected so much. There was certain disappointment after watching it for sure.

Vampire Owl: I will never understand these people who keep overrating things.

Vampire Bat: I felt that the computer virus idea was the worst.

Vampire Owl: I got a feeling that it is disrespectful to the aliens too.

Vampire Bat: You mean to say that the aliens might attack us soon?

Vampire Owl: If they watch that movie, I am sure that they would.

Vampire Bat: I am going to add this to the vampire alert list.

[Gets some potato chips and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Twenty years have passed after the devastating alien attack on Earth. Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith), with the help of David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) had done the impossible by defeating the aliens who used such superior technology that the end of humanity felt so near. There were lessons learnt from those alien attacks, and humans remain more united than ever before. With everyone trying to learn from their mistakes, the United Nations had set up the Earth Space Defense (ESD), which is a global defense and research program meant to use the alien technology which they had left on Earth, and use it warn the human world of the danger from outer space, as well as use the same to fight these creatures. Most people believe that they are ready to face an attack in a better way, but there are a few others who think that the worst is yet to come.

So, what happens next? :: Even though most people don’t think that future is safe, and aliens are done attacking, the doubts of the others are proven to be truth, as it is discovered that the aliens before losing the battle had sent a distress signal to their home world. With some fear spreading about the situation, a spherical alien object seen near the Moon is attacked by the Earth’s defences despite the protests of David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) who thinks that it is not of the same alien creatures, as the thing seems to be different. Their doubts are proven to be true, but then there is the original alien mothership which follows and gets back to doing what it does the best – bringing chaos and destruction, as it lands over the North Atlantic Ocean and starts drilling. Earth is once again caught on the backfoot, and now humans have to find a way to repeat what they did on a July 4th, twenty years ago – but is it going to happen this time too?

The defence of Independence Day: Resurgence :: You can see a lot of action here, with visuals being spectacular, and the chaos and destruction remains beautiful as you would expect in a movie like this. The improvement that this movie has on its predecessor is a lot especially for me, as even though I had watch that movie as a child, I never even came close to consider it as a good movie. So, this sequel is essential, to make everyone realize how dumb the original movie, was and how easy it is to make something like that these days, and here we have some nice additions which make this one a lot better. Well, it is not easy not like at least something about this movie, as long as you are not determined to save the Will Smith starrer – the one flick about which everyone is prejudiced. Some may think that you can’t blame them though, as Will Smith has had that kind of an effect in so many movies for the fans.

The claws of flaw :: There is that essence of the original movie which stays with this one, and never does it try to bring something that would bring it a new identity separate from the previous alien movies. It will not match the Alien movies including its own Prometheus and Covenant, or even Life, coming nowhere close. We have so many others including Pacific Rim and Edge of Tomorrow. There has been something intellectual or terrifying on display with alien movies making the genre better, but that seems to be of no concern of Independence Day: Resurgence. The movie actually doesn’t try that hard either. There is no memorable dialogues in this one, and there will not be many moments which will stay in our memory for long, as going different is not the key here. Independence Day: Resurgence is not going to make it to any list about the best movies concerning anything, and neither is it going to be among the big alien invasion flicks. There might have been the chance here, but the movie decides not to grow up that much.

How it finishes :: Working on the dumb movie on which it is based and brings the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence makes things better unlike what the critics think about it. You will see that a lot of people like the first movie just because it would make them look cool, and it is more of how they follow the trend – say that the original was so good and the sequel or reboot doesn’t have that much life; it has become a rather stylish thing to do. The truth is that I have never been a fan of Independence Day, and felt that it is one of the most overrated movies in history, and undoubtedly the most overrated alien invasion flick that one can ever watch. Without being rated that high, watching Independence Day: Resurgence is rather a safe option – everyone says that it is not like the first movie, and if it is so, there is a good chance that it is better than that blockbuster without even a tiny bit of brain.

[Walks into the balcony with another cup of tea].

Vampire Owl: I am recommending the destruction of this portal which connects the two worlds.

Vampire Bat: I do not think that you have the power to make such elder recommendations.

Vampire Owl: Still, these aliens just can’t be managed. We have to stay safe.

Vampire Bat: The undead are more powerful than living aliens, at any point.

Vampire Owl: The undead power! But what about their advanced weapons?

Vampire Bat: Well, we are strong even without them, and nothing stands against the power of having risen from the grave.

Vampire Owl: Nothing confuses me more than these separate worlds beyond the portals. Our realm is rather easy to follow.

Vampire Bat: There is no need for such confusion. We are adding a new course about it, and you can learn the whole thing in one and half years.

Vampire Owl: Do I get to watch alien movies as part of the course?

Vampire Bat: Yes, most of them, and there will be no Independence Day. But for this movie, there is scope to bring a bigger sequel considering how the final moments have been going.

[Walks into the silence of darkness].

Release date: 24th June 2016
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Jessie T. Usher, Travis Tope, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, Sela Ward, Patrick St Esprit, Angelababy, Vivica A Fox, Nicolas Wright, Deobia Oparei, Travis Tope, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Ng Chin Han, John Storey, Joey King, Jenna Purdy, James A Woods, Robert Neary, Garrett Wareing, Hays Wellford, Mckenna Grace

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Guest

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Do you mean to say that we have guests at the castle? Is it for the Christmas vacations?

Vampire Bat :: Not at all. I am just referring to the next movie which were going to watch.

Vampire Owl :: But I have never heard about it.

Vampire Bat :: It has Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe in the lead.

Vampire Owl :: I can recollect the latter name; count me in.

Vampire Bat :: I was pretty sure that you will remember Maika from that horror movie.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, this even reminds me of that headless guest that we had last year. It was one guest that we should have never had.

Vampire Bat :: I believe that this one will be even more mysterious.

Vampire Owl :: Well, there is no limit to the strength of mystery.

Vampire Bat :: And that is some truth clearly spoken.

[Gets a cup of tea with chocolate chip cookies].

What is it about? :: David Collins (Dan Stevens) has arrived at the home of his friend in the military, Caleb Peterson (Chris Harding) who had lost his life at the war in Afghanistan. His grieving mother Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelley) is soon attached to the newcomer and his stories about her son, as she asks him to stay with them for a few days in her son’s room because it will make her feel better after the loss her son. Despite some initial doubts, her husband Spencer Peterson (Leland Orser) also approves of his presence as they get along over some drinks. Their son Luke (Brendan Meyer) becomes good friends with the man as he helps the boy in dealing with the bullies who keep haunting him. The daughter Anna (Maika Monroe) also manages to have a positive opinion about him in spite of the early disapproval which she had.

So, what is this person all about? :: With him being the new best friend to Luke, David has all the members of his family in his pockets. But he is there for another reason. He is still the good guy there, even with Anna’s friend Kristen (Tabatha Shaun) who is attracted to the new friend and everyone seems to like him. He knows how to get along with all kinds of people. But as Anna wishes to know more about him after overhearing certain talk on phone, she calls the military base for more information – but curiosity makes things different, and the situation take a twist. More about David will be revealed, but this new knowledge won’t do that good for anyone around. Some things are better left unknown, but unfortunately for them, this one comes to light.

The defence of The Guest :: There is one thing absolutely clear about this movie, and it is that The Guest is a lot entertaining, and right from the beginning, you get the feeling about it. There is the shot of a person running with a backpack, and then suddenly there is the music indicating possible horror and you will see the title. The next forty minutes go smoothly, with some drama and only small signs of the big change coming up; and as we go through it, the last thirty minutes become deadly. The music used in the movie is really good, and its idea to reveal things in a slow and steady manner makes sure that we get more and more interested in the whole thing. There is another smart movie to use some Halloween stuff here, and it helps a lot in the final stages. Those scenes just feel so good, and this is how the movie ends well.

Positives and negatives :: There is one thing that will bother some viewers, and it is that the movie doesn’t really come up with a relevant flashback and leaves questions unanswered – as on one side, it keeps one guessing even after the movie with further conspiracy theories, and at the other, it makes one wish for it to be there. Most of us surely love a flashback, but we won’t find it here, and there won’t be that much explanation from the protagonist either except for some acceptance; and a little change in the ending would have been better. There is also a certain amount of interesting humour in the movie, as The Guest qualifies with a mixture with thrills, action, psychological elements, suspense factor and all that is needed in the right entertainer. The Guest knows the many ways and the different sides of making the viewers interested. The fact that it manages to be an entertainer with brain is even more satisfying for the audience not to go through just the masala.

Performers of the soul :: Dan Stevens is deadly as the protagonist, the man with his own collection of mysteries – and we are left with this memorable performance to ponder about. One can notice how well he adapts to each situation as the character demands. He is too good almost everywhere, and this character is to be remembered by the fans of the genre or rather the genres – the mystery stays as he performs great. His next big movies include Criminal Activities, Oppenheimer Strategies and Colossal, three thriller movies along with the romantic musical fantasy, Beauty and the Beast – these should be too good. I haven’t watched much of his performances, and so hoping to see more. Maika Monroe has the next big performance here, and you will find her lovable from the beginning itself. We loved her in It Follows and she is excellent here too – would love to see her in Independence Day: Resurgence.

How it finishes :: There will be so many things that you will love about this movie, and you don’t need to be the fan of a particular genre to like the flick. There will be variation only in the degree of interest here. You will surely want to see more works of Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe after watching this one. The Guest also comes from Adam Wingard who directed You’re Next and so you know that you can expect something interesting, and it is the same which is delivered here. If you think about what other movie this one reminds you about, that should be The Stepfather, and the 2009 remake had Amber Heard as the leading lady, but the similarity is minimum; The Guest is also ahead here. You will certainly find your needs for an entertaining thriller satisfied here.

Release date: 17th September 2014
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Leland Orser, Sheila Kelley, Brendan Meyer, Lance Reddick, Tabatha Shaun, Chase Williamson, Ethan Embry, Joel David Moore, Steven John Brown, Brenden Wedner, Alex Knight, Frank Bond, Jesse Luken, Kelsey Montoya, Justin Yu, A. J. Bowen, Chris Ellis, Candice K. Patton, Chris Harding

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

It Follows

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: You are talking about the Vampire Hamster. He always follows us for no reason.

Vampire Bat :: No, I am talking about a movie.

Vampire Owl :: You mean that you are not talking about those dangerous non-vampires and inexperienced vampire apprentices who stalk us for no reason.

Vampire Bat :: Absolutely not. This is a critically acclaimed horror movie.

Vampire Owl :: I hope that it is not about vampires. If they call us “it”, making a movie about vampires following humans, I am going to be really angry.

Vampire Bat :: No, it is not. I heard that it is about an unknown supernatural entity.

Vampire Owl :: Then, it is okay. I hope that the movie is not about dog spirits either. Then, the fake dog lovers will racially abuse us. The dog lovers have been doing it against their fellow Indian state of Kerala even when it was made clear that there was no mass killing of dogs in the state, and even when government is spending so much to save the dogs in the streets. I read that according to the new scheme, each dog saved will fetch a person five hundred rupees.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, even when they are using images of dogs being killed in their own states and its neighbours and are spreading it as photos from Kerala. They say that Keralites are doing it because their skin colour is black and it makes them demons or rather a lower class.

Vampire Owl :: They really judge people according to their skin colour, don’t they? It is surprising that we are allowing such racism to exist. Some people can’t stand their own fellow countrymen just because the culture and traditions are slightly different.

Vampire Bat :: Well, humans hate their own kind for many strange reasons. They murder their own people and pretend to love animals. We should make sure that we don’t meet many of them.

[Gets a cup of tea].

What is it about? :: The first thing that we see as the movie begins is a girl who runs away from home and gets murdered. Then we are taken to the present story, as Jaime Height (Maika Monroe) goes on a date with a man who tells her that he has infected her. He tells her that an ancient curse has passed on to her through the intercourse and now a supernatural entity will haunt her. It will try to kill her, unless she passes it to another person through an intercourse. She has to try not to die, because after her death, it will come back to him. He hopes that she will increase the number of people in the queue so that his life will be extended. With the help of her sister and friends, she hope to find a solution to this strange problem which makes no sense to her or anyone around.

The defence of It Follows :: There are not many overused horror tactics here, as It Follows takes a different path. It is a simple but effective path which is followed here, as shots are nicely presented and the background score is amazingly good. The creepiness reigns throughout the movie. It knows how to use the horror elements in an efficient manner, without the help of the extra CGI or gore which has come naturally to the horror movies in the last few years. This one proves that it is not that much of a needed thing, as a fine story with interesting moments and good performances can make it work. It might be the scariest simple movie of all-time, with its focus on the uncertainty and the loss of hope. A seemingly unstoppable force will also help to add more to the horror. It succeeds where The Babadook failed.

Positives and negatives :: It Follows is not your usual horror story. There is no big scary monster from the other world which keeps moving things around or jumping out of nowhere to get you out of the seat. There is no real form for the creature as it becomes many people, including those which we love and also ourselves as it try to make way through and get to the victims. It just comes towards you in a form, and then you die; it is as simple as that. The terror in this movie exists throughout even when not on the screen and never goes down in strength. The return of horror to glory is inevitable here. It would still depend on your taste for horror, and what kind of terror you are looking for. If you prefer to have a movie which doesn’t thrive on the jump scares, but creepiness, this will work better. You will feel the slowness too, but it is not always the negative.

Performers of the soul :: This one is Maika Monroe’s movie in many ways, and it only gets better as the film progresses. She has acted in another thriller, The Guest, and she will also be there in Independence Day: Resurgence. In the absence of those big special effects, the performances were going to be vital, and she has done this prefectly as she seems to be very much the best choice. This might be the movie for which she will be remembered for a long time. The rest of the cast just got to support her, and that is what they do. Well, not many movies can strike this well without the scary imagery and having a slow pace. The actors have played a big role in making that happen. It is slow and steady, and so it should win the race for most of the audience.

Soul exploration :: When someone says “it follows” related to a horror movie, it gives the feeling of a certain paranormal stalking. Even though the supernatural dealer of death does stalk its later victims, when we take a detailed look at the title and we see what happens, what follows here is something from which it is almost impossible to escape, and it has more than one feature. The supernatural entity here reflects factors like guilt and regret, about the things we have done and those which we haven’t done. They never leave us, and there will be a haunting experience throughout our lives. It really follows; it chases us through our daily lives. There are things that we do that makes us feel that there is a chance to escape, but we are never really out of it. Sometimes, it takes some time, and still it finds us.

How it finishes :: When I saw the critical appreciation for this movie, I first felt that this was overrated like it was the case for The Babadook. It had almost no real scary moments at all and it is rather irritating for most of its time. But thankfully, It Follows works a lot better. May be the effect of watching that strange movie with irritating characters influenced me to like this movie more. But if you want a horror movie which is completely based on entertainment and jump scares, It Follows, is surely not the movie for you. The strength of It Follows is the inability to escape from the inevitable, and this hopelessness takes the terror to another level – you keep running from it, eternally. There is no safe place as it just follows you everywhere in different human forms. But that also means that there is almost no visual horror. So you have to choose wisely.

Release date: 17th May 2014
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe, Bailey Spry, Debbie Williams, Ruby Harris, Leisa Pulido, Ele Bardha, Ingrid Mortimer, Alexyss Spradlin, Mike Lanier, Don Hails, Erin Stone