As a seasoned gamer and horror movie aficionado with a deep appreciation for the intricacies of cinematic storytelling, I find myself captivated by the nuanced connections between Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs” and William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist III.” The pre-release buzz compared “Longlegs” to Jonathan Demme’s Academy Award-winning “The Silence of the Lambs,” but upon closer examination, it is clear that Blatty’s 1990 satanic thriller holds a much stronger influence.
In the build-up to its release, many people compared Osgood Perkins’ film “Longlegs” to Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-winning “The Silence of the Lambs.” However, while this comparison is valid in some ways, the film draws more inspiration from William Peter Blatty’s satanic serial killer thriller from the 1990s.
Attaching Longlegs to the Lamb’s hook made perfect sense in the 90s movie about an accomplished FBI agent pursuing a cunning serial killer. This film, which attracted audiences with its intriguing premise, bore the imprint of another movie – be it directly or indirectly.
William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist III” is filled with an unsettling and fear-inducing ambiance. In the year 1990, Blatty transformed his novel, Legion, into a film, which served as a follow-up to his renowned work, “The Exorcist.” Although primarily known for his writing, Blatty directed this movie adaptation of his book for the second and final time (following the 1980 release of “The Ninth Configuration”).
Fifteen years after the occurrences of “The Exorcist,” an apparently unrelated tale unfolds. Weary yet contemplative Detective Kinderman (George C. Scott) is delving into a string of killings. These murders bear the hallmarks of ritualistic practices, and alarmingly, they mirror those of a purportedly deceased serial killer – The Gemini. Intricacies surrounding these crimes are known to only a select few individuals, including Kinderman himself.
The story starts to resemble “The Exorcist” as Kinderman gets directed to a mental institution. There, a patient who has been locked up for a long time identifies himself as The Gemini. This isn’t the only shocking revelation – the man bears an uncanny resemblance to someone else who was supposedly deceased.
Longlegs’ revelations and The Exorcist III share common themes as it becomes clear that the source of the violent, ritualistic killings is more complex than initially assumed. They are also linked by other reasons.
Osgood Perkins and William Peter Blatty possess a unique ability to generate an intense sense of impending doom in their scenes, even when no obvious threats are present. They excel at keeping viewers on edge, leaving them feeling uneasy and apprehensive. When I watched their films a week apart, I was surprised by how well they seemed to complement each other in tone and approach. Neither adheres strictly to the police procedural or serial killer genre; instead, both films take unexpected turns and gradually escalate towards more manifestly demonic occurrences. While Blatty’s work is more overtly connected to this theme due to its association with “The Exorcist,” Perkins’ films demonstrate a similar shift in a subtler yet equally effective manner.
Instead of just pairing Longlegs and Silence of the Lambs, consider creating a more compelling trilogy by adding The Exorcist III into the mix.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-07-23 19:40