I think the worst aspect (among many) of modern horror (and modern genre films in general) is simple: they take themselves too seriously, even comedies. There's always some dramatic backstory b.s., and an overall atmosphere of self-importance. I can't shake the feeling that our intelligence is constantly being insulted.
Nah…the problem is people want to watch the same shallow frivolous, corporate McJumpscare BS. Then have the nerve to complain about art house horror for having some depth.
@@77Creation Yeah, the jumpscare thing is pretty bad, but as you pointed out, it only affects assembly line popcorn horror. The notion that super serious artsy fartsy equals depth is part of a much larger problem imo. Not too long ago a movie like Carpenter's Christine had a shitload of depth and themes under the surface, but it never demanded to be taken seriously for a second, nor tricked us by giving the characters tragic backstories instead of personality. It trusted and respected the audience.
Anthony Perkins named his son Osgood after his father who was also an actor (Scarface 1932). The senior Perkins died in 1937. Not sure what else he was in.
Yeah it was interesting that within a week of each other, we had two 'satanic panic' movies, though treating the subject very differently. Another thing that ties the two movies together is the Psycho connection (the Psycho set is seen in Maxxxine shortly after Psycho II was filmed there, and the director of Longlegs actually had a small role in Psycho II alongside his father, Anthony Perkins - one could also draw comparisons between the Longlegs character played by Nic Cage and Norman Bates as played by Anthony).
I was pleasantly surprised that Long Legs was the one you liked! Based on the thumbnail and the opening few minutes with you singing the praises of the first two X films, i assumed you would've liked the Maxxxine film. Good "review twist"!
I'm surprised you didn't like Maxxxine. I loved it and it's my favorite of the trilogy. I'm looking to see Longlegs moreso because I like serial killer thrillers. I think Alien Romulus is my top movie I'm looking forward to seeing this year, even though the series has gone downhill for decades.
Oh my i love "Longlegs' ! I saw it 4 times in the theater and am totally obsessed with it! I find something new every time is see it, and Nicolas Cage is incredible! As is everyone else. Cant wait to get it on dvd.
gretel and hansel is one of my favorite horror films of this century, but *I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House* its perhaps my most hated horror film of this century as well, so I'm not sure about OZ perkins, but what I do know about him is he's one of the most proficient and skilful filmmakers working today, he dominates the medium, the camera, understands the filmic language like very few (Robert eggers is one on the same frequency) so Im very interested in this, and maika is a great actress
For me MAXXINE was more on par with Angel the 80s flick. Long legs stayed with me. That was imo up there with Exorcist 3. No ones mentioned that. There is a shot that totally homages that film.
I enjoy Ti West’s films but I have never understood the hype around Pearl and X. They’re good films but I’ve watched them both once and never again. Same will go for Maxxxine. Longlegs on the other hand I have already watched three times and loved every viewing lol
I couldn't agree with you more about Maxxxine. I ended up being very bored throughout and had already guessed who the 'killer' was from the opening scene. But the Night Stalker that they kept referring to was an actual killer named Richard Ramirez. The killer of the movie was trying to make everyone think the Night Stalker was to blame for his killings.
Ti West has already made one genuinely satanic satanic panic movie with The House of the Devil, I feel like this fit better with the X trilogy thematically.
I loved MaxXxine too... been to see it twice and enjoyed it more 2nd time around, whereas I have been to see Longlegs twice and the 2nd viewing didn't creep me out at all. Still a good movie though.
I watched Long Legs last night. I don’t class it as a horror film at all. It’s a decent thriller, much in same vein as Silence of the Lambs. It was tense but it isn’t a horror film and in that aspect it doesn’t live up to its hype which is all geared to it being a horror. If you go in expecting a tense thriller, you will enjoy it
Lol, huh? It LITERALLY is a horror film... It has every single component (and arguably more than some movies have, that are considered horror). It even has supernatural in it. Since it isn't filled with ooga-booga monster jump scares every 10 minutes, then it isn't a horror?... In what way it isn't a horror?
@@arcticwolf6402 Why is it always extremes ? I know it gets overused but Hereditary was a very good horror film , it didn't have jump scares every minutes. In my opinion , Hereditary is leagues more scary or horrifying than Longlegs. This film had tension but overall it feels more like a slow paced thriller than a horror film. I personally wasn't scared with the concept or the film. The film didn't "stick" to me like so many reviewers said it would , I wasn't thinking about what could be in the shadows. All I was thinking about was how hilarious Cage's "there she is" line was and the weird/funny hand gesture cuckoo thing he did. I think it would've been better if the had more of longlegs in it but also shown his aggressive side. This film feels like it started off as a serial killer thriller and then tried to change into a horror movie midway.
Maxxxine and the whole trilogy plays with genre, this was more of a crime thriller thab a slasher, and really good at It actually. Whereas Longlegs started with intrigue and solid tension to dissolve and fizzle into Nic Cage being Nic Cage and the débil made me do It. The satan ex machina went overboard.
Yep. Longlegs is my favourite film of the year so far.....Maxxxine well...Maxxxine is the worst film of the year so far. Loved Longlegs, but Maxxxine was a total trainwreck Also I don't think Maxxxine is Satanic Horror at all, its trying and failing to be a Giallo movie and then tries at the lat minute to be The Wicker Man. God what an awful film lol. Longlegs did it great.
Yes!!! I am so glad you reviewed these two movies. I agree with your takes on both of these films. I was so let down by MaXXXine. It is a gorgeous film, and Elizabeth Debicki was amazing, but that is pretty much it.
I agree. Longlegs was fun. I felt it was very supernatural from the beginning. I can see how some viewers won't see this movie being something above average. I loved it.
While Cobble thinks of himself as Marc Borlan, he just comes across as an unsettling cross of Tiny Tim and the Bogdanoff twins. (Also, the irony of her being named Harker wasn't lost on me.)
Nicolas Cage is definitely having fun with his role choices lately. Dream Scenario. The Retirement Plan. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Renfield. Pig. Willy’s Wonderland. Longlegs. He’s having a blast.
I literally just had a double feature of both films yesterday and thought they both sucked. 👎🏾 Maxxxine needed more giallo style and kills, plus it made no damn sense. And Longlegs just wasn't scary, creepy, disturbing, or original. It borrowed some heavily from Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and Zodiac but added nothing new or interesting.
@WolfataDoor The problem is that the supernatural elements really only make up the last 15 or so minutes, and it wasn't even handled that well. Can we say exposition dump. Everything else before it felt like a lesser version of much better films.
I just came from seeing long legs as I utterly disagree. So obvious and badly paced my man! Maxxxine I watched yesterday and liked it so much more. Longlegs was a tad pretentious care I say and the "twist" I could see 15 minutes in. Seriously. Nicholas cage was great though
That’s wrong saying there is no on screen kills. Then you go on to say how crazy that is to your subscribers but it’s not factual. Her friend in the video shop. The guy in the alley. And the finale.
@@BourbonJazzyLife I said the same thing… and I’m still shocked he didn’t think this movie had HEAVY Giallo references. Crazy for someone with his knowledge and experience to say lol but it’s all good. We agreed to disagree
No wonder you didn't like this Maxxxine, seems you missed half of it. The person you're saying is the night stalker just isn't. There are several on screen kills. And claiming this movie is tamed down??? This has probably the most brutal scenes in the trilogy.
I still haven’t seen Maxxxine yet, but I did see Longlegs over the weekend and absolutely loved it. The use of 4:3 for showing the past was great and I think Cage might be the closest thing we have today to Christopher Lee. His range is phenomenal and I think his sillier performances often makes people forget how genuinely intense he can be.
Whoa! Great comparison of Nicolas Cage to Vincent Price! Matt and I saw Longlegs yesterday and I knew almost nothing going in. Really loved the occult angle.
I cant stop thinking about Longlegs. Hands down, best new movie Ive seen this year. Funny enough, I had Oz Perkins on a flight I was working earlier this year. And I was like "hey, i loved you so much in Legally Blonde". Lol, now Im kicking myself for not being cooler and recognizing him for his work in horror 🙈🤦🏻♀️. He was super nice though. Also have to mention the look and feel of this movie felt a little like the series Twin Peaks, which came out in the early 90s.
Hmmmmmmmmm.......... MAXXXINE is a masterpiece in the genre and fits PERFECTLY in Ti West and Mia Goth's OUTSTANDING "X" trilogy.......they made a film that steps clear of the tired slasher tropes of the previous films and made something completely that stands alone but also brings the trilogy to a satisfying end, not to mention Kevin Bacon's OUTSTANDING performance........."LONGLEGS" is another MASTERPIECE......NICHOLAS CAGE is a NATIONAL TREASURE (happy accident) and deserves an oscar nod..........MIKA MONROE, BLAIR UNDERWOOD (who you blatantly left out of your review.......what's up with that?) Alicia Witt, ALL deserve nods as well......an amazing cast. BOTH movies are on my list as BEST of the year.
It's crazy to me how everyone who loves Longlegs thinks that while Cage's performance is awesome simultaneously saying it doesn't seem like Cage. No. It was obvious this is another over the top Cage performance. The movie was average (5/10), and I saw every twist coming before it came. No surprises here.
Longlegs is so fucking overrated lol maxxxine wasnt perfect but atleast i was entertained. Go watch Seven, zodiac, silence of the lambs, etc longlegs was not the best film nor was it scary
I LOVED Blackcoat's Daughter and now I feel safe knowing that loving that movie, I'll also most likely love Longlegs, since it is so similar in the core aspects I adored BD in!
Just coming out & saying "I knew who the killer was in literally the first minute" is a pretty brutal spoiler for dense viewers. You should let dense people have their fun!
I don’t plan on watching Maxine but am really looking for to seeing Longlegs. Everything I’ve read and heard says Nick Cage is fantastic. Thanks for the review!
Maxxxine was excellent. Longlegs was a let down. It lacked intensity and it was Cage doing Cage for the twentieth movie. Just with a messed up face. Honestly, the 3rd act is awesome.
I am going to move The Shining to July 26th (Stanley Kubrick's birthday) for the Stanley Motel Movie Marathon (in this order): x Dumb and Dumber x Motel Hell x The Shining
I find incredibly disappointing that you, a horror fan lol, thought that MaxXxine was mainstream lol dude Ti West blended so many horror sub-genres in this movie lol especially Giallo. Come on man lol of all people you should have noticed that. Love the channel though! Us fans aren’t going to agree on everything!
@@cobwebschannel there was 4 kills in the movie to my knowledge. 2 on and 2 off screen. That’s par for the course in modern horror. In contrast Longlegs has even fewer on screen kills lol. As far Giallo goes, if the kills is what you took away from what I said then I don’t know what to tell you lol you don’t think the black gloved killer, the bright and vibrant colors, the randomness, and the sexualization of this movie doesn’t scream Giallo? Thats crazy dude lol
The only on-screen kills are from Mia Goth, there are zero from the Night Stalker. And Longlegs isn’t a slasher, or a Giallo, so I’m not judging it by kills. And bright colors do not make a giallo, not even all Giallos have that element. It’s all good though, I’m glad you enjoyed it more! I just don’t think it’s a Giallo at all.
i couldn't pin Maxxxine down, if it had stayed like an 80s set giallo in California and stayed serious and had onscreen kills i'd have probably loved it, but there were too many performances that made it feel tongue in cheek.....kevin bacon, giancarlo esposito and bobby cannavale were too broad........and then the final third just jumped the shark..........haven't seen longlegs watching it this week, that plus nosferatu are my great horror hopes for this year
@@cobwebschannel have to say....new to the channel and your content is great...really compliments the podcasts I listen to....have got stacks of your older vids on a watch later list.....i'll have finished these by 2026
Nicolas Cage is one of my faves too, wrote a book on his family tides years ago he helped with his manager never published it but it was fun. He is amazing and so gifted I will need to look this one up thanks for sharing friend.
I loved longlegs. I will be seeing again this week. Easily takes out Late night with the Devil as best of 2024. As for Maxxine...this is the one i was most pumped for. I love the first 2 and X could be my favorite of this decade. Unfortunatley i left Maxxine a bit disappointed
The Roost is a pretty cool little monster bat/zombie movie. Very much “first movie straight outta film school” vibes with super-neat bookends. Cabin Fever 2 is trash but fun. I *liked* Maxxxine, but didn’t love it. Thought it was entertaining enough, but really stupid. I wasn’t really a fan of this trilogy. The Innkeepers will always be my favorite Ti West I completely agree with the “who is the REAL villain” subversion. At this point it just undoes the horror for me and I find it so annoying. Let monsters be the real monsters lol
x Watched Visiting Hours, great movie! o Great to see William Shatner on the movie! o The hospital at night is a very creepy setting for a horror movie o Michael Ironside plays another great unsettling villian! o Linda Purl (who played the head nurse Sheila) really nailed the demeanor of a night nurse! † I worked as a night nurse for a long time and her composure is EXACTLY what I saw for the other night nurses! † She was my favorite part of the movie and played such an effective dramatic character! † Interestingly there was a tv series that I used to watch as a child called The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible (which is absolutely fantastic), and she was the voice of Delilah (probably watched that episode 20 times). x Watched After Midnight, great movie! o Another example of how effective those parapsychology phenomenas are for movies (i.e. remote viewing, clairsentience, etc), this one effectively uses premonitions! o For a spooky mansion, I am sold on those Grandfather clocks that chimes at Midnight! o Jillian McWhirter (who played Allison) was excellent at expressing the composure and looking exactly what I think an intuitive person that has premonitions! o I was a psychology minor in college (at Doane University) and The Psychology of Fear sounds like it could easily be a real college class (and would be great for horror directors). o After Midnight seems like a premonition to Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a tv series released my last year of elementary school. o After being in college and seeing freshmen getting crushed, I think it is a very effective conflict that a student has a reasonable concern about a class and that concern is ignored because new student concerns are almost always matters of no real importance. † Most "concerns" stem from unsuccessfully transitioning from the high school lifestyle to that of college, a lifestyle that forces students to make their own choices. x Watched Asylum, great movie! o Such great performances! o It wouldn't surprise me if the scripts are initially written to highlight Peter Cushing, he just nails his performances and is the MVP of the Amicus Horror Anthologies! o "Lucy Comes To Stay" - the character of Barbara was such an amazing performance! o "The Weird Tailor" - Bruno absolutely nailed that performance, he is exactly what I would think a tailor would look and act like! o Watching After Midnight then Asylum as a double feature is AMAZING, it's hard to beat that double feature! x I have a book of lists of groups that I want to form and one is The Midnight Society. o I love the idea of going to tell scary stories around a campfire, but am not sure what else to do as as it would be a smash hit to have the original The Midnight Society head that group (it might be less special if a separate copycat group was established). x I am going to watch Arachnophobia tonight! x I will keep my eyes out for those movies when they hit streaming!
Your wife is right 🤣 ‘Pearl’ absolutely sucked… seems they were worried about the ‘style’ more than substance…. It was shite-awful… HATED IT… kinda why I’m not interested in ‘MaXXine’… loved ‘X’… West forgot after ‘X’ that movies need more than a generic ‘Wizard of Oz’ look… it’ll turn out shittey just like ‘MaXXine’ 🤮🤮🤮
I can’t even take this take seriously. You think a style over substance slow burn of a movie with blue balls style of payoff is better than Maxxxine? Yes over stylized as well but actually has great acting, great storytelling, great side characters and a conclusion that ties up the theme of the trilogy perfectly? You are BUGGING.
Maxxxine was flippin horrible.🤣 Barely anything happened. The killer was so damn obvious, and there's barely any kills. Other than the great 80s style and music, this movie was so flat.
@@Luchiville What the hell do you mean? This is a slasher franchise. It was advertised as such. It's safe to say that most people who paid to see this wanted to see, you know, people get slashed. 😂🤣
I actually liked both movies. But Longlegs was better. Nicholas Cage was creepy as hell in this film. I hope he gets nominated for something, but it probably won't happen because it's a horror film. Still, I thought it was a great film. But he stole the movie.
