Leggy; July 2 2025

I’ve had a busy couple of weeks, yet there’s nothing much to say about it! The only important part is that my kid had her birthday!

All I really want to talk about this week is vibes – or, specifically, the movie ‘Longlegs’.

My roommate saw that movie in theatres and was shaken. Someone apparently retched in the row behind them, and the collective discomfort in the theatre combined with the social expectation that no one talks through the movie (if you do this, you’re a jerk) truly made the experience.

I did Not have that experience.

I do think Nicholas Cage acted the hell out of the villain role, but that’s the best thing I had to say about it. Story-wise, it was incoherent, a bunch of promises only half-delivered on. They were clearly trying to do some cool things with it, but just… didn’t commit.

Now, this is just one guy’s opinion, so if you loved Longlegs, this isn’t shade on you! I just got to thinking about the way we experience horror. The way certain types rely on isolation, the kind that works really well in book format, and others need you to soak in the tension of those around you, like in theatres or even haunted house attractions.

Instinctively, we know that when everyone around us is afraid, we should be too. There’s danger that the people around you have spotted and whether you see it or not, it’s hard not to physically respond to that.

But there’s also horror in being the only one experiencing what’s happening, the lone and helpless observer. The fact that no one else is right there in it with you makes it more intense, plays on that sense of ‘wrong’ that I particularly enjoy when writing horror.

I didn’t care for the movie, but at least it got me thinking!