Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe starrer Longlegs has been in the prominent buzz as horror fans and critics have hailed the movie with open arms. Also, Longlegs has smashed Neon’s own record of being the highest box-office opener. While it is hard to get over the spooky narrative crafted by Oz Perkins, here are eight movies that are similar to Longlegs and will haunt you for a while.
Insomnia
Christopher Nolan is known for his mind-bending narratives that have been box office magnets over the years making him one of the most successful directors in Hollywood. The director’s early works, however, were grounded yet mystery-ridden narratives. Be it Memento or Insomnia, Nolan was able to grasp the attention of the viewers with his intense thrill-infested movies. Insomnia, in particular, starring industry veterans Al Pacino and Robin Williams in the primary roles, beautifully depicts the psychological hurdles that the protagonist Will Dormer faces like Maika Monroe’s Lee Harker in Longlegs.
Insomnia, the Hollywood remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller of the same name starring Stellan Skarsgård follows a detective investigating a murder in a small fishing town. The Noirish thriller is chilling and is driven by suspense.
The House That Jack Built
Lars von Trier is one of those few directors who gave audiences out-of-the-world horrific experiences with his unique movies. His 2018 horror crime, The House That Jack Built follows nearly the same intention from the mind of the Danish filmmaker.
Matt Dillon plays the title character Jack— a failed architect and vicious sociopath going on a murder spree that is intensified by the heavy philosophical conundrum. The murders are artistic rather than meaningless traps and kill for the blunt satisfaction of the killer but Jack’s continuous experiments and inspiration led to his final creation.
Manhunter
Manhunter is chilling to the bone and inherently gritty. Written and directed by Michael Mann, the 1986 movie depicts the infamous Hannibal Lecter played brilliantly by Brian Cox. Based on the Red Dragon story, the movie follows Will Graham (William Petersen), a former FBI profiler called out of his early retirement to catch a serial killer. However, the twist is he must seek help from his arch-nemesis, Hannibal Lecter who is the most vicious killer now locked up in jail. The critically acclaimed movie has several twists and turns with intricate performances from all the cast members.
Memories of Murder
Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean director who directed the Oscar-winning Parasite, previously made his name prominent on the global stage with his neo-noir crime thriller Memories of Murder. The movie orbits a small Korean province in 1986 where two detectives struggle to solve the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown killer.
Memories of Murder is stylistic and inherently gritty diving deep into the psychological cores of the characters. A must-watch that has an astonishing 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Zodiac
Based on Robert Graysmith’s book of the same name, David Fincher-directed crime thriller chronicles the tale of the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer— a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Zodiac Killer is challenging and leaves clues for police after his heinous crimes. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a cartoonist armed with puzzle-solving abilities joins the team to hunt down and unveil the identity of the killer.
The movie also has an ensemble cast including MCU stars Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo in the prominent roles.
Se7en
Se7en, another masterpiece by David Fincher is arguably one of the best serial killer movies of all time. Beautifully penned by Andrew Kevin Walker, Se7en follows two detectives, a rookie David Mills (Brad Pitt) and a veteran William Somerset played by legendary Morgan Freeman. They are on a hunt for a serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
The movie also stars Gwyneth Paltrow as David Mills’ wife Tracy Mills. Se7en is a gripping noir thriller that has the ability to hook the audience throughout the narrative.
The Snowtown Murders
The Snowtown Murders is one of the most underrated horror crimes that deserves attention from the fans of the genre. The Justin Kurzel movie is a terrifier following a 16-year-old Jamie played by Lucas Pittaway who is living with his mother’s new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen. The relationship is utterly toxic as it leads to a spree of torture and murder.
Watch The Snowtown Murders at your own expense, the movie is brutal and disturbing. On top of that, the 2011 movie is based on true events that were picked up for cinematic adaptation from Debi Marshall’s Killing for Pleasure, and Andrew McGarry’s The Snowtown Murders.
The Silence of the Lambs
It is no secret that Longlegs is partly inspired by Jonathan Demme’s masterpiece, The Silence of the Lambs. Starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, the 1991 horror crime went on to sweep five major Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, and Best Lead Actress.
Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer and former psychiatrist locked up in jail is helping FBI trainee Clarice Starling to apprehend another vicious killer who has been claiming female victims.
Hopkins’ performance as Hannibal Lecter has been hailed by critics as one of the all-time best as the actor has managed to spook the audience out with his eyes where the psychopathic nature in him dwindles solidifying the gravity of the movie.
