‘Longlegs’ is NOT a Modern ‘Silence of the Lambs’: Why Lee Harker is No Clarice Starling

Don’t trust the hype. I had three different people text me on July 7th saying WE GOTTA SEE LONGLEGS THIS WEEK! I had read the early reviews, watched the trailers, and as a lifelong Nicolas Cage fan, especially the more recent “I’m a truffle farmer, I invade your dreams, I spoof myself” Nicolas Cage. I was freaking hype! Even beyond that, I am a fan of director Oz Perkins’ work (please watch The Blackcoat’s Daughter) and his ability to intertwine his historical influences with his own sensory palette of dread, as well as Neon’s consistent investment in indie horror films for the past decade. Add Maika Monroe (please watch It Follows) and Blair Underwood (who has consistently played strong voiced authoritarian figures for the better part of my moviegoing life, put respect on his name), and honestly this felt like a recipe for a box office hit. And it was, doing fantastic numbers and receiving rave reviews, but it was the damn Silence of the Lambs comparisons that made me do a double take. I wouldn’t be writing this article if so many critics and moviegoers didn’t make LOUD, UNENDING, INCESSENT statements like, “Longlegs is a menacing masterpiece” (Wicked Horror), “stunning, a modern Silence of the Lambs” (Dread Central), or “the best serial killer horror film since the Silence of the Lambs” (Awards Radar). This is the kind of hype that gets in your head, that makes viral marketing campaigns, THAT GETS PEOPLE LIKE ME MAD TIGHT WHEN A MOVIE DOESN’T D…