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Longlegs’ Osgood Perkins responds to Silence of the Lambs comparison

Longlegs’ Osgood Perkins responds to Silence of the Lambs comparison

Long legs finally arrives in theaters this week to much critical acclaim, with many rave reviews comparing it to the Oscar-winning classic Thesilenceofthelambs.

Writer/director Osgood Perkins didn’t hesitate to draw inspiration from Jonathan Demme’s 1991 horror film. After all, Long legs also focuses on a talented young FBI agent hunting a serial killer.

But Long legs It’s also a separate thing, and Perkins looked elsewhere for another major influence for his new film.

“I don’t think about other horror movies when I write. The Silence of the Lambs, yes, that was the key code to get into it. But once you’re in it, you have to get rid of all that, otherwise you’re going to make (something) generic,” he said. Digital Spy.

Osgood-Perkins

Leon Bennett//Getty Images

Related: Maika Monroe Had ‘Visceral Reaction’ to Nicolas Cage Photo Long legs transformation

“For me, it was the Gus Van Sant movies. It was My own private Idaho and the soft touch of things, the sweetness, that strange kind of floating and rootless sadness that images like these give off.

“That’s a lot more interesting to me than thinking he’s going to jump out of the fucking thing and grab you by the neck. That kind of thing is easy, but casting a spell like that is something like that. Elephant made or Last days “That was much more powerful for me.”

It’s easy to assume that Maika Monroe, who plays FBI agent Lee Harker in Long legswould be inspired by Jodie Foster’s performance as Clarice Starling in Thesilenceofthelambs Also.

But for Monroe, the inspiration came more from Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Maika Monroe as Agent Lee Harker in Longlegs

Black Bear Photos

Related: Long legs is one of the best films of the year

“I thought there were a lot of similarities in how they go through life; being a little bit aloof, uncomfortable in normal situations (and) having conversations,” she explained.

“But there’s this light that comes from them when they’re working on these files. That’s where they feel most comfortable and at ease.”

At the time of writing this article, Long legs The film still has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While Perkins gets most of the credit as writer/director, he also makes a point of pointing out that this was not a one-man band.

“The great thing about making movies is that you’re never alone; you’re the opposite of alone. The idea of ​​a director making a movie is pretty old-fashioned, I think, and a bit of a sham, because everybody brings their own mind to it,” he noted.

long legs

Black Bear Photos

“There’s this gratifying moment in any movie where you realize, ‘Oh, everyone wants this to be good.’ Everyone wants to do their job better than the person next to them or as good as the person next to them.

“I just try to approach it with a light touch and let people do their thing… I say that all the time, just try to do something good that you can enjoy and want to stand up for.

“You’re going to have to do a series of seven-hour interviews straight to explain how you did it. The answer might as well be, ‘I did it because I wanted to do it well and want people to have a positive experience.'”

Long legs comes out in theaters on July 12.

Portrait of Ian Sandwell

Film editor, digital spy Ian has over 10 years’ experience in film journalism as a writer and editor. Starting as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box office results, while carving out his own niche with horror films, appearing at genre festivals around the world. After joining Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Film Editor in 2019, a role in which he interviewed hundreds of stars including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, became a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to advance his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.

Longlegs’ Osgood Perkins responds to Silence of the Lambs comparison

Longlegs’ Osgood Perkins responds to Silence of the Lambs comparison

Long legs finally arrives in theaters this week to much critical acclaim, with many rave reviews comparing it to the Oscar-winning classic Thesilenceofthelambs.

Writer/director Osgood Perkins didn’t hesitate to draw inspiration from Jonathan Demme’s 1991 horror film. After all, Long legs also focuses on a talented young FBI agent hunting a serial killer.

But Long legs It’s also a separate thing, and Perkins looked elsewhere for another major influence for his new film.

“I don’t think about other horror movies when I write. The Silence of the Lambs, yeah, that was the key code to get into the thing. But once you’re in there, you have to get rid of all that, otherwise you’re going to make (something) generic,” he said. Digital Spy.

Osgood-Perkins

Leon Bennett//Getty Images

Related: Maika Monroe Had ‘Visceral Reaction’ to Nicolas Cage Photo Long legs transformation

“For me, it was the Gus Van Sant movies. It was My own private Idaho and the soft touch of things, the sweetness, that kind of strange, rootless, floating sadness that images like these give off.

“That’s a lot more interesting to me than thinking he’s going to jump out of the fucking thing and grab you by the neck. That kind of thing is easy, but casting a spell like that is something like that. Elephant made or Last days “That was much more powerful for me.”

It’s easy to assume that Maika Monroe, who plays FBI agent Lee Harker in Long legswould be inspired by Jodie Foster’s performance as Clarice Starling in Thesilenceofthelambs Also.

But for Monroe, the inspiration came more from Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Maika Monroe as Agent Lee Harker in Longlegs

Black Bear Photos

Related: Long legs is one of the best films of the year

“I thought there were a lot of similarities in how they go through life; being a little bit aloof, uncomfortable in normal situations (and) having conversations,” she explained.

“But there’s this light that comes from them when they’re working on these files. That’s where they feel most comfortable and at ease.”

At the time of writing this article, Long legs The film still has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While Perkins gets most of the credit as writer/director, he also makes a point of pointing out that this was not a one-man band.

“The great thing about making movies is that you’re never alone; you’re the opposite of alone. The idea of ​​a director making a movie is pretty old-fashioned, I think, and a bit of a sham, because everybody brings their own mind to it,” he noted.

long legs

Black Bear Photos

“There’s this gratifying moment in any movie where you realize, ‘Oh, everyone wants this to be good.’ Everyone wants to do their job better than the person next to them or as good as the person next to them.

“I just try to approach it with a light touch and let people do their thing… I say that all the time, just try to do something good that you can enjoy and want to stand up for.

“You’re going to have to do a series of seven-hour interviews straight to explain how you did it. The answer might as well be, ‘I did it because I wanted to do it well and want people to have a positive experience.'”

Long legs comes out in theaters on July 12.

Portrait of Ian Sandwell

Film editor, digital spy Ian has over 10 years’ experience in film journalism as a writer and editor. Starting as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box office results, while carving out his own niche with horror films, appearing at genre festivals around the world. After joining Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Film Editor in 2019, a role in which he interviewed hundreds of stars including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, became a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to advance his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.