The Occult Conspiracy of Longlegs

This post is a deep analysis - or more accurately, a complete dissection - of the movie Longlegs by Osgood Perkins. It is, however, structured like a collection of notes; as notes are its basis. I have watched the movie three times over this and last year and wrote various observations during my viewings, which I have revised and expanded in a research effort to write this post.

Longlegs is one of the most complex and layered movies ever produced. In short, it is about a satanic conspiracy that involves the American government, the CIA and the FBI, to call upon the final form of the Antichrist; and the main actors of the operation are Longlegs and his family.

Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Longlegs' story was inspired by several Satanic/Masonic killers - from Manson (who is explicitly referenced in the film) to the Zodiac Killer (who inspired Longlegs' esoteric codes). Just from the film's first bunch of scenes, one can also trace connections between Longlegs and John Wayne Gacy - a Masonic magician killer clown affiliated with the Democratic Party (a portrait of Bill Clinton is the most striking element of one of the film's key sets).

Longlegs' makeup, much like John Wayne Gacy’s, signals demonic possession. Clowns, in many traditions - and certainly in the eyes of occultists - act as vessels for demons or similar entities. Longlegs - a man who paints his face white (indicating Luciferian possession and enlightenment), allows his hair to grow long and speaks with an androgynous voice - represents the negative form of the alchemical Rebis (the merging of opposites). The Dragon that empowers him in this case is Satan himself, and the movie makes it quite explicit by referencing the Book of Revelation.

''The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.'' Revelation 12:9

''The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.'' Revelation 13:1

There are seven children - Lee being the perfected one, the culmination, the result - and ten murders, as the ritual is modeled after this very passage, which is quoted in the movie itself.

The name "Longlegs" is directly tied to the killer’s role, as well as to "Mr. Downstairs," another name for Lucifer or Satan. The long legs symbolize the connection from hell (the place symbolized by the basement where the killer works and lives in) to the surface. It may also more literally reflect the "long legs" as perceived by the children he preys upon, as hinted by the opening scene of the movie. Lastly, “Longlegs” refers to a type of spider - an animal that captures its victims in a sticky web, and is symbolic of the devil -, its full coloquial name being ''daddy longlegs''.

Longlegs was akin to an MK Handler, like Manson, etc. He was highly proficient in hypnosis (and black magic, which are nearly synonymous in this context), and performed mind control on his victims - in Lee’s case, through classic MKULTRA torture methods, such as forced depersonalization/dissociation, fear induction using venomous animals (serpents - symbols of Satan and Lucifer), and more.

It’s worth noting that Longlegs' gestures, body language, and facial expressions are a subtle form of black magic/hypnosis.

Lucifer means “Lightbringer,” the one who illuminates, like the Morning Star (Venus, a planet associated with Aphrodite; Lucifer was an androgynous Rebis as well). Longlegs calls ritual sacrifices “illuminations.” He always wears white clothes, and paints his face and hair white. In the final scene of the movie, both Carter and Lee are wearing white. The pattern of Carter's sweater deliberately mimics the serpent-like pattern of the bedsheets in Lee’s mother’s house.

All of Longlegs’ victims live in white houses. The doors of both Lee’s mother’s house and agent Carter’s are ornamented with sun/dawn symbolism, implying the arrival of Lucifer.

We see the same symbolism in the 'White House'. This fact is recontextualized in the film.
Of course, dawn symbolism is primarily associated with Christ - the true dawn, the true light - but the film aligns it with the Antichrist, because the Antichrist will pose as Christ to deceive; and because the Antichrist is Christ's negative form.

Nuns are celibate because they are symbolically married to Jesus Christ. The inverted nun in this film is, thus, symbolically married to the Antichrist, represented here by Longlegs. Longlegs is Lee’s father; and Lee is like Rosemary’s baby - a planned, ritualized birth to serve Satan. That’s the source of her psychic powers. We can see, throughout the movie, Satan's presence beside Lee (and Longlegs); he is her hidden, spiritual father.

(Lee was abandoned by her father at birth, and raised by a single mother. Her father came back to the house as Longlegs. Perhaps he was hiding in the basement all along.)

Lee’s mother shoots the voodoo doll representing Lee in the head with a shotgun to empty her soul and make room for demonic influence. In the end, Lee wears white - indicating that she fell into the trap and failed to break the curse - the bond, as the film’s subtitle puts it.

Longlegs’ deadliest method of hypnosis is derived from Voodoo.

This is quite clear (and directly suggested by agent Carter - who, as we already know, works for Satan - even though he sarcastically dismisses it to make Lee feel crazy for even considering it), and the film ties this to the production of depersonalizing dolls, which serve as tools of mind control as well. When the doll becomes possessed by Satan, her eyes become reptilian (Dragon-like).

Longlegs killing people on specific dates parallels a phenomenon that happens all the time in real life. I won’t name examples here, but some are obvious. These acts are astrologically timed to amplify ritual energy.

The references to Bill Clinton stand out as clues to the nature of the Satanic operation occurring in the U.S. Jeffrey Dahmer, one of many brainwashed Satanist serial killers, had connections to Democrat politicians (not that Republicans are innocent - both are like opposing sides of the same coin). The Clinton family in particular is one of the most Satanic in the world. Again, John Wayne Gacy - the main inspiration for Longlegs - worked for the Democratic Party and was later involved in local politics. He was only caught after killing exactly 33 victims, which is no coincidence - he may have collaborated with the government and local police. He also employed his credentials to intimidate his victims, flaunting his influence and network.

As is the rule, Satanic forces can only operate with the consent of their victims; through the affirmation of free will, evil gains karmic exemption to exist (thus, the call by Aleister Crowley, the man who perceived himself to be the Antichrist, to his followers: ''Do what thou wilt''). Of course, Satanists can lie, deceive, and manipulate until they gain that permission - Longlegs sings a bizarre song that says exactly this (“If you don't let me in, I'll come back not once, not twice, but as many times as I desire!”). This idea of evil requiring the permission of free will is the origin of the notion that vampires, for instance, can only enter your house if they’re invited. That’s also why Lee’s mother constantly asks if she still prays for protection from Satan - she doesn’t want her to pray, quite the opposite; she wants Lee to give Satan permission to act. She delights when Lee admits she’s never prayed to God.

The most hidden layer of the plot of Longlegs is the government operation behind the plan to bring Satan into the world, fulfilling the prophecy of the Book of Revelation. The U.S. government is Longlegs’ most powerful accomplice. From childhood, Lee has been manipulated to become the ideal vessel for the demonic - and the FBI and the CIA are involved in her training. Early in the film, we see Lee undergo a strange psychological test with no clear explanation as to why. That test was part of the MKULTRA experiments and was meant to assess how developed her psychic powers were. She managed to divine a random number from 0 to 100 eight times, failing only eight - an extremely high success rate (and one which, not coincidentally, creates a powerful number, 88). This type of experiment actually occurred in real life, and though many documents were destroyed, some surviving records describe the American government’s insane practices, which were derived from the German scientists, most of whom were occultists (see Operation Paperclip). There was a program where CIA agents ordered men to stare at goats in order to unlock supernatural powers. This is not hyperbole; there's even a book about this operation titled 'The Men Who Stare at Goats'.

It’s clear that both agent Carter and Browning were part of the scheme. Every line of dialogue from them indicates this; and every action they take helps Longlegs. The investigation was just part of the ritual, part of Lee’s “Hero’s Journey”. Like Longlegs, both of them knew they would eventually be sacrificed, but accepted it willingly, believing - as Longlegs says - that they would “go to the wings of Lucifer”, that they would be rewarded once the Beast is brought into the world. A subversion of the concept of sainthood through martyrdom (which I explained in my previous article).

Agent Carter’s daughter had already been subjected to MKULTRA mind control before the events of the film. She was already chosen as a sacrifice, to become Lee’s successor - it’s no accident that her hair is styled identically to young Lee’s; the characters are made to parallel each other. This explains the bizarre dialogue about lambs (symbols of sacrifice), and the child’s lack of expression or enthusiasm. Her statuette had been decapitated (possibly by Carter, her very father) as part of the ritual, signaling that she was an offering; the statuette is like a voodoo doll, and the decapitated head is reflected in Ruby (she acts strangely, like Lee; both are empty-headed, for they are to have their minds emptied to make space for the devil). There's a painting of a mother bird with her offspring on a wall of her bedroom - which is shown to us in the scene where Lee is talking to her about her birthday party, implying a similar relation between the two will take place (which is cemented by the movie's ending).

The scene immediately after Longlegs is captured is another layer of the ritual (the whole film is a multifaceted ritual). In the recording, Longlegs says the Demiurge (the friend of a friend) will be present for Lee Harker's birthday party (referring to the event which will get her fully possessed, thus, reborn as the Antichrist), and addresses the FBI/CIA agents directly, saying they'll all be there (as they are actors in the conspiracy). Agent Browning and Carter group into a triangle, which in this film symbolizes Satan as the negative Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (triangles appear in almost every scene, symbolizing that Satan is everywhere), with Longlegs’ face symbolically placed above Carter’s (as his superior) (mirroring Bill Clinton's portrait, for Carter serves both the government - he conducts this black op from within the FBI - and Satan). Carter and Browning let Lee herself interrogate Longlegs - a horribly irresponsible decision, if we were to look at the situation through the lenses of common sense - because they were following Longlegs’ will.

When an inverted triangle is flashed before Lee during her MKULTRA session and asked what it represents to her, she says ''father'' (in reference to Longlegs and Satan).

The mention of the number 33 early in the film, when Lee is answering questions on a test, is no coincidence. This number is the most sacred in Freemasonry for a number of reasons; the highest Masonic rank is 33. As already mentioned, John Wayne Gacy (the Masonic killer clown) murdered exactly 33 people. In Masonry, advancing a degree is an act of “illumination.” The number 13 is also relevant: 1 representing the individual and 3 representing God. 3 is the number of the Trinity, and of the circle (Heaven); 33 would be the Trinity (God) in Heaven. The number 33 also means gnosis, as the path of the spine toward the brain consists of 33 vertebrae.

There are various allusions to the simulacrum-like nature of Lee's life in the microcosm and the world in the macrocosm. One of the lamps of Lee's house (the one at her main room) is circle-shaped, the other one (the one at her entrance) (is framed as) triangle-shaped (and inverted). One of the first lines of the movie (post-prologue) relates Lee's experience to that of a movie protagonist (almost breaking the fourth wall).

Longlegs - an Antichrist, a microcosmic embodiment of the Demiurge and Satan - is a doll-maker, like the Demiurge himself.

(This shot of the doll's face fades out and reveals Longlegs', equating him with the doll.)

Longlegs calls out to the Demiurge, asking to be freed from the ''hell of living''. He recognizes the world as a prison, yet chooses to worship and serve the jailer.

The names of the characters were carefully thought out; each betrays the respective character's role in the story. Longlegs' actual name is Dale - an anagram of deal, symbolic of his deal with the Devil, as well as the deals he makes with his victims; and a name that means 'valley', as in, a depression covered by the shadow of mountains - Kobble - relating to cobble, as in, cobblestone; rock/stone, as in, the name Peter, can mean 'Apostle', and Kobble is an apostle of Satan, and it also refers to our material bodies (stone/clay frames trapping a soul within). Ruby refers to both the color red - which represents sacrifice - and to the high value of the jewel, as she is a child - and innocent children are the most valuable sacrifice for Satan. Lee means 'meadow', and Harker symbolizes her role as the one who is manipulated as the mindless listener. The name “Carrie Ane” clearly alludes to “carrion.” The girl serves as another sacrifice to bring the Beast into the world, hence the symbolic name. And her bizarre surname ''Camera'' alludes to the themes of simulacrum, and indicates her soul was captured by the Devil (an idea that comes from the belief that pictures trap one's soul within them). Her hair being very short and bleached alludes to MKULTRA procedures. Carter means 'mailman', for the agent is like a mailman of the devil; and Browning refers to the objective of the operation, which is to unite the world under the Beast's rule (and the color brown is symbolic of the earth, and, in its most negative form, of the vulgar material, as it evokes, of course, its epitome, the feces).

Longlegs is tied to the archetypal figure of the Cuckoo - a cunning brood parasite. He acted alongside Lee's mother as a Satanic couple - she was a nurse, and used medical records to identify girls born on the 14th. Longlegs' backstory is likely that of a hedonistic 'rock-and-roll' guitar player who made a deal with the devil - he listens to rock music on his car, and when Lee enters her house (that is, his house, for he is her father), she also hears rock music; and the opening and credits theme of the movie is a rock song about a Hydra (the creature of the Book of Revelation with seven heads and ten horns).

As I was researching the movie, I stumbled upon a confirmation of this theory I had ever since my first watch. Perkins said, on an interview:

''It just ended up making sense that I would make [Longlegs] into this glam guy who had sort of had his life disrupted in the Seventies”, “he just wanted to be a glam-rock guy. He maybe plays a guitar kind of badly in his mom’s basement. And one day, his life changed, and he had to go to work for the Devil.”

It's not a coincidence that Lee wished to be an actress - the movie makes a subtle yet meaningful connection between the American cultural industry and systemic satanism (like it does for the White House and the president of America). The movie's director, Osgood Perkins, is the son of Anthony Perkins, the famous Hollywood actor who interpreted Norman Bates, and who later died of AIDS, and Berry Berenson, a victim of the 9/11 attacks.

Perkins is also curiously involved in an authorized screening program of his most recent horror movie, 'The Monkey', in churches. A program seemingly made merely to affront Christianity.

''In a first of its kind, NEON is giving the gift of Osgood Perkins' THE MONKEY to all of God's children by making it available to screen in churches across the country simultaneously with theaters. Beginning today, disciples can submit their requests by going to the website (link). Only applications submitted by authorized religious institutions will be considered and reviewed by the studio.''

You can interpret all of this information as you wish. Who knows, maybe Perkins worships and serves the jailer like Longlegs.

Longlegs visits Carrie Anne's hospital in the 11th of January - numerologically forming a 3 (the number of the triangle).

The mention of Manson in the beginning of the movie in relation to Longlegs is also highly symbolic - Manson's cult was ''his family'', and he was the symbolic father of his pupils.

The mother's house is emblematic of her inner self - she is a vulgar materialist, an obsessive, pathological accumulator.

Longlegs claims her (and his) house to be the brightest of all for this reason (an inversion of Christ's teachings of the spirit's superiority over the material).

One subtle detail is her key holder - it is a golden key, and its support forms a triangle (representing Satan, in the context of the movie); it means she believes she will go to Heaven by serving Satan, a subversion of the Christian faith where one goes to Heaven by serving God (the keys representing the keys to Heaven's gate). Longlegs preaches, after all, the Demiurgic, dualistic, cabbalistic, paradoxical idea that one attains purity through sin.

Thank you for reading the article! I appreciate the support.

I've been healing from my illness, and will resume the production of the next (Dark Souls) video later today. And a video about Nightreign is currently being written.