Longlegs Proved Maika Monroe Is a Great Final Girl in Horror

summary

• Maika Monroe's role in
  long legs
  She's the last girl of this generation to be cheered on in the horror genre.
• The actress has proven her versatility by portraying different characters across different films, and not just as a one-dimensional final girl.
• Monroe's meticulously detailed performances elevate horror films, presenting audiences with complex, layered characters that go beyond traditional stereotypes.

with long legs' Current record box office success, looks like a star Maika Monroe She'll finally get what she deserves outside of the fan base that has long hailed her as one of the best actresses in horror movies. And her success in the industry is sure to open more doors for her. But the film also proves that Monroe is the ultimate girl of this new generation who deserves to be cheered on.Like Jamie Lee Curtis, Heather Langenkamp, ​​and Neve Campbell before her, Monroe successfully crafts characters who are both vulnerable and strong, with subtle layers that make her more than just a potential addition to the body count.

The main difference between her and her aforementioned Final Girls counterparts is that the actress has done so with different characters across different films. There's a reason why the horror genre has been so behind Monroe as her star has risen to the level of helping long legs She has reached her current level of success. This film cements her status and secures her place in the conversation of the female pillars of modern horror films that have defined the genre.

Monroe was no stranger to film and television, having been acting since she was a young child, honing her skills and preparing herself for more mature roles that might come her way. She made her debut in 2012. At any priceA film far from the horror genre, but a drama that has become part of the film festival circuit. The film co-starred Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron, and Monroe's role as Cadence Farrell was not a major one. However, the film competed for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. The film brought the actress attention, leading to two films that would soon make her a household name. Primary signing roles: He follows And guest.

Maika Monroe's horror movie dominance began with It Follows.

Monroe plays the lead role of Jimmy “Jay” Hite in David Robert Mitchell's indie horror film. He followsIn the film, Monroe is a young woman who is haunted by a demonic entity after a sexual encounter, and can only be stopped if she has sexual intercourse with someone else. It's like a twisted version of a chain letter about sexually transmitted diseases with a touch of horror. He followsMonroe proves she is capable of playing many different sides of the character.

Jay is traumatized by the events she finds herself in but she is also very active, showing the vulnerability and strength needed to make the audience root for her and hope to break the unfortunate cycle she has become a part of. The best thing about her performance is that her feelings are sometimes conveyed through what she doesn’t say. It’s a very expressive portrayal, with Monroe captivating the audience with just a glance. She creates a tangible connection with the audience; Without it, He follows It won't work as well as it does..

It's a quality that many critics noticed while watching the film. Monroe received almost universal acclaim for her performance.with one review in particular summarizing why its performance is so important for DNA. He followsIn his review of Real Fuse In 2014, James Berardinelli said, “Monroe in particular exploits this opportunity to the fullest. You can feel her desperation; she sells the situation. The scene where her character, Jay, wakes up in a hospital room shows how well she can deliver a performance – her terror and vulnerability are real.”

Maiko Monroe has seen more success with the guest.

guestThe 2014 film is also not a horror film in the classic sense, but it has thriller elements that make it fit into the genre. Monroe plays Anna Peterson, a member of a family who is unexpectedly visited by an American soldier named David Collins (Dan Stevens), who introduces himself as a friend of Laura Peterson's (Sheila Kelley) son, who died while serving in Afghanistan. It's a simple setup that grows more mysterious and complicated when deaths occur after David's arrival and Anna Monroe begins to suspect that he may have had something to do with them.

Anna is a completely different character from Jay in He followsIf her first experience in the horror genre gave her a more vulnerable character, guest The film allowed Monroe to play a tougher, more assertive character. The character has softer sides, especially when it comes to her relationship with her brother Luke (Brendan Meyer), but this character doesn’t wait for things to happen to her. Once she starts to suspect that something isn’t right with David, she doesn’t hide in a corner; she starts matching wits with a character who is 100% serious and not like the men Anna is used to putting in their place.

In the movie review of WatchmanAdam Fleet said, “guestreleased in the same year. He followsMonroe finds himself once again on the run from an unstoppable killer; at least in guest“She has more power over the escalating situation as she tries to uncover the truth about her family's unexpected visitor.”

Monroe also starred in the 2022 film Watcher.

before long legs, He follows And guest Her work is likely to be most well-known in this genre, but she also starred in films that followed, such as the wicked, How to be alone, observer And significant otherThese are horror films that touch on different aspects of the genre, but at the heart of these films is a focused performance from Monroe that elevates each aspect individually.

Take 2022 observerFor example, Monroe plays Julia, one half of a couple who move to Bucharest and live in an apartment with a large window. Julia is often left alone while her husband Francis (Karl Glassman) is at work, and she begins to be watched by a man in the building across the street. The situation drives Julia to the point of paranoia, and it gets worse when she learns that there is a serial killer on the loose who is known for beheading women. As the film progresses, The audience has to find out if Julia is really being watched. Or if it's just the pressure of being in an unfamiliar place that's causing her to lose her grip on reality.

observer The film works primarily because Monroe is able to play both sides of the character. The audience is concerned about Julia because someone might be stalking her, but there is also an uneasy feeling that Julia might be losing her mind. It is a very precise performance. Monroe's growing talents are evident in her projects. A good horror movie needs a character that the audience can root for and even question at times. Monroe gives viewers both individual and ensemble performances. observerIn a review of the film by time out“Monroe was brilliant at turning Julia’s growing paranoia into a source of both sympathy and mistrust,” Anna Bogutskaya said. “She becomes the stalker, tracking down the man she believes is watching her. The film makes us wonder if she is really being stalked or if it’s all in her head.”

Longlegs cement Maika Monroe's status as the ultimate girl

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with long legsMonroe enters a new level of maturity as FBI agent Lee Harker, someone with undeniable instincts in her field but also someone who harbors deep, buried wounds. In her pursuit of a sadistic serial killer known as “Longlegs” (Nicolas Cage), Lee goes through a character journey as she begins to discover more about the past that may connect her to the killer she has been hunting.

In less experienced hands, this would be a closed performance, devoid of much emotion, but Monroe makes the audience curious about what Lee might have in store for him.Cage's serial killer, who was hidden in most of the film's marketing, may have lured viewers into seeing long legsBut Monroe dominates the film's runtime, and it's her journey that ultimately shapes the film. Without Monroe's outstanding performance, long legs The film was not going to be a huge success, and its climax was certainly going to be a flop.

Maika Monroe has been a gift to horror movies, not only because she seems to love them but also because she has been wise about the roles she chooses to play. It’s a genre that can be a bit of a stretch for women, especially in the present day, but Monroe has made sure to seek out characters that don’t fit into typical horror movie categories. Recently, Monroe spoke about horror movie roles for women with diverse, Some have objected to this, but there is truth in what she said.

“When I started, horror movies were moving away from pretty girls running around covered in blood, to interesting, unique, layered characters and stories. There are so many more credible female roles within the genre now.”

Monroe doesn't say that stereotypical roles have always been offered to women in the horror genre. She's smart enough to have known Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson and Sidney Prescott before her, but there's truth to the roles she was offered when she first came to prominence. He followsThe good thing about her self-awareness is that she seems determined to play characters within the genre that break stereotypes and are more complex than women are usually presented with. It's this intuition that makes Monroe a true final girl of a generation that fans will continue to follow. long legs In theaters now.