Longlegs
In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.
Despite its modest budget of $10.0M, Longlegs became a box office phenomenon, earning $128.0M worldwide—a remarkable 1180% return. The film's unconventional structure attracted moviegoers, demonstrating that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
9 wins & 32 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Longlegs (2024) showcases precise plot construction, characteristic of Osgood Perkins's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 41 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1974 prologue: Young Lee encounters the pale, disturbing figure of Longlegs outside her childhood home in winter. Her mother warns her to stay inside. Establishes Lee's psychic abilities and creates immediate atmosphere of dread.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Agent Carter assigns Lee to the "Longlegs" cold case: a series of murder-suicides spanning decades where fathers killed their families with no prior warning. Cryptic coded messages signed "Longlegs" found at each scene.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Lee receives first direct communication from Longlegs: a coded birthday message addressed specifically to her. Shocking realization—Lee herself fits the victim profile (born on the 14th). She fully commits to solving the case, now understanding it's personal., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 53% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat False victory: FBI raids Longlegs' property and captures him alive. Major shift from hunter to interrogator. When brought in, Longlegs recognizes Lee personally, saying "There she is... The birthday girl." The game changes—this is no longer about catching an unknown killer but confronting a nemesis who knows her., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Longlegs commits suicide in FBI custody, biting his tongue and bleeding out while singing "Happy Birthday." Dies before revealing full truth. The "whiff of death"—not just his physical death, but the death of easy answers and Lee's hope for simple resolution., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 84% of the runtime. Ruth reveals one final family is targeted: Agent Carter's wife and daughter. The doll has already been delivered. Lee gains clarity—she must save this innocent family despite the personal cost. Synthesis of her FBI training and her psychic gifts. She chooses action over paralysis, breaks from her mother's control., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Longlegs's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Longlegs against these established plot points, we can identify how Osgood Perkins utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Longlegs within the crime genre.
Osgood Perkins's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Osgood Perkins films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Longlegs represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Osgood Perkins filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Batman Forever and 12 Rounds. For more Osgood Perkins analyses, see Gretel & Hansel.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1974 prologue: Young Lee encounters the pale, disturbing figure of Longlegs outside her childhood home in winter. Her mother warns her to stay inside. Establishes Lee's psychic abilities and creates immediate atmosphere of dread.
Theme
Ruth Harker to young Lee: "I saved you." The theme of maternal protection through dark bargains and inherited evil is introduced, though its full meaning won't be revealed until the collapse.
Worldbuilding
Present day 1990s: Lee Harker is now an FBI agent in Salem, Oregon. We see her exceptional intuitive abilities during field work, her isolated and analytical personality, and her methodical approach to investigation.
Disruption
Agent Carter assigns Lee to the "Longlegs" cold case: a series of murder-suicides spanning decades where fathers killed their families with no prior warning. Cryptic coded messages signed "Longlegs" found at each scene.
Resistance
Lee investigates crime scenes and evidence. Discovers pattern: all families have daughters born on the 14th of the month. Growing occult symbolism in coded messages. Realizes Longlegs was never physically present at murders. Agent Carter mentors and protects Lee as she delves deeper.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Lee receives first direct communication from Longlegs: a coded birthday message addressed specifically to her. Shocking realization—Lee herself fits the victim profile (born on the 14th). She fully commits to solving the case, now understanding it's personal.
Mirror World
Lee visits sole survivor Carrie Anne Camera, now catatonic and institutionalized. This relationship mirrors Lee's potential fate—what happens to daughters who survive Longlegs' influence. Represents the psychological destruction Lee is trying to prevent.
Premise
Deep investigation unfolds: Lee visits her strange, religious mother Ruth seeking childhood answers. Discovers Longlegs' identity as Dale Kobble, a former craftsman who made life-sized dolls. Connects the dolls to murders—each family received one before the killings. Dolls contain something supernatural that influences the fathers.
Midpoint
False victory: FBI raids Longlegs' property and captures him alive. Major shift from hunter to interrogator. When brought in, Longlegs recognizes Lee personally, saying "There she is... the birthday girl." The game changes—this is no longer about catching an unknown killer but confronting a nemesis who knows her.
Opposition
Lee interrogates Longlegs who speaks in cryptic riddles about "the man downstairs" (Satan) and reveals he makes dolls with occult powers—metal orbs placed inside. He hints at an accomplice who delivered the dolls. Lee's flashbacks intensify. She begins suspecting her mother's involvement. Pressure and dread build as truth approaches.
Collapse
Longlegs commits suicide in FBI custody, biting his tongue and bleeding out while singing "Happy Birthday." Dies before revealing full truth. The "whiff of death"—not just his physical death, but the death of easy answers and Lee's hope for simple resolution.
Crisis
Lee confronts her mother Ruth at home. Devastating revelation: Ruth has been Longlegs' accomplice for decades, delivering possessed dolls as a fake social worker. Flashback shows Longlegs came to kill Lee's family when she was 9—Ruth made a deal to spare Lee by becoming his helper. A doll of young Lee exists in their basement. Lee's entire life has been a lie.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Ruth reveals one final family is targeted: Agent Carter's wife and daughter. The doll has already been delivered. Lee gains clarity—she must save this innocent family despite the personal cost. Synthesis of her FBI training and her psychic gifts. She chooses action over paralysis, breaks from her mother's control.
Synthesis
Lee races to Carter's home. Finds him beginning to act under the doll's influence while his daughter Ruby plays with it. Violent confrontation ensues. Ruth appears trying to maintain the dark bargain. Lee shoots and kills her own mother, then shoots Carter to stop him from killing his family. Destroys the possessed doll, breaking the curse. Saves Ruby.
Transformation
Aftermath: Carter survives, family is safe. Lee sits alone with young Ruby. Final disturbing image suggests Lee may now be influenced or corrupted by the evil she fought. Ambiguous ending—has she broken the cycle or become part of it? The isolated, haunted look mirrors the opening, but she's fundamentally changed, carrying the weight of matricide and dark knowledge.