When a film triggers your childhood fear

[@SpikimaMovies]

Here's the big question. Is there ANYONE here besides me who's actually seen that picture before? EDIT: Part 2 of this video, where I talk about the story, and the origin of this picture, is now up! Check it out :)

[@qurimpv3]

He-he-hell naw

[@shaggyzaza-o5v]

That’s genuinely terrifying but I would love to know more

[@adamjirihikl8116]

I think i have seen something similar. It reminds me of primary school when my classmates tried to scare each other

[@archiox0628]

Never seen it, but from the lighting and makeup, i agree that it's probably from asian horror. Mabe Filipino or Vietnamese. Do share though, where is it from?

[@cookieanddabutt2843]

Can't believe The Fall is available. I loved the visuals in The Cell. So beautiful and brilliant. Vincent played every scene perfectly. Couldn't find The Fall anywhere. I didn't like Pace back then and didn't watch the film. Love him in Foundation. Right on time! Thanks for letting us know!

[@javax6]

Your deep personal relationship to horror is what makes you stand out. Ever since I watched that first video on Kairo I've always been struck by your style. I'd love to hear more about that picture but of course only if you're comfortable doing it.

[@riaboke2654]

He has a deep understanding of what makes a horror movie horror. He gives creditable analysis and objective pov 😭😭😭

[@alizahhassan1702]

Does anyone else also feel a sense of eerie stillness with his voice overs and editing style? I dont know if it's the way he breaks down his analysis in invisible bullet points

[@rebekahm6672]

The photo part made me flinch and scream in the theater. The rest of the movie felt so silent but the scene was so loud

[@TobiBaronski]

Ye the movie felt like a fucking youtube poop at times

[@kat3217]

I saw it at an early screening in LA… guess a lot of ppl there were seasoned horror fans bc I was the only one in my section who let out a yelp at that part! It was so so so scary

[@James4791zx]

I have this film but that bit still got me in this video😂

[@ulyanak.1596]

The image is from the Korean movie Woman's Wail (1986)

[@nerd9552]

Thank you! i reverse image searched and you beat me to it 😆

[@RainTheStrawberry]

i searched it up and regret it so bad omg

[@danhouston4931]

​@@RainTheStrawberry The related images are brutal

[@nicolebogda1482]

…now I want to see the flick

[@MegaFrannypants]

Ah! Thank you!

[@mylamename14]

The name Longlegs is so reminiscent of “the Boogeyman”. A made-up term for a child’s worst nightmare. And, like a nightmare, Longlegs haunts Lee’s entire life despite her not remembering Kobble specifically. A depiction of the very real traumatic response of repressing and forgetting something awful.

[@paulsillanpaa8268]

Apparently, "Daddy Longlegs" used to be a term for an older man preying upon a younger, naive woman or girl. It's based on a Fred Astaire character from a movie of the same name, and for people of a certain age it was synonymous for a creeper. As in, you're at a college party and there's a fifty year old professor hanging out with the students "Who invited Daddy Longlegs over there?"

[@lydiaboll2872]

Yep! Might not remember specifically what the Wormy images from SpongeBob looked like, but god knows I’m screaming my head off if a butterfly gets too close to me (a monarch, same one used in that episode, got too close to me while I was swinging at my dad’s and I had a meltdown in the park).

[@splash4890]

@@paulsillanpaa8268well, besides that, the title of the film was meant to be symbolically and extremely simple. The Longlegs title on him is because of his large influence on her life and others despite not even having to be there most of the time. Extending and using his (long) legs. Your description implies that he was pedophilic, but it’s quite clear Longlegs had more sinister characteristics and motives than even that.

[@retr0_117-6]

That is a great piece of writing, my friend; you just... explained everything so brilliantly. congrats.

[@billyworkmna]

Ough, you're a talented editor with the reveal of that photo. You cultivated a really impressive sense of build up and the payoff was genuinely incredibly unsettling. Actually put me in a state with that, I felt exactly what kind of dread you wanted to convey.

[@HarrisForte-bo2rh]

Ough

[@artsii-ghost]

Ough

[@LofiDragonBeatz]

Ough

[@charlie906]

Ough

[@enby_kensei]

The feeling I got from watching Longlegs kind of reminds me of how I felt while watching Skinamarink. Skinamarink recaptured that childhood fear of the dark and being alone without my parents. Longlegs triggered that feeling of looking back at a childhood memory as an adult and realizing, "...Oh, what happened to me that day was kind of fucked up."

[@extofer]

Yes! Skinamarink is a perfect example. I felt a lot of dread during that film and reminded me of when I was young in the 80’s and scared of the dark. It’s as if those old forgotten fears just came back.

[@toaster4975]

Skinamarink is a creative film with depth. Longlegs is a clusterfuck of tired ideas with a terrible score and a pathetically boring story. Don't compare art to crap.

[@maxkproductions]

@@toaster4975 I take it you're easily impressed by cheap, boring experiments as long as it makes you feel smart?? Longlegs sucks but it's on par with Skinamarink

[@extofer]

@@toaster4975 it’s all subjective. Plenty of people like Longlegs even if it doesn’t float your boat.

[@kidsamsa]

Skinamarink is easily the scariest film I’ve ever seen for that reason. It hit me in such a personal way, dredged up so many scary memories. Longlegs definitely did the same for the first 30 or so. Unfortunately once they explained things it fell pretty flat.

[@adoresessy101]

This is me with the internet meme picture of that "have you seen this man in your dreams?" IDK WHY, but that face brings out a VISCERAL fear reaction out of me. I clicked on this video thinking MAYBE it was about that face and I LITERALLY scrolled the video up so I can listen to this like a podcast incase that face shows up lol. It's not the same face we're talking about, but I can relate!

[@tmdtt]

Same here. I was also anticipating that picture for some reason. I realise now that's the face of fear for me.

[@LottePea]

Same!

[@zltakc]

@tmdtt totally thought it was gonna tie in with nicholas cage in dream scenario which adapts that meme in a comical way. goddamn yall i just looked it up and it was just an art project! im finally free from the idea that im gonna see that man irl one day 😭

[@luv4eva1111]

omg me too it always made me feel some sort of primal fear like nothings right nobody is safe to interact with and idk why bc its just a picture😞😞 but im glad im not alone in it!!

[@loveserenity9872]

SAMMEEE Even though I know the dream thing wasn’t real it still scares me I genuinely don’t understand how a lot of horror characters don’t scare me but an off looking drawing of a man does

[@aesthetistic]

This movie genuinely creates an eerie atmosphere that you can sense it from the very first scene and then it slowly grows and intensifies just like in Hereditary.

[@ataridc]

Legs was too long 🦵 🦵

[@daveauburn1561]

I'm sorry but I think its criminal to compare Hereditary to Longlegs. Hereditary is easily the best horror movie of the last 25 years and will be studied for generations to come. Top 3 of all time.

[@юлиязверкова-й1ш]

can’t be compared🤷🏻‍♀️

[@BioCraftHero]

⁠@@daveauburn1561As someone who likes horror, while I do agree that Hereditary is a fantastic film, I disagree in it being held up so highly. The comparison to Longlegs is quite apt, especially considering how both films deal with themes surrounding trauma and the deconstruction of the "traditional family structure." Even though both films have the same core premise (satanic/demonic influences destroying the lives of families and children), they take it in two distinct directions, which I think makes comparison not just accurate but very interesting!

[@daveauburn1561]

@@BioCraftHero hereditary is an infinitely better film than Longlegs imo, and in general a brilliant film even outside of horror (an opinion shared by Scorsese as well). Toni Collette’s performance is already considered one of the best performances to have not been nominated for an Oscar. The writing is infinitely better, and the narrative is significantly more cohesive. Hereditary also doesn’t leave any loose ends, which Longlegs is a huge culprit of, to the point where it almost comes off as pretentious.

[@alisa_edits4354]

He's so brave for talking about this. It's always hard to reveal your biggest fears and come to face them.

[@stanislavlitviak18]

Finally someone talked about this aspect of the movie! It made the viewing much more intense for me as well, the way the movie depicts and deals with the hollow pain of remembering (but not quite the same thing as initially experienced) and trying to make sense of it. Thank you for your video :)

[@mjgfromDDD]

Fear can change and transform as we get older, handling it also does the same. Thank you for doing this and handling it in a way your younger self would be at peace with.

[@bamb0ostick]

I had a very primal reaction to the box scene in Longlegs too. I blame myself for watching the movie alone in a dark airplane. I was surrounded in cold darkness with total strangers around me. The scene made me recoil in fear like if I were a child. I totally understand your reaction to it, I myself didn't have a childhood fear associated with it, but it still gave me the same effect.

[@bianca7614]

Same. I haven’t gotten jumpscared that hard in years. My body tensed up so fast I almost got cramps in my calves and my chest physically hurt. It was extremely effective!

[@DebTheDevastator]

The build-up to the photo was so good. The picture was creepy, and if I didn't have trauma from someone important to me making fun of my fear as a child of movies, images, or ghost stories in general it would be very haunting.

[@daniilashurov135]

The build up to picture reveal is even more tense, than what Longlegs achieved)

[@paul.warlock]

Thank you for this video! I saw so much hate for longlegs when it personally scared TF out of me and it’s for this very reason! It’s so uneasy, so anxiety inducing, etc. the opening scene where Dale says he brought his long legs and bends down had my heart pounding. When he was revealed, we were hyping up his face for so long, and then to see it’s just a really uncanny guy with really bad plastic surgery perpetrating these scared me too because he was at no point humanized despite looking like an off human, like he’s literally some demon himself wearing human skin. I loved this movie

[@seventeenthirtyeight]

IKRRR SAME; all the lingering shots and background visuals had me full of anxiety throughout the whole movie

[@thebarghestiest]

God as a child who was so frightened of freaky imagery that I literally went to therapy for the level of anxiety I experienced (that cover from the IT miniseries....ugh) who grew into a horror loving adult, this hit so hard!

[@DruDruia]

7:37 yes. Yes we do

[@januaryXvictim]

Agreed

[@nobinobitre]

Woman’s wail (1986) South Korea

[@ThomasMoya-uw5yh]

We wanna know the origin

[@realblood8441]

​@@nobinobitrewow that's make it less scary thanks man

[@cosmiceggs2385]

While I've never seen that specific image, I can relate to your experience. There were photos I saw on the internet as a kid that made me extremely scared and I just couldn't force my head to stop thinking about it. I think the major one for me was Smile Dog. I could tell myself it was a heavily edited image of a random dog, but I couldn't get the image out of my head. It was made even worse with the story behind the image. And I'm sure there's other pictures that scared me more, but I might be pushing them down as well.

[@amandamcintyre8159]

Same here with those damn creepy pasta images. I'm embarrassed to say they got me so bad, especially considering some I never saw until I was already an adult. But they get burned into your head. The more I think about them, the worse the feeling gets. Truly feels like a curse.

[@lydiaboll2872]

@@amandamcintyre8159 Russian Sleep Experiment and Jeff The Killer, especially the latter.

[@Belenus3080]

Jeff the killer freaked me out big time when I first saw it. Doesn’t have any effect now but it genuinely frightened me when I saw it when I was young

[@kidsamsa]

Jeff the Killer scared the crap outta me. I think part of the reason why people searched so hard for the unedited image was because part of them needed a full, rational explanation was their kid selves.

[@JordanVanRyn]

This was hands down a brilliant analysis video on this film. You hit so many on the nose points about why Longlegs definitely unnerved me. When I was a kid, I remembered that aside from my fear of Sharks and heights, it was scary faces in childhood movies (ex: "Pinocchio", "Brave Little Toaster", "Wizard of Oz", etc.) and creepy people that used to freak me out. What makes our skin crawl when we see a scary face on someone is that it gives us the sense that this person is not trustworthy and the initiative of the "fight or flight" response. Nicolas Cage basically nailed this performance that I shudder at his role.

[@Johnconno]

The dwarf turning around near the end of Don't Look Now. His realisation just before it happens.

[@Ryoufriggingserious]

That movie is creepy good.

[@bennie1079]

Reminds me a bit of the valve intro, with the bald guy with a valve in his head. I still don’t know where this is official, but in SOME valve games, he turns around to look at you. And coming from someone who has played a ton of team fortress 2, a game where the man doesn’t turn around, him suddenly turning to face you was fucking TERRIFYING. Imagine playing your favorite game for 4-5 years, and one day you decide to play a new game from the same company, when after booting up the game, the company’s mascot turns to look at you! Something you haven’t experienced in the 5 years of experience you’ve already accumulated. That shit got me

[@fnaf1983-RWQFSFASXC]

@@bennie1079 I played both Portal games for the first time recently. I thought the static image of that guy in the first game was weird, but not creepy. When I first opened Portal 2, and he half-turned towards me, THAT was unsettling.

[@Doom_scroll_generation]

I've had the exact same thing happen with the police composite sketch of Derrick Todd Lee (way, way, way before it went mini-viral. I'm 33). It actually happened to me with a bunch of composite sketches, but this one was the worst. I don't know you but I am SO PROUD of what you did for this video. You'll realise what a good idea it was as time goes by (in the beginning it can feel like it was a mistake). Also please don't feel like "apologizing" for how regular this picture might possibly seem like to other people. It's all about context and age. And with context and age in mind, let me tell you, it seems absolutely traumatising. Lastly, I hope this video inspires more grown-ups to make the children they were proud. ❤

[@bianca7614]

Beautiful comment!!

[@ardhiton2528]

selene delgado?

[@Doom_scroll_generation]

@ardhiton2528 hahaha yes, he's the nice fellow whose sketch was altered in the creation of this selene delgado shi

[@kidsamsa]

That sketch is so fucking creepy. And it doesn’t even look like him!

[@TheSykobanana]

Despite not seeing it before, i NEED to know about that photo now.

[@alexandrahill9176]

I will admit, despite the film's scenic beauty and the uncanny-ness of Long Legs himself, I was underwhelmed by the scares of this movie after seeing it. But after you explained how you truly understood the terror this film brought you in such a personal way and how you related to Agent Harker, I think I now understand the true horror of the plot. There's an image from a horror movie I saw 20+ years ago that can still give me the same reaction Harker had when she found her picture if I'm in a fragile state of mind. It's been less scary to me the past couple of years and it's easier to burn the image out of my head, but it still gives me a hell of an adrenaline rush when I first see it. That image is one from "The Ring" of the girl found dead in her closet. Just typing it out now is making my heart beat faster; I was going to describe it but I think I'll leave it for people to look up themselves.

[@njdotson]

The funny thing is I actually saw that movie after seeing the image and was just reminded of the other times I've seen it

[@wintergirll]

Dread.

[@breannaxo]

This gave me a new appreciation for the depth of this movie. I, too, have been haunted my entire life by an image from a particular horror film I saw when I was very, very young. Unfortunately for me, it’s a popular film, so I’m retraumatized quite frequently. But every time it happens, it feels just like the scene from Longlegs. Plot twist aside, I like thinking about Lee’s awkward, despondent demeanor as her being in a post-traumatic dissociative state, and her “halfway psychic” powers being hypervigilance. She’s us, haunted by an unwanted memory. Waiting for it to come back, not knowing when, just knowing when it’s near. All this to say, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to make this video. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. Bravo. And thanks for making me feel not so alone in the world with my irrational childhood fear.

[@unfinished8kt]

Is it Samara from the ring? This girl in my highschool was talking about one day, said it was the scariest thing she ever saw and felt like she was haunted by it

[@nicolebogda1482]

Mine is more mainstream too, thankfully as I got older, actually saw the film (several times) it lost it’s nightmare fuelled power over me.

[@tylociraptor8131]

@@unfinished8kt For a few weeks after seeing the Japanese original in highschool, i could get started by someone flipping their hair over their face

[@tomemyscoobies]

As much as it pains me to hear other people have experienced this deep-seated level of trauma, I'm glad to see I'm not alone in experiencing this. It changes your psychological development at a time that your brain is particularly susceptible to fear.

[@jinjoo7092]

@@unfinished8kt for sooo long I was incredibly scared of Samara but simply because I had heard tales of it and seen promotional pictures or dvd covers only. Then at like 20 something I watched the original japanese movie. I loved it but it didn’t freak me out. I was like "all of that crazy fear as a kid for that?" But I was also a very scaredy kid. Things that weren’t scary scared me. I had a very chaotic, rough childhood, could barely ever sleep and had nightmares constantly. It’s crazy how things change when you get out of your own living nightmare - now no movies can scare me. Now, real life scares me more - and yet, I don’t suffer like I did when I was young. The brain does weird things as coping mechanisms.

[@k-sdesssd122]

At first i was 100% sure you were talking about "Have you dreamt with this man?", wich was my personal scary face image that scarred me as a kid. Very interesting how we as people can have so different yet similar experiences that make us relate to horror, because i was dreading the idea that the image that scared me so many years ago would appear on screen on this video.

[@thechickenchannel8713]

You did an amazing job of building up to that picture, when I saw it it was 1 in the morning and the genuine dread I felt definitely felt like the one you had described. Well done.

[@jsnification]

When i was young, 9 or 10 my asshole stepdad showed me a picture that was somehow in the newspaper... He laughed and said "look at this!" and showed me a pic of a young teen who got impaled by a speared fence post through the back of his head and out his mouth. He was still alive.. and had medical assistance cut it away.... but that image and my fuckall stepshit laughing about it scarred me for life. 1980's.

[@liloni444]

watch your language kid

[@CoolUsername7723]

@@liloni444they are probably not a kid anymore tho

[@Fuzzysea693]

@@CoolUsername7723well if they were 9 in the 1980s of course they aren’t a kid 😂

[@CoolUsername7723]

@ oh yea 😭😭oops

[@sagittariuskirby]

Your stepdad sounds demented

[@rezzwastaken]

Thank you for opening up about your fear. It’s so much more interesting when you find a personal connection with a movie-and even better when it helps you overcome some fears or struggles. I really loved the movie, and one of its most underrated aspects is the mother’s commitment and dedication to the quest. It’s incredible how she maintained her motivation and discipline just to protect her daughter, despite their strained relationship. It was creepy and weird, but it also felt meaningful to me.

[@marmiteghost]

amazing job building up to the image. without context, you're right - it'd probably just be a typical horror movie still to me. but the way you laid out everything so well almost forced the image to stick in my memory long after the video ended. i'll admit i even held my breath during the countdown.

[@peggy237]

What Longlegs did for you, Skinamarink did for me.

[@Cristalskulle]

Yeah Skinamarink scared me the same way horror films would when i was a kid. I haven't been terified like that in a very long time...

[@peggy237]

​​@@CristalskulleFr, i honestly thought my childhood fear of the dark, or more specifically, the fear of finding myself being left alone in the dark, was completely gone. But then i watched Skinamarink...

[@Halcyon485]

Same

[@Cristalskulle]

@@peggy237 yeah exactly, for a couple of months I was scared every time I needed to get up at night, I just kept hearing the voice of the entity talking to the kids, especially "put the knife in your eye" 😓

[@Osh123-2]

They both had same effect on me

[@emieru]

Rarely I get chills from a piece of media, but I loved how you built up the tension, I genuinely was a bit afraid to see the picture and then I shuddered! Loved the video

[@giacor8062]

this was genuinely the scariest video i have ever seen. i'm so uncomfortable. good job.

[@samjuan1332]

I always find your contents really interesting. Keep up the good work mate.

[@SpikimaMovies]

Appreciate it. Will do.

[@bananafriends1847]

I do think sometimes spikima edited the films in such a stylised and narratively intriguing manner it almost detached from the aforementioned films and become an entity of itself especially so when it’s a film that I haven’t watched, I’d get different nuances and preconceptions after actually watching the films

[@crowley4081]

easily one of the best videos you've made. I loved longlegs, and hearing your personal connections made me appreciate the film, and you, more

[@cloverkill]

Never had a movie analysis video makes me almost cry?? Amazing work

[@lydiaboll2872]

Literally same! FFS, my heart rate is up.

[@ignorantrempit]

Most of the time when someone criticises a scene in a movie for being borderline comedic, I find that it's always a scene that is intended to be funny to begin with.

[@Waggsification]

Absolutely excellent video. You captured the tone of Longlegs perfectly and even made me afraid to see the photo for myself.

[@BrentonDevs]

This is one of my favorite theater experiences ever When Longlegs smashed his face into the table I backed up into my seat a couple inches. Fantastic atmosphere in this film! Love the content, I’m always excited for a new video 🎉

[@Sirene1134]

Another great video. I've had similar experiences with encountering unsettling pictures on the internet as a youth so I'm really sympathetic with your experience and having it drudged up watching Longlegs. I'm grateful for you digging into a personal trauma to make this video for us and I hope the process managed to help you unpack some of it and heal a bit. Also, controversial take, but I loved Longlegs lol It's absolutely not a perfect film (which doesn't exist anyways), and the ending made me sit for a while and think about whether or not I liked the film, but overall I think the work Oz does and his own personal baggage he put into the film makes for a great viewing experience. Unfortunately I think people really got sucked into the red herring that was Longlegs from the marketing and put a lot of expectations onto the film for it to play out a certain way. So when it didn't go how they expected, they were disappointed. Which may be a good argument for those folk not to watch trailers anymore lol

[@nicolebogda1482]

Interesting POV regarding the marketing~ I thought it was brilliant actually. Not just the Uncanny effect it had, but the fact: Once you see Cage is in it, ppl set an expectation. I think hiding that fact alone & letting the audience form opinions NOT based on that, brings a truer quality to the part he played.

[@magicalcat9963]

You described perfectly how I felt when I was little about the Leprechaun horror movie, I was very little, around like maybe 5 or 6, and I remember walking in on my grandma watching a horror movie, I was used to it. I don’t remember if this was a real scene in the movie or my mind making it much worse, but I remember vividly, the leprechaun jumping onto a child and start digging and tearing into their ear pulling out gold coins as the child or maybe adult? Was screaming. I remember I was terrified, I had nightmares, I still think about that scene. I haven’t watched the full movie yet, I plan to. I think the long legs movie and your take on how you interpret the scenes is a really good analysis! Honestly i think my fear is also what drove my curiosity for most horror films and media!

[@CrabbChips]

they were an adult

[@shamblepants1450]

My childhood trauma face was from the movie 'Black Sabbath', a 1963 anthology film by Mario Bava. It's the face of the dead medium in the third story, 'A Drop of Water'. That gave me years of terrible nights...and yet...I'd watch the dang thing again whenever it showed up on t.v. This retraumatizing of myself is probably a study in itself, but it also might explain why horror fiction is so important to me. Thank you for the amazing video. And personally, I think 'Longlegs' is the finest thing I've seen this year. But that's just my opinion.

[@Sarah-qx4vz]

I’ll need to check it out. For me, it was the scene of the twins from the shining. I was so young and the symmetry of that shot terrified me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them. I was so scared to even look down the hall of my house for years.

[@shamblepants1450]

@Sarah-qx4vz Yikes! With the centered cinematography of 'Longlegs' and the hallway stretching in 'The Substance', this must have been a challenging year in horror! Filmmakers weren't playing around this year! The one other movie face that traumatized me as a young teen was the face of possessed Regan in 'The Exorcist'. I had a lot of problems being on my own in our creaky old house for a long time.

[@sydposting]

The Fall is my FAVORITE movie! I'll have to watch the restored version and see how it lines up compared to my original DVD copy. I'm so glad to see it reaching a broader audience! Also, your essays are always so crisply edited, but this one especially had me at full attention. I had to pause and search ahead to look at a thumbnail of the image because of the dread you were building up - so well done on both facing your fears and integrating them into your work! I can see why it was so upsetting for you, and I would LOVE to hear more about it. Your storytelling was seriously compelling!

[@zekaizerguy1181]

Brilliant. One thing that always gives me chills in horror, is when something that doesn't even need to be all that scary in itself, becomes an object of terror through a warped and tortured childhood memory.

[@victorko13]

I've had the exact same experience with another picture. In my case it was/is Jeff the Killer (you can laugh if you want lol). Even in my mid 20's my heart skips a beat whenever I see it unexpectedly, but now it doesn't scare me as much as it did.

[@breakfastttttt]

I can agree that mine was Jeff the Killer also! It's comforting that someone else on the internet has the same image-phobia. I even got a chrome extension so I can manually hide videos where hes in the thumbnail. youtube recommendations kept giving me jumpscares lmao

[@ruliak]

Yes especially because it used to be a pop up that screamed at you and flashed! Gahhh the worst Mine were that, no face, and the woman from The Dream in scary stories to tell in the dark.

[@njdotson]

It's gone away for me over time but it's definitely the scariest image I've ever seen

[@gadiesandlentlemen]

mine was smile dog, surprisingly bahahahah i think it also had to do with the story surrounding the photo- of how he gets stuck in your head and terrorizes your sleep. i think a part of me is still waiting for him to appear in my dreams.

[@bubblegumnnebula]

Nah Jeff the Killer's face is fucking scary, don't let anyone tell you differently

[@natandiaz2911]

The best way i can describe that image is that it gives off the same vibe as the Mystery Man's first appearance in Lost Highway

[@Doom_scroll_generation]

This, and it also reminds me of something from The Exorcist for some reason. What was it? It wasn't Regan's possessed face.

[@BinaryPLUR]

Your video essays on movies are the absolute best, your delivery is so impeccable. Been here since your Nightcrawler essay.

[@shyedit]

mad respect on conquering your fear and capturing the essence of Longlegs in the process! 👏🏼

[@fengyuanzhao352]

Great film essay! Beautiful filmmaking, I LOVE the feeling this movie gave me that night, it was a fun, eerie experience.

[@barrywallisable]

Spectacular video. Wow! Entertaining, insightful, courageous and personal. I believe there are many, many people interested in imagery of all kinds who battle with fears related to that imagery and events from childhood. I know I do and my 10 year old son also struggles with images he can’t forget, that haunt him. Thank you for sharing this video and being brave enough to explain the impact this face has had on you. ❤

[@Neptune_EQ]

I just spent so long looking for it only to realize you revealed it 😭 definitely scary, and I’ve definitely experienced the same thing with different things before.

[@mclare71]

This was brilliant! Thank you for expressing what we all probably feel but perhaps couldn’t identify. Thank you for sharing and facing your own fears. I have an image from childhood as well. I will never forget it. It was an optical illusion photo from the 70’s. It portrayed a woman but if you shifted the page her face became a horrible witch. I never got over that.

[@indyjones299]

Incredible analysis of, what I felt, were the most unique and significant aspects of this film! The uncanny feeling I had watching this in the theaters but with the inability to determine the source cause. And the strange ability of this movie to somehow access a long forgotten childhood fear/memory that was buried deep in my subconscious until the film triggered the recall of it. Thank you for this clear, concise, easy to understand and extremely well edited video that finally allows me to show people what I've been struggling to explain to everyone that I've recommended this great film to!

[@okiedokie4326]

7:29 me after a sip of that cranberry juice:

[@najbwz]

After she says she's on her period

[@shreddedemocheesebag666]

@@najbwzLOLOL

[@kirstyfairly4371]

Thank you for sharing your story about your childhood fear. I had a very similar experience as a kid when watching the made for tv version of The Woman In Black. There's one moment towards the end of that movie that terrified me as a kid in a way that nothing has really been able to as an adult, & to this day if i ever rewatch that movie i still find myself unable to look at that particular image, & get creeped out even just thinking about it.

[@Jungkith]

Omg that image is absolutely terrifying😭

[@tychuk5802]

Thanks for sharing that with us. If you want to share more with us about the picture, I think folks would benefit from your story of facing that fear. That being said, it's a super personal experience, so don't push yourself. Another great video, cheers!

[@kimotee5892]

I’m really not a fan of Longlegs for a lot of reasons, but this video definitely gave me a new perspective and deeper appreciation and respect for what it was trying to do. Very insightful!

[@xK4R4x]

1:01 I watched this movie and it freaked me out. I love movies like those.

[@Flower_011]

My personal trauma regarding a picture in the internet was the picture of Momo. It was really popular in 2016 or so and it featured a woman with flat, straight hair, almost looking oily, a pointed chin, big, bulging eyes and most importantly, that damn smile. It still haunts me to this day and if i every see that again i wont be able to sleep for atleast a week.

[@Cyfrik]

Saaaame. That picture still haunts me. For a time I even had nightmares about it. It's probably going to be the last thing to pop up in my head when I die, no matter how long into the future that is.

[@rainy_days444]

im a simple person: i see longlegs, i click

[@hyp3rview]

i appreciate this vulnerability so much. I have a few images in my head that i dread seeing as a kid who has early internet exposure but the one that genuinely makes me scroll youtube with caution in case it comes up in a youtube thumbnail is the Erratas face/police sketch. the proportions, the stark contrast, the eyes…the eyebrows… I don’t know what it is and i’ve asked so many of my friends to look at it and let me know if they feel the same kind of imminent, primal danger as i do but nobody has expressed as such. so as twisted as it is, this video makes me feel a whole lot less alone in knowing that other people have/are experiencing this ❤ thank you spikma!!

[@bubbleproductions1997]

Me too. I still avoid that police sketch like it's the plague. I haven't seen it for around 2 years but if I think about it I get extreme chills.

[@hyp3rview]

@ SAME here!!

[@Ryan6586]

This is like Stewie with robot from the cover of News of the World by Queen. Lol it's comedic but it kind of captures how a certain unsettling picture can latch onto your mind when you are a child. PS that face was terrifying

[@viktorijablazeska9750]

Thank you for sharing something so deeply personal and brilliantly connecting it to the film! I can definitely relate to the idea of seeing a deeply traumatizing image as a child and living with the fear of it somehow resurfacing for years - for me it was an image in one of my textbooks that no one seemeed to be distressed by, but it made that particular year of school absolute hell to the point where I tried to distract the girl sitting next to me in school so she wouldn't flip through the book and accidentally turn to that page, and I pretended to be sick on the day that lesson was due so I could stay at home. The entire year of school became focused around avoiding looking at that page in the book but also making sure no one showed it to me by mistake, and the fear of somehow being faced with it overshadowed everything, it felt like all my irrational decisions were dictated by the fear. The illustration itself was graphic, but not nearly as bad as most of the things freely floating around nowadays - I think it was the fact that I was exposed to it as a sensitive child at such a young age that imprinted it on my memory and made it more terrifying than it should have been. These things aren't easy to face even after years have passed, and I hope talking abou the image that haunted you has brought you healing! Thank you for talking about the aspect of personal horror and trauma in "Longlegs" and relating it to your own experience in a real and raw way. The idea that what we associate with an image can be more terrifying than the image itself because of the way it's imprinted on our minds and haunted us definitely needs to be explored more in horror!

[@annedauphinais4218]

Thank you for making this video! It was absolutely compelling, brilliant and a perfect analysis of a movie that stuck in my mind ever since I left the theater!

[@yvespochara]

Please make a separate video on that terrifying image!

[@outrospector]

This video, is the scariest thing I've ever seen because of how familiar it all feels... the build up to the picture reveal, had me pause it and considering closing the youtube tab, That box moment was this video for me

[@holyn8]

childhood traumas are THE thing that is holding us all back and even turn us evil

[@AlloyParagon5280]

The picture alone is not scary but your set up and storytelling really made me feel a genuine Fear so thankyou I will now be watching all of your content!!

[@beomdear]

i appreciate the comments sharing their experiences with imagery that has scared them since childhood, i finally feel seen a bit with my own reoccuring image that scares me. sadly it's a popular (yet old) children's book that regained popularity this year but it's helpful to know im not the only one. :)

[@ghostla9213]

If it's what I think it is then I 100% feel you, it rarely haunts me anymore but sometimes it strikes back and just messes me up.

[@bubblegumnnebula]

Oh man I can't even imagine what it is. Having a scary image in a children's book is very sinister lol

[@sarpbakrsoy8125]

May I ask, if you don't mind, the name of the book?

[@beomdear]

@@sarpbakrsoy8125 The Bad Case of Stripes

[@rageagainstmyhairline5574]

The elite of movietubers uploads, I come. You're the best, man. Thanks for another great video :)

[@kojiyaw]

The "face" for me was the face of the ghost from the original Japanese movie of The Grudge. I remember arriving at home from kinder that day and my parents and uncles were watching that movie and they tried to scare me with the DVD cover which wad the actual face of the ghost. I remember almost always struggling to sleep because I always imagine the ghost crawling around my bedroom lmao. I've tried to watch the movie a few times now that I'm older but I honestly still struggle to watch it.

[@laurisaarinen1126]

This was interesting, because your trauma of that image reminds me a lot of my experience with a video, except i wasn't a kid, i was 24 or 25, but the impact was almost as severe. Although i have watched it again, even twice since the first time, now at age 32 i'm still scared of it and will probably never get over it completely. It still has an impact on my nightmares and every time i'm alone and close my eyes, my mind starts to obsessively trying to remember how it looked and if i get the image in my mind, my fight or flight gets activated. It's so frustrating when i don't understand why it made me basically feel like i saw the devil, it might be connected to a certain childhood trauma of my own, except that wasn't THIS bad even though i was a child. Your video helped me feel less like i'm actually crazy, so thanks.

[@Doom_scroll_generation]

May I ask if it was a "shock" video? Or was it something otherwise random that still scared you?

[@amandamcintyre8159]

I relate to this 100%

[@laurisaarinen1126]

@@Doom_scroll_generation Not exactly a shock video, but a creepy video for sure. The weird thing is, i am a huge fan of horror and i'm used to it so much that i find most horror movies kind of dull and not scary. That's the extremely confusing part.

[@lydiaboll2872]

@@laurisaarinen1126 Everyone has different horror thresholds. Someone could be bored by Nightmare On Elm Street but be riddled with paranoia after Silence Of The Lambs cuz they find realistic horror more terrifying.

[@hessflix]

Mate, I love how this video essay capture the mood of the film you're speaking about so well, so good

[@beatricewhitcombe]

How very terrifying making this video must’ve been for you… kudos for the bravery it took, and the willingness to commit to so much growth and resolution. I’d LOVE to hear more about your experience and how you worked through it

[@cleanremarks]

I actually love how Longlegs is displayed as almost feckless and pathetic to the young girl in the store. It makes him even more alien and creepy that, to most people, he's just a weird nuisance. It's a heavy contrast to the "threat" of him.

[@bennie1079]

The scary picture for me was the picture used in the eyeless jack creepypasta. A shadowy figure standing directly above you looking down at you sleeping in your bed. That was the scariest shit

[@RobinCould]

I didn't really get why people were so disappointed with this film. I've seen it approximately 4 times with various friends and family since it released and I loved it every single time. It was such an intense film with a lot of foreshadowing that really got under my skin. Maybe people were expecting it to be a jumpscare gore fest with thrills and action, but I knew what I was getting into when I saw the trailer and it hit the mark. While I don't think it was perfect, I do think it was fairly close.

[@chucklebutt4470]

Same here! I've heard people say they were disappointed by the supernatural stuff cuz they wanted a more silence of the lambs thing but I really love how it was subverted.

[@VedderGirrl]

Every single one of your videos is such a treat! The editing, storytelling.. keep ‘em coming!

[@DandyOh]

Mine was Billy the puppet from Saw. I saw like 15 mins of that movie when I was way too young and it scarred me for years. I had a crippling fear of ventriloquist puppets. When I had to go to sleep, I used to wait in my bed with my eyes glued to the crack in the door, waiting for my mom to go to sleep. I also used to check every corner of the attic for a puppet before I went to bed. I didn't feel safe otherwise. I had nightmare upon nightmare upon nightmare about that fking doll, waking up in cold sweat every other night. Finally, I used that movie dead silence to get over it. I'm almost completely numb to it now and I've watched a couple of the Saw movies (they're shit, what was I afraid of), but I still get like a tiny little jolt around my chest area whenever I randomly see that doll's face. I'm glad that experience never limited my love for the Horror genre though. I loved Longlegs from beginning to end btw. Great build up, some lovely creepy shots. Awesome acting by Cage. Loved the ending as well, hardly anything to complain about. It's one of my favorite movies of the year.

[@tommartinart]

I have one of these. When I was about three or four I wandered through a room I wasn’t supposed to and looked at what was on the TV, the adults were watching something that seared itself into me. I’ve been afraid of it since, and I’ve learned what that movie is, and it’s not a terribly frightening movie or anything. When I think about watching it, though, I absolutely can’t. Just thinking about facing that fear is really, really stressful. I’m amazed you were able to do it. I told a social worker friend once about my reaction to thinking about watching it and she said “oh, that’s PTSD, you have PTSD.” When I talk about this I don’t even tell people what the scene or movie was because I’m terrified of people jokingly sending me pictures from it or something. This was really interesting, thank you for talking about it.

[@cole_cain]

please let me know, just for curiousity's sake

[@tristanderoo]

The original Scary Maze game with the face of the girl from the original Exorcist (combined with a terribly nonrelenting scream) did that for me. It haunted me for days, perhaps more than a week. I feared encountering it unexpectedly aswel. It gave me a trauma of horror that made horror much worse for me than it was most of the time for many years. I just could not stand the idea of a jumpscare like that again. A few days ago I played Panicore with a friend. The third stage has a female enemy in it that screams terribly when she is encountered. After surviving two chases in a row, I was nearly stunned, drained, unable to move. My bravery had left me for a moment. But after we finished the stage, I somehow felt stronger with horror. I still didn't dare look at your picture though. ;) Too soon, they say. You did an amazing job at this essay, your storytelling and editing is terrific. You capture everything so well. Thank you.

[@tristanderoo]

I just saw 'your picture'. When my mind was set on facing it, up until seeing it, my heart would almost beat out my chest. Needless to say, I had to cover the screen and pause the clip, because a sudden reveal I would not tolerate. But to me it turned out to be not so scary, perhaps like you expected, although it has a potential that is chilling and I felt that too. Thanks for sharing.

[@03dashk64]

Your analysis and personal experience with Longlegs are awesome. Great breakdown. I am one of the people who felt incredibly let down by Longlegs, but I’m glad you enjoyed it! I know some people loved it.

[@lutfihasani7530]

3:48 Yeah if you have heart problems just skip this part.. Spikima chill on the jumpscares man this made my palms sweat haha

[@lutfihasani7530]

and also please doa video about the photo and the origin

[@8tober]

Dude, thank you so much. I am deal very badly with horror and especially jumpscares and i get scared easily, so thanks a ton! Hope you have a great day!❤

[@scottttt95]

I knew nothing about this film going into the cinema and had seen no marketing. The first scene gave me such a feeling of dread in preparation for the full face reveal. The cut away is perfect and brief enough that it gives you a glimpse of his uncanny facial features but lets your mind fill in the gaps. Longlegs’ face is as scary as you imagine it to be. I actually breathed a sigh of relief at the reveal. Love this movie and great video!

[@Scented_Shadow]

This experience was that one exorcist picture for me. I got got by a jumpscare prank video in the early 2000s-2010's that used it. She haunted me for years in my mind. Still can't really look at it. I tracked down and saved the video that originally got me in its own little playlist right here. One day I will revisit it.

[@cole_cain]

It's insane how almost everyone has this same experience of a certain image just terrorizing you. I've read a lot of the comments and I look up the images they mention and sure it's unsettling but I could never have that perspective they have because, well, I'm not them. For me it was the Happy Death Day face. Was watching The Voice with my grandma and an ad for that came on. I couldn't stop looking at it even though I hated it. Stopped watching KZbin for a couple months when the 2nd one had ads rolling.

[@Yony42]

Man...that feel when Spikima Movies overlays a dotted line into scenes from a film and distresses you all over again but in a different, more lucid manner X__X I do think some more acknowledgement for people's trauma from seeing/experiencing real-life things as a child could be acknowledged briefly, alongside the main (and beautifully done) point of how visual media can traumatize you as a child. Doesn't take away from the idea of this video, just feel it could be added. I think Possum (2018) is a good companion to this movie. If you haven't seen it, I hope you do! Thank you!

[@ocrezu-u7w]

i remember watching longlegs in theatres and being starstruck with the movie, and far from from scared. then night rolled around, and the sheer *idea* of longlegs and his image started to loiter in my head, and paranoia got the better of me. i can totally relate to that feeling of not being able to get a picture out of your mind and longlegs played with it and portrayed it perfectly. didn't understand psychological horror before but now i do.

[@CouchEconomyTX]

For me, it was an illustration of la llorona from a childrens picture book. It was after she drowned in the river. Her body was gray or brown, I can't remember exactly, and behind her was a desert landscape at night. The image HAUNTED me for years. It would stay in my head every time i closed my eyes. That image was the reason why I would always reach my hand into a room to turn the light on before i entered it. I only moved past it in the 3rd grade once I had forgotten the exact details.

[@edgargein_singz7221]

This was such a good video. Thank you so much for being courageous to talk about your experience

[@Warrior1Spartan]

I had that happen to me once. I was watching "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" when I was a kid. There was an episode where a woman insulted the woman who did her hair. So, the hairdresser placed a curse of ugliness on her. At first, she thought nothing of it. But as time went on, people started keeping away from her. She lost her job or left it, her fiancé left her, etc. She tried calling the hairdresser to apologize only to find out that she was on vacation for another 3 months. And the whole time, the camera doesn't show her face. As a last resort, she calls some kind of dermatologist to see if he can help her. He tries some creams and other things before giving her a hand mirror to see if it was helping. The reflection in the mirror SCARED. THE. ABSOLUTE. SHIT. OUT. OF. ME. The story ends with the camera panning around to her face only to show that her actual face was the exact same as it was before, it's just that the curse made people believe she looked that bad. I came close to looking up the episode and watching it again once. Twenty years on and I'm still too terrified. I've completely blocked it out of my mind, it was THAT bad.

[@ivarent3784]

Amazing video, you really capture what makes Longlegs so unnerving despite it's flaws. Something similar happened to me with a picture, or more exactly a... film? Short? I dunno, it was on a segment in a local tv show where they showed paranormal stuff, ghost and the likes. It showed to japanese school girls filming themselves exploring a school at night, so everything was tinted in night vision green. Then one of then enters a classroom and the door closes, one of then tries to look through the door's window and I get hit by the most horrifying face I have ever seen, a girl with her eyes white, blood and scars everywhere and a wide smile, lingering in there. To this day I have never been able to find the og video.

[@1108REDX]

For me it was always (and still at times when I lay in bed with my eyes closed) the image of Regan from “The Exorcist” used in “Scary Maze”. That still image of her face once you beat the game followed by the blood curtailing scream still to this day (I’m 25) scare the hell out of me. I have the movie but have yet to watch it in its totality because of that god damned game haha

[@easy2bify]

OMG i was looking for this comment!!! Same exact thing happened to me, some older guy made me play it when I was a child. Not fun at all. It terrified me

[@headchest6616]

I was too looking for this comment! Thank you for it! However, I don't think I would ever watch this movie, since the trauma is still lives somewhere beneath. I remember both being shaky for the good 20 minutes after I was jumpscared and the moment I had to look at it again after the initial reaction because I didn't know any hotkeys and had to close the tab using the cursor.

[@melliemel151]

My Christmas movie analysis wish list from you: Skinamarink, It Follows, The Thing (1980), and Triangle. I love your presentation, voice, and thought process. My favorite ones of yours are Kairo and the Lynchian Jumpscare (Mulholland Dr). I’ve watched both more than once. I’d also love to see an expanded analysis of Mulholland Dr. Great stuff!

[@국멍-b4c]

정말 재밌게 본 영화였습니다. 영상 만들어 주셔서 감사합니다. 한글 자막도 기다리겠읍니다.

[@SpikimaMovies]

자막 올라왔습니다 감사합니다 :)

[@MelchVagquest]

I love The Fall! It's such a visually stunning film with a lot of heart

[@cassiecarpenter]

That rips off David Lynch

[@Frijolero18]

@@cassiecarpenter Of all the movies to accuse of ripping off David Lynch, The Fall is such a weird pick lmao

[@biswasbudhathoki8144]

Watching that picture at almost 12 o'clock at night was not a good idea. Welp time to sleep with another repressed memory.

[@Marigoldmorning]

This video is excellent. I really appreciate your analysis as well as the structure.