Longlegs credits reveal unseen character who may change movie’s ending

If you thought Longlegs’ ending was too bleak, there’s a chance it’s even worse – if you pay attention to the credits, there’s a character we never saw in the movie.

In Osgood Perkins’ words, Longlegs ends with Lee Harker experiencing “as bad a day as a person can have.”

She was always going to solve the case… because the Devil wanted her to. Not only did she meet Longlegs when she was a little girl, but her mother worked devotedly as his accomplice, haunting families with Satanic dolls that drive them to horrific bloodshed.

In the closing scene, Lee is forced to kill her mother to prevent any further murders. All that remains is Lee, Ruby Carter, and her doll – and when she tries to shoot it, her gun fails. The film briefly cuts to Nicolas Cage’s killer, who sings, “Happy birthday” before telling the audience, “Hail Satan.”

There’s a stark implication to its ending: if Lee hasn’t been freed from the Devil’s grasp, Ruby is almost certainly still under the doll’s disturbed influence.

Neon

This makes the absence of one character in the credits even more intriguing: “Adult Ruby Carter” played by Rryla McIntosh.

Fans have scoured the film and haven’t spotted her. Her role could provide big answers; does she continue the Devil’s murderous crusade, or will she eventually have to kill Lee to stop the cycle?

“That’s spooky since it implies that Ruby was allowed to grow up, ie: Lee took on her mother’s mantle and started killing for Ruby,” one Redditor suggested.

“The deal Lee’s mom made with the devil was to spare her child, but to do so she must murder other families… should Ruby be allowed to live, the same deal would be made by Lee who would need to continue murdering families to spare Ruby’s life,” another wrote, with a third noting it would line up with the “Hydra themes… kill one and two more spring up in its place.”

Others have speculated that a secret follow-up may have already been filmed, á la Pearl after Ti West’s X.

“What if they pulled a Pearl and filmed a secret sequel at the same time? If Longlegs was a marionette for the Devil and he lost both of his tools, he set himself up for another through Lee and Ruby,” one fan speculated.

“I could see it being part of a secret trilogy. There are a lot of things very similar to Blackcoat’s Daughter,” another commented.

Check out our Longlegs streaming guide, the meaning behind Longlegs’ nickname, and 5 terrifying horror movies you should watch next.