‘Longlegs’ ending explained: what happens to Lee Harker?

nme.com:

Longlegs is one of the breakout horror films of this year’s summer season.Directed by Osgood Perkins, the horror thriller follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) who is assigned to a number of unsolved killings across town connected to a mysterious figure known as Longlegs.Nicolas Cage plays the titular Longlegs, who is joined by other cast members Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby and Kiernan Shipka.After Longlegs mentions her mother before he kills himself, Lee Harker visits her mother Ruth to see if she’s connected to the satanic murders.

Lee travels to her house with Agent Browning, who stays in the car while Lee investigates the house. From a window inside, Lee sees her mother shoot Agent Browning with a shotgun at point blank.She rushes to catch up with her mother outside, who is found pointing the gun at a doll resembling a young Lee.

When Ruth blows the head off, black smoke dissipates, and Lee collapses and loses consciousness.In a flashback sequence, we discover Ruth is Longlegs’ accomplice.

After Longlegs first encounters Lee as a young girl outside their house (as shown at the start of the movie), he later returned and subdued Ruth, who was given a choice – either let her daughter be killed as part of the satanic ritual, or save her by doing the Devil’s bidding.Ruth agreed to save her daughter, so Longlegs moved into their house and lived in the basement.