Longlegs has embarked on a truly unique marketing journey. Its approach, which leans into the analog horror concept, maintains a high level of creepiness without revealing too much. After the enigmatic teasers, the question arises: Can Oz Perkins deliver on what is already being hailed as the best marketing campaign in decades? The film is written and directed by Oz Perkins, best known for his work on the 2020 reboot of The Twilight Zone and now Longlegs.
Longlegs follows FBI agent Lee Harker as the FBI comes to learn of her natural propensity to get some precise intuition about a situation that helps lead to the arrest of a murderer. Which lands her in the lap of Agent Carter, the lead detective on the serial killer “Longlegs” case. Agent Lee Harker uncovers a series of clues that lead the FBI hot on the heel of Longlegs, but Harker needs to put them together in order to stop the killer before he gets too close.
The biggest surprise for me in Longlegs was the overall tone. Trailers and teasers would have you believe this is a shock and awe creepy movie with some severe scares when it more lines up with what people were thinking about when Silence of the Lambs came out. It is not in-your-face horror but crime horror in the way that slowly builds up as an ever-encroaching sense of dread and panic comes over both the leading players in the film but also the viewer in a way that just leaves you emotionally drained by the end.
That’s not a bad thing either; with the incredible tension buildups happening constantly, the story, characters, music, and theme all manage to claw their way into you and leave you satisfied with the odd conclusion of the film. That being said, there are a few things that feel too big in the universe of Longlegs to have unexplained, and I understand the want for mystery and intrigue, but there is something focused on too much to have just thrown away like it means nothing.
Longlegs has a lot going for it, but its real star is the cast. Before this, Maika Monroe appeared in one horror movie that creeps me out to this day: It Follows. But, she nails the weird, subdued Agent Lee Harker. The emotional journey that Lee goes on throughout the film is intense, that’s for sure, and Maika is there leading the bull by the horns and making us feel right in her shoes with her mannerisms of being just a little introverted, all leading up to the final crescendo where not for a single second, did I ever question her actions.
The same goes for Agent Carter, played by Blair Underwood (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Deep Impact). While he doesn’t go on the same level of journey we see Lee go on. His own personal journey of trying to understand Longlegs and how Agent Harker was able to show up and blow the whole case open is one of intrigue, and he pulls the role off really well. Not to mention, there was one good laugh throughout the entire film, and it was because of Blair’s excellent delivery.
“The emotional journey that Lee goes on throughout the film is intense, that’s for sure, and Maika is there leading the bull by the horns.”
Finally, and most importantly, Nicholas Cage is our titular Longlegs. While we have seen Cage in all sorts of roles, from Pig, Mandy, Renfield, Face-Off, the list goes on and on. But we have NEVER seen Cage in a role quite like this. I’ll be honest: I don’t think anyone could have pulled this role off as well as Cage has.
There is this subtle unease to everything this character does, and the way he pulls off the intricacies of getting under your skin and clawing his way into your mind as the viewer is something I haven’t seen in a very long time. The opening sequence alone is enough to creep me out and give me nightmares. Without spoiling anything, everything about his portrayal is unnerving and incredible all at the same time; hats off to Nicholas Cage. This might be his best role yet.
The cinematography also follows this line of unease. The entire movie is really well shot, and it all semi-cohesively fits together. However, the way some scenes would evolve and transform made me feel like I was seeing subtle changes in the environment, only to have nothing changed at all, just my mind playing tricks on me. There are, however, some subtleties in the background that make you feel like Longlegs himself is in every shot, always watching and stalking our characters.
Whether it’s the sometimes claustrophobic nature of the interior shots or just how they frame Longlegs, there is something off-putting in the most fantastic way. This goes for the score as well; it fits the atmosphere incredibly well and glues together the tense and sometimes erratic scenes that make you hold your breath, waiting in anxiety for something terrible to happen.
“Longlegs is the perfect movie for first-time horror viewers and long-time fans of the genre.”
Longlegs is a fantastic movie, but it isn’t without its flaws. I was more shaken by the fact that it was an intense psychological horror film that focuses on dread and anxiety rather than a creepy, in-your-face horror movie. The cast does an outstanding job selling every scene, and Longlegs himself, Nicholas Cage, steals every scene he is in with his disturbing mannerisms.
The cinematography and score also lend to bolstering the tension in every scene. It’s also a movie that isn’t scared just to let you sit in an uncomfortable moment, waiting for something to happen only to have it not. Longlegs is the perfect movie for first-time horror viewers and long-time fans of the genre.
