Longlegs
Longlegs
Starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt
Directed by Ozgood Perkins
DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND PLAN ON SEEING IT!
"Longlegs" is one of those rare films where knowing nothing going into it makes it all the more impactful. So only read on if you've seen it, or have no desire to (although in that case why are you reading this in the first place?)
There've been a few movies in recent memory who's advertising campaign was top notch. "The Blair Witch Project" in 1999 made the trailers look like it was an actual movie where three people disappeared in real life, and all the marketing promos aided in that belief. 2022's "Barbarian" had a trailer that made it seem like it told a lot of the plot, but in reality it was merely the first twenty minutes with a completely unknown story that followed. This year, Ozgood Perkins' "Longlegs" added its name to the list, providing a bare bones trailer that doesn't give away anything, with a stellar marketing campaign that further added to the mystery of the movie itself. It drew people in due to the fact that it was so mysterious and taboo, hailing itself as one of the scariest movies you'll ever see, and the trailers seem to validate that claim. The issue itself arises with the hype it created, where an almost insurmountable desire for something spectacularly spooky spread through the public conscience, and when they saw it, many didn't think it lived up to the overhype - those people, more often than not, are ones who go see movies like "The Conjuring" and are scared by the jump scares galore. "Longlegs" supplies the jump scares as well, but not as often - and instead of a jump scare-filled heart-pounding horror, it's a slow burn mystery that keeps you literally on the edge of your seat, with a completely unhinged performance by Nicolas Cage in a role you won't soon forget him in.
Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is an FBI special agent who's under the supervision of Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) and tasked with tracking down the elusive Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) who's been seemingly responsible for a string of murders and suicides from different families. As Lee gets loser, she realizes she might be in over her head - and Longlegs' next target.
As I said earlier, the less you know going into "Longlegs" the better, because it's an expertly crafted thriller akin to "The Silence of the Lambs," but more unnerving. If you put Hannibal Lector and Longlegs in a room together, the results would be life changing, if you survive. Ozgood Perkins (son of the famed Anthony Perkins, star of the iconic "Psycho") crafts a unique, one-of-a-kind film from all parts - not just directing, but writing it as well, producing something people have been pining for: a wholly original, wholly intense horror that will stand the test of time as one of this decade's best. It hits perfectly on all cylinders, and keeps you riveted, frightened, and chilled to your very core from the very first unforgettable scene to the last.
The technical aspects of the film are one of the major strengths of the project, as the cinematography is done in such a way that it makes excellent use of the empty space around the characters. When Lee Harker is alone in her home, she's center of the camera, but it's pulled back enough to see two rooms behind her, and you're immediately drawn to those empty spaces in anticipation of something happening. Does it? You'll have to watch and see, but suffice to to say Perkins never relies on cheap scares to frighten the audience. There's also other unique camera angles from different vantage points (especially low-laying ones) that adds to the tension and fear, keeping you on your mental toes from one frame to the next, and your heart in a vice-like grip.
Maika Monroe gives her best performance of her young career, even better than her debut "It Follows" or 2022's "The Watcher" as FBI agent Lee Harker, a woman with a special gift for tracking down killers. She doesn't really like people, and her off-putting nature is oftentimes the film's only moments of brevity, such as talking to her boss's daughter who invites her to her birthday party. Her stoic nature underlies a traumatic past (played perfectly by Alicia Witt as her mother) and really serves as the heart of the story.
Yet the standout performance - the one everyone is talking about - comes from Nicolas Cage, who's titular Longlegs is a thing of cinematic terror. There's a reason you never see his full face in the promos, so when it happens on the big screen it's all the more terrifying. Yet more than a transformative mask, Cage goes completely unhinged in his performance (and coming from Cage, that's saying something), giving a horror villain for the ages, a man seemingly on a quest from Satan to accomplish his goals on earth, but a man who could just be as easily delusional. You never know with Cage or how he plays it, but out of his decades worth of work, this is head and shoulders one of his best.
If you go into "Longlegs" expecting a generic, jump scare-heavy horror film, you'll probably leave the film disappointed. But if you go into it not expecting anything, what you'll get is a once-in-a-lifetime horror that will creep into your marrow and reside there for all time, a horror masterpiece for the modern age.
The Score: A+
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