LONGLEGS: A Cinematic Embodiment Of The Cruel And The Uncanny

Riding a textbook marketing campaign that garnered an immense amount of hype while retaining an air of mystery, Oz Perkins’ Longlegs hit theaters last week and delivered a totally gripping and demented experience. We don’t quite get The Silence of the Lambs or Se7en—two films it will, perhaps erroneously, be compared to—but it’s a great-looking, extremely disturbing entry into the “FBI agent hunts serial killer” space that will hold its own in what’s been an excellent era for horror films. This decade has already boasted it’s fair share of unique, visceral, and flashy horror experiences, and Longlegs is sure to land on many “best of” lists come late 2029 (if we get there…).

I FEAR OZ PERKINS HAS IT

Longlegs carries an “uncanny valley” effect, as if the camera is metaphorically tilted just one degree and our brain senses danger in the unfamiliarity. It’s a film that has you questioning why a simple shot of a pine tree is causing you to perspirate. This is a completely direction-driven experience and the unsettling aura can be attributed to Oz Perkins’ intentional choices- and he is doing quite a lot here. Raucous music and deafening silence both have their moments, as do vast, eerie wide shots and tight frames that cleverly veil portions of the characters.

The aesthetic fluctuates between liminal and pale to shadowy and noir-like, and the end credits even roll in the reverse direction. This all contributes to the unfamiliar atmosphere, but it also makes every scene feel incredibly fresh and new. I didn’t find those natural moments where I felt comfortable enough to commiserate in fear with my friends in the theater. Longlegs is a demanding watch, one that seems to deprive you of spatial refuge and has you clawing for more familiar bearings.  

LOSING FAITH IN A SATANIC STORYLINE

The story itself felt more hollow than it should have. The first act remains highly grounded, with a great deal of mystery in the form of an FBI procedural with the perfect amount of scares mixed in. It truly felt like we were speeding toward an all-timer—a raw, brutally intense psychological horror that may have something to say about familial disconnect and trauma. It hooked me immediately, and I was a fully willing viewer ready for wherever the ride took me. That willingness gradually wore thin, and some developments began to fall flat. I’m a fan of blending psychological and supernatural elements in horror, but when the film ventures into occult territory some aspects don’t quite hold up, even in their very out-there contexts.

There is a lot crammed into this final act, and that veil of intrigue begins to unravel as time is spent laying out the strange groundwork for the unfolding satanic conspiracy. While the ending isn’t as affecting as the film’s masterful, deliberate setup, there’s more than enough good going on to overcome this.

NIC CAGE ROCKS OUT, LITERALLY, AS A DEVIL WORSHIPING SERIAL KILLER

It’s arguable that Oz Perkins, even from his director’s chair, is the star of this show, but Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, and Alicia Witt are unsurprisingly fantastic in their roles. Monroe nails her assignment as FBI agent Lee Harker, giving distance and broodiness while also retaining deep sympathy for her character. Cage’s performance, highly anticipated due to his vague presence in the promotional material, is wild, even by his standards. I do have mixed feelings about Cage’s turn as the titular serial killer, but not due to any shortcomings in his acting.

The character of Longlegs makes for a memorable horror villain, and whatever expectations you might have had for the character, it’s far more unhinged than you can imagine. And yes, he also looks absolutely crazy and the reveal is well worth the wait. Cage is dynamic, and can effectively conjure both fear and curiosity in the audience. The issue is that Cage has become a bit of a character himself, and his larger-than-life persona at times overshadowed the role for me. Despite the heavy makeup altering his appearance, there were moments where those trademark wacky voices and insane mannerisms gave glimpses of peak Cage instead of Longlegs. He shows off his impressive but recognizable singing chops in one destined-to-be-iconic scene. I had to wrestle with my own suspension of disbelief to stay absolutely mortified instead of laughing. There’s no rule stating that horror can’t make us laugh, so this was of no detriment to the overall experience, it’s simply the consequence of Cage being a legend. While a lesser-known actor might have more seamlessly melted into the role, no one could have ignited as much life into Longlegs as he did.

CONCLUSION: LONGLEGS

Overall, Longlegs is well-directed, artistically apt, and really, really suspenseful. Great performances fuel memorable characters, and, as the consensus seems to be thus far, it’s a deeply unsettling symphony of all things evil. However, it feels like a movie that had all the ingredients to be an all time great, yet something doesn’t fully land when it’s all said and done, probably at the fault of the overall story. Nonetheless, Longlegs is a nightmare in all the best ways, and if its goal is to distress its audience completely, it did that and then some. 

Longlegs was released in U.S. theaters July 12th 2024.