On Jan. 5, a short mysterious video was uploaded to the official NEON Youtube channel. For those who don’t know, NEON is an independent film production company that debuted with their first feature film release, “Colossal,” in 2017. The video, simply titled “Every year there is another,” is an eerie 36-second video with two images: one of a family photo during a birthday, and the other, a disturbing shot of a young girl’s legs, which are disproportionately long, all layered overtop a frantic phone call of supposedly the dad calling the police for help.
With little to no context, many people on social media were quick to theorize. Obviously this was a film trailer, but for what? There was no title shown and even in the description of the original Youtube clip, there was no extra information to explain the plot of the film or even a release date.
Basically, the only thing people could agree on was that the clip piqued their interest, which is exactly why it’s such a perfect example of how to tease a horror film.
In recent years, there’s been many film trailers and teasers that give away many big plot points and events in an attempt to build anticipation for the film. When the film is finally released, it’s met with mixed reactions. The now two short videos that have been released for “Longlegs” have managed to not only avoid large spoilers, but also remain ambiguous enough that people are left with no idea of how to feel about the final product of the film.
Specifically, the film’s clips left me so confused I ended up looking through the film’s newly-made Wikipedia page for more information. To my surprise, only there is where I found that this film was being produced by Nicholas Cage, and that he also plays the role of a serial killer in the film, both things that were not made abundantly clear by the released trailers.
Along with that information, there was nothing else of note, which some part of me believes is purposeful as to not stomp out the mystery the film has built up on social media.
In the second clip that was released, titled “you’ve got the teeth of the hydra upon you,” we do see more of the film’s overall aesthetic and story, including a detective and what looks like an occult presence, but even with a longer trailer that lasts about 1 minute and 30 seconds, it still manages to keep the major details of the film vague by showing more of the horrific moments in the film, which is much to its benefit as it only continues to excite people.
Many commenters under the two released trailers agree that many studios and directors should take note of this film’s marketing, as it managed to capture the eyes of thousands just from a simple trailer with haunting music and two unsettling images. Their methods for advertising for the film has not only allowed for the plot to be shrouded in mystery, but also get people talking about the film and leave them interested and asking for more.
If you’re someone who’s looking for a unique film experience, I highly recommend checking out the two short trailers released to NEON’s youtube channel, and maybe, you’ll put Longlegs at the top of your “most anticipated of 2024” list like I have.
Mia Ashby is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Mia by emailing her at ma237419@ohio.edu.
