“Longlegs” (2024) is directed by Osgood Perkins and stars Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt and Kiernan Shipka. The film is about an FBI agent named Lee Harker (Monroe) who is assigned with tracking down an occultist serial killer named Longlegs (Cage), whom she discovers she has a personal connection with.
“Longlegs” has been the most popular word of mouth film in 2024 so far. The film production and distribution company, NEON, has produced excellent advertising for the film. Advertising techniques include creepy posters of specific scenes from the film, uploading ominous videos on their YouTube channel and putting a phone number on a billboard in Los Angeles for people to get the chance and speak with Longlegs.
The marketing for “Longlegs” is something we have not seen in a long time, especially for a horror film. But, does the film live up to the hype? Some films in the past with the same amount of excitement and clever marketing have left audiences underwhelmed. Fortunately, not only does “Longlegs” live up to the hype, but it is also an experience unlike other horror films.
“Longlegs” would not be as good as it is without its amazing performances. Monroe, famous for other horror movies such as “It Follows” (2015) and “Watcher” (2022), is as fantastic as Lee Harker. Monroe’s performance is not showy. She comes across as modest and someone determined to succeed in her profession. The audience gets a sense that something deeper in Harker has yet to be discovered.
Cage’s Longlegs is further proof that Cage can still be a terrific actor. He’s mostly kept in the shadows until he and Harker come face to face in an interrogation scene. Cage looks unrecognizable in his transformation into Longlegs. What could have helped this film was having more of him.
Longlegs could have been in the conversation of the greatest horror film antagonists of all time if he had more scenes. As it stands, Cage still steals the show with this role. He plays a character that the audience wants to know more about and how they turned out the way they are. It takes the right actor to pull that off, and Cage was the perfect choice.
The film is a testament to how far along Perkins has come as a filmmaker. The shot composition, attention to framing and knowing how long to stay on a specific shot is up there with some of the best filmmaking. The cinematography by Andres Arochi looks beautiful and fits the mood of the film without fault.
The original score composed by Zilgi is a nice touch. It compliments the film well and does not get in the way where there are scenes of tension. The score is sprinkled throughout the film conservatively and it works much better that way.
If there were any cons with the film, it would be the lack of explanation of the supernatural elements in the film. Longlegs is a serial killer who worships Satan, and he uses a pyramid cycle involving girls’ birthdays that all fall on the 14th day of a month. Longlegs also uses life-like dolls and has them delivered to his victims’ homes. To avoid any more spoilers, the film would have benefited from some additional context behind Longlegs’ motive.
The film also suffers from a predictable third-act twist. It is not enough to ruin the film, but if audiences could not see it coming, the viewing experience would be much better.
“Longlegs” is similar to other horror films like “The Shining” (1980) and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) because it does not rely on cheap jump scares and an underabundance of blood and gore to come across as scary. It is a film that will make moviegoers shiver to their core and reflect on the dreadful experience.
“Longlegs” is currently playing in theaters. If you’re a fan of Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe and a well-executed horror film about stopping a serial killer, then this is right up your alley.
Rating: 4.5/5
