Longlegs
In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.
Release Date
Director(s)
Writer(s)
Cast
Distributor(s)
Trigger Warnings
I’ve been excited for this movie for months, especially with it coming out on my birthday. So, a few friends and I got together for a late 9 PM show, ready to immerse ourselves in whatever insanity Oz Perkins and Nicolas Cage had in store for us.
The Story
At its core, Longlegs follows FBI detective Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she pursues a seemingly untraceable serial killer. What begins as a standard investigation quickly spirals into a deeply personal journey, as Lee uncovers a chilling connection between the killer and her own past.
The entire movie feels like a fever dream, especially with that damn opening that nearly gave me a heart attack. Without spoiling anything, it’s definitely one of the best openers I’ve seen in a while and really sets the tone for the movie.
I Loved
Visuals
If there’s one thing Oz Perkins excels at, it’s creating atmosphere through fantastic cinematography. Cinematographer Andres Arochi paints a world of muted tones and encroaching shadows, which become particularly hellish when red hues are introduced as Lee uncovers the devilish backstory of Longlegs and his plans.
The aspect ratios even come into play in a creative way, helping to differentiate between time periods of Lee’s childhood and present-day scenes. A narrower 1.33:1 ratio is used for flashbacks to Lee’s past, while a wider 2.39:1—more common in modern films—is used for present-day scenes.
Sound Design & Music
I think most of us saw the teaser called “Heartbeat” released by the NEON team. It featured Maika Monroe seeing Nicolas Cage in his Longlegs makeup for the first time, her heart rate spiking to 170 bpm—which we could hear. That same use of subtle sound and ambient music is utilized in the entire movie, ratcheting up the tension and plunging us deeper into its unsettling world. I don’t often listen to movie soundtracks in my everyday life, but I ended up going back to this one.
Acting
Maika Monroe delivers a quiet and subtle performance that might turn some off, but I personally loved. You could always tell something wasn’t quite right with her character, Lee. She appears isolated from others, as if she prefers to stay on her own mental island, only reluctantly returning to reality when absolutely necessary. Nicolas Cage, as always, is fantastic—managing to be both deeply unsettling and darkly funny as Longlegs.
The entire cast was stellar across the board. Blair Underwood was strong and pretty funny at times as Agent Carter, while Alicia Witt was both unsettling and incredibly sad as Lee’s mother Ruth Harker.
I Liked
Storytelling
Where Longlegs falters slightly is in its storytelling. The media team did an amazing job advertising this movie. Immersing us in it with subtle trailers, phone recordings of Nicolas Cage breathing into our ears, and even a true crime-esque website explaining the different murders. But this also came with a price of a lot of people, myself included, thinking this was going to be peek-between-your-fingers and traumatize yourself kind of horror. Instead it’s more of an atmospheric crime procedural horror with supernatural elements. I still really liked it, but was expecting something different. So if you’re looking for more traditional scares or gore, this might not be the movie for you.
Overall
Ultimately, Longlegs leaves you feeling more unsettled and disturbed than outright terrified. Think more Se7en with a supernatural twist. It also leaves us with one haunting question: How far would you go to protect your family, and at what cost? It’s a question that lingers much like the film (and the devil behind Lee), in the shadows of our minds long after the screen goes dark.
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