Written by: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee
Rating: [4/5]
Hunting down a serial killer requires a host of compelling research, some luck, but also some possible clairvoyance. A method Longlegs presupposes one would need when trying to find an individual responsible for such a fascinating case. As confounding as it proves to be, it mostly succeeds in crafting a truly unnerving and suffocating experience as we navigate a narrative that continues to close the walls around the audience and our protagonist.
After demonstrating incredible intuition bordering on clairvoyance, Lee Harker (Maika Moore) gets assigned to a case tracking down a serial killer named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). However, with each case carrying similarities, the confusion comes from all of them being murder-suicides with no indication of a break-in involved meaning something else must be afoot.
Mystery and intrigue pushing and pulling the audience’s psyche really summarized the impact of watching Longlegs in the way its tension continually builds in this feature in the way our lead character experiences this investigation. The mystery of this situation does not solely lie in finding the serial killer but also how this mentally impacts Lee in the process. She has these weird intuitive moments where she can pick things out relating to Longlegs with no real explanation and suffers from the anxiety of this situation in ways others do not. It begins to ask larger questions this film likes to pose and must choose if it wants to answer.
The way the feature starts sets the stage for what we have in store for us as a little girl encounters Longlegs and we get the first scene involving the great Nicolas Cage. Much of the marketing of this film focused on the eerie scariness of this character without really ever showing him. Therefore, starting the film the way it does in such a jarring manner in this first interaction just hits the audience like a ton of bricks and we’re left trying to piece it all together much like Lee has to in order to stop this serial killer. As we continue to navigate this investigation Lee begins to learn more about the improbability of all that transpires and the correlation this all has to something perhaps beyond our lived reality.
As intriguing as this mystery continues to get as we reach the climax of the film, the direction by Osgood Perkins truly marks what makes this such a fascinating viewing experience. He certainly wears his influences on his sleeve here in crafting this story both narratively and visually, which has warranted comparisons to films like The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and Zodiac. On the one hand, to be compared to some of the greatest films ever made does feel like hefty praise but for as much as I love this film it comes nowhere close to what those films offer within this genre. Perkins, at the very least, takes these elements and makes for so many stunning shots and moments that succeed in building out this dread from beginning to end. It becomes this unrelenting pressure just like Lee feels as she can barely piece together the breadth of this situation and how it somehow relates to her more than anticipated. Many shots will remain in my mind for so long because of how impactful they are to the story and their overall disturbing nature as well.
With that said, as well as Perkins does with his direction he helps in Maika Monroe putting on one of her finest performances to date. Proving herself as a staple in the horror genre, Monroe has shifted to various versions of a woman lead that would find themselves within a horror film. From scream queen to survivor of a stalker, she has proven her medal but she presents something completely different as Lee. Every word feels difficult to spill out of her mouth as she wears the intensity of this search on her face, which makes the ultimate reveal in the end hit much harder in what it explains away. We feel the emotion of this circumstance because of her and the film would certainly not work as well if she were not in it.
Not necessarily the most terrifying film as many have claimed but a deeply unsettling one that will nestle itself in one’s subconscious with the implications at the center of it, Longlegs simply astounds in crafting a unique viewing experience. It remains purposefully opaque throughout while setting the seeds for a revelation that not only makes sense but also leaves such disconcerting feelings afterwards. Very well done by all involved as we get Nicolas Cage absolutely nailing it with his roles recently and just how kooky he can get when the role calls for it and he matches the proper level. It also certainly helps when he gets the proper material to work with and his take on this titular character got the job done.
Films with Josh 
