‘Longlegs’ review: Dir. Oz Perkins (2024)

The marketing for Longlegs has been one of the best horror campaigns since 1999’s The Blair Witch Project. Coded messages and posters have littered the internet, and the trailers have been intense nightmare fuel. What’s more, the materials have kept key elements of the film under wraps. The intrigue that has been generated is incredible. Add to that, claims from early critics that this is the scariest film in decades, and excitement has reached almost fever pitch levels. Genre audiences are desperate to get their eyes on Oz Perkins’ Longlegs. It’s always risky when a film is so hyped, it puts added pressure on the movie in question to perform. Longlegs certainly has a lot to live up to. 

There is no denying that Oz Perkins’ latest film is a wickedly intense serial killer thriller, but it is not quite the second coming that the hype suggests. Yes, it is easily this decade’s answer to films such as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, but it is by no means the perfect masterpiece that it has been touted as. The primary reason for this is that Longlegs isn’t quite as clever as the marketing would have you believe. Even though the plot is deliciously dark and full of dread, the savvy audience members will pick up the breadcrumbs and easily figure out where it is headed long before it arrives at its destination. Thankfully, this does not spoil Longlegs, but does knock the sheen off of its hype. Longlegs is not the first film this year to suffer from overhype, and it’s not likely to be the last either. 

Set primarily in the Bill Clinton era of the 90s, Longlegs joins the highly intuitive fledgling FBI agent, Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), as she is enlisted to help catch the mysterious serial killer, Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). As Harker joins the investigation she catches the attention of the killer and a cat and mouse game of who will catch whom first ensues. The plot may have some echoes of The Silence of the Lambs, but this is very much its own beast. Perkins’ script covers all the bases of a serial killer film whilst injecting enough strange elements to create a story that firmly skirts between horror and thriller. In many ways, watching Longlegs generates the same sensation as reading, not Stephen King (as some would suggest), but rather his rival, Dean Koontz. Longlegs could easily vibe alongside Koontz’ Intensity and Hideaway. 

Told in three parts, which further perpetuates the feeling of a novel sprung to life, Longlegs jumps into the action almost immediately. Even before the title card arrives, the viewer is witness to Longlegs as he interacts with a young girl. It’s a brief, but creepy exchange that works to set the viewers’ nerves immediately on edge. Perkins follows this up with a bloody encounter for Harker as she apprehends a highly sought after suspect, which brings her to the attention of her boss, Agent Carter (Blair Underwood). From here on, Perkins has a wonderful time playing on the viewers’ ever growing paranoia. With the exception of Agent Carter, who provides some much needed moments of humour, Longlegs is a film steeped in foreboding. Even the simple process of switching between aspect ratios (a trick utilised to highlight the past versus present) keeps the viewer on the back foot. 

The sound design has an equally important job as it swerves from silence to cacophony of noise with no warning. These events jolt the viewer and spike the adrenaline, leaving even the less stoic in the audience a quivering mess. This use of sound drives the jump scares in a manner that is far more effective than the popular Blumhouse roller coaster thrill rides. Whereas those films are fun to watch, that is not how viewing Longlegs can be described. Perkins infuses his latest project with unease and threat, factors made worse by the occasional bout of malice. This being a story of an investigation into a serial killer means that there are plenty of brutally butchered bodies to see, and when shot in daylight as opposed to the constant grime of David Fincher’s Se7en, the impact of these images is undeniable. 

Although Longlegs himself does not feature heavily, even when not seen, he pervades the frame. He seems to be forever hiding in the shadows, dancing around the edges; when he is on-screen, he is utterly disturbing. Nick Cage channels his brand of unhinged acting with devastating results. The make-up of the character completely masks Cage, and by being so hidden, the actor is able to fully let go. The results are terrifying. From the look, to the voice, Longlegs could quickly become one of Cage’s finest characters. 

Whereas Longlegs is used fleetingly, as Lee Harker, Maika Monroe has a much heavier task. Lee is present in almost every single scene in the movie, and given its dark intensity, it takes a talented actor to shoulder the pressure. Luckily, Monroe is  truly exceptional. Having grabbed attention with her early performance in It Follows, Monroe has continued to steadily hone her craft within the horror genre. Those that have not yet seen her in the fantastic Watcher should seek the film out immediately, but it is in Longlegs that she gives the performance of her career. Her portrayal of Lee is simply superb. Lee is a prickly character. She’s stilted and to the point. Lee is a pragmatic and dedicated person and her resolve to capture Longlegs is unwavering. Comparisons to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs are justified, and in a just world there would be some buzz around Monroe come awards time. 

Given society’s fascination with killers, it is always surprising that there are not more films such as Longlegs, but the lack of competition works in Perkins’ favour. The writer and director has found a gap in the market and plugged it with a film worthy of accolades. Although not quite as phenomenal as the hype suggests, Longlegs remains strong and solid. Full of ghastly imagery, a pervading sense of threat, and some committed and haunting performances, Longlegs stands out from the crowd and is an easy contender for thriller of the year.

Longlegs arrives in cinemas in the UK and US from Friday 12th July 2024.