Longlegs – An Effective Serial Killer Horror (Early Review)

The slowly building hype for Longlegs has been one of the most enticing and creative marketing campaigns a movie has had in years. From episodic teaser trailers whose cryptic structure builds off the last, to websites with secret files and passwords to unlock covering the “Longlegs” murder mysteries as if they were real events and of course, hiding Nicolas Cage’s radical appearance as the titular Longlegs. The marketing has kept the film’s premise and narrative fairly oblique which is the best way someone should experience Longlegs, knowing as little as possible.

Longlegs follows young FBI agent Lee Harker (Monroe) in her pursuit of the mysterious Longlegs killer. With cases dating back over 30 years, Longlegs remains an enigma who is seemingly able to murder entire families without there being any physical evidence he was ever even there aside from a coded letter (steeped in occult symbolism) left at every crime scene. Set in the 90s midwest, the film intentionally evokes classic serial killer movies of the era like Silence of the Lambs, albeit with a more satanic bent. Its first half procedural crime drama narrative hits all the familiar beats of the genre, with a dread induced atmosphere slowly creeping into frame. Director Osgood Perkins frames almost every shot with our subjects in the dead centre of the frame, leaving the wide space around them completely, unnervingly empty. The negative space is used to great effect to ratchet up the atmosphere as audiences are left constantly at the edge of their seat and anxious for anything to disrupt the void.

Cage, as the titular Longlegs, has been the major curiosity surrounding this film, hidden and blanked out in every trailer thus far. Perkins surprisingly but effectively uses Cage quite sparingly throughout the film, allowing his brief moments to linger more prominently throughout. Caked in heavy prosthetics that make him near unrecognizable, Cage gives a performance both creepy and off the wall in the way people expect from him, it will surely inspire many a meme once clips are put online. Monroe, meanwhile, is the polar opposite, playing Lee as cold and detached while harboring repressed trauma from childhood that may or may not play a role in solving this case. Her haunted visage complimenting the film as it suggests the darkest recesses of human behaviour, filling in the blanks of each murder with the most unsettling explanations.

If there’s no physical evidence Longlegs did anything during any of the murders, was it a self-inflicted act that the families themselves engaged in or are there more supernatural forces at work here? Monroe’s slow descent down this rabbit hole contrasted with Perkins employing Cage more and more on screen is a potent blend that exemplifies the film at its best. Which makes the eventual pay off over the final stretch more disappointing after such a strong build up, propelling the narrative forward more aggressively compared to the patient dread of the first two acts. Tying up the events in a way that’s simultaneously underexplained and overexplained with big twists that will surely be amusing to experience with a lively crowd but are frankly, unconvincing and ludicrous to watch unfold.

Despite a disappointing finale, Longlegs is still an effective and handsomely mounted serial killer horror story. Perkins’ patient direction and deliberate mise en scène brings out a potently dread induced atmosphere that’s only heightened by Nicolas Cage’s memorably batty turn and Maika Monroe’s steely focused lead performance. While it might not reinvent the genre, it is a solidly creepy time at the movies that should satisfy those looking for a good horror film this summer.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Alex Josevski

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