“Longlegs” Review
Make Monroe stars in “Longlegs” as an FBI agent hunting down an elusive serial killer in this captivating horror film from writer/director Osgood Perkins.
In many respects, horror might be the most versatile genre of film that there is. From body horror to slashers to supernatural, there are so many angles to take in the genre and an infinite amount of ways to frighten an audience. While I do have a good time with the kinds of horror films that get a massive jolt out of the audience with jump scares, I find myself far more intrigued by films that craft a sense of dread. Instead of having the frights being punched out of you, I am more frightened by what I don’t see and the slowly brewing anxiety that a scary atmosphere can craft. This is why I found “Longlegs” to be such a remarkable film. With such immersive storytelling, writer/director Osgood Perkins has made a film that had me on the edge for its entire running time.
In the 1990s, FBI Special Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) demonstrates a remarkable sense of intuition that makes her an especially good investigative force. When her skills as an agent catch the attention of her superiors, she finds herself assigned to a decades-long series of murders in which a family is murdered by the father who then takes his own life. While these would all seem like unrelated murder/suicides, every crime scene has a note from a man who wasn’t at the scene of the crime. A man who calls himself Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). With the killer appearing to have a personal connection to Agent Harker, she must find him before his next victims appear.
With slow-paced mystique, Osgood Perkins has crafted a film that feels very reminiscent of what Mike Flanagan achieved with “Doctor Sleep”. I was sitting in a packed theater and was a bit apprehensive when my audience seemed chatty during the trailers. The crowd immediately fell silent within the first minute of the film’s runtime. “Longlegs” immediately captures your attention with lethal force and never lets go.
Maika Monroe delivers an especially compelling lead performance that feels reserved and layered. With short sentences and weighted expressions, Monroe gets across so much mood and creates a character that is very lived-in. Lee Harker’s interest in the case is an ever changing enterprise that keeps expanding throughout the film. The more that I learned about her connection to Longlegs and how she was able to decipher his clues, the more fascinated I was by the film and how this whole case would wrap up.
With an effective use of wide camera angles and magnificent shot composition, cinematographer Andrés Arochi creates uncomfortable shots that always fill you with anticipation as to what might come through a doorway or what’s lurking in the blurry background. Even if nothing jumps out at you, the suggestion is all that’s needed to keep you in a state of anxiety. Further adding to the apprehension I felt was the exceptional editing of Greg Ng and Graham Fortin. The pair would let certain shots linger and this decision kept me in terror as I wondered if a scare would occur or if nothing at all was after Agent Harker.
Speaking of scares, Nicolas Cage delivers an unnerving performance that frequently ventures into Cage’s signature style of crazed acting but without feeling comical. Cage is psychotic and his appearance will remain ingrained in my brain for quite some time. While many theatrical serial killers can feel over-the-top and too poetic (like a knockoff of Hannibal Lecter), Cage’s take on Longlegs has the unpredictability and fear factor of a performance like Tom Noonan’s in “Manhunter”. Alicia Witt also appears in the film as Agent Harker’s mother and she is excruciating in a way that made me feel so distressed. The scenes with Witt and Monroe are captivating and Witt’s mentally-addled performance had me floored.
Throughout the uncomfortable atmosphere and the clever use of different aspect ratios and color schemes, “Longlegs” kept its narrative moving with twists that had me shaking. The way Perkins has structured his story makes “Longlegs” a true feast for horror fans. As far as horror is concerned, “Longlegs” is the best film I’ve seen this year and, overall, it has found its place amongst some of my favorites of 2024.
