Longlegs weaves a satanic web of mystery and horror in this film from director Osgood Perkins. Following the trail of a serial killer that carries the film’s name (Nicolas Cage), an FBI agent with psychic abilities (Maika Monroe) works to find out how this man keeps getting away with his crimes.
Lee Harker, a woman working for the FBI, has been assigned to a case twenty years in the making due to her innate intuition. She figures out the meaning of his ciphers and works to track him down. Monroe’s performance in this film is understated; her character is quiet, distant, and haunted. Though her demeanor may seem flat for a horror film, it serves to complement the story’s more dreadful atmosphere.
Cage plays Longlegs with a searing, uncomfortable presence, complemented by the special effects makeup done to make his face appear deformed. The actor does a sublime job of making this character feel real but still otherworldly—his fanatical gaze pushes past the screen and penetrates the courage of any viewer without ever resorting to jump scares, adding to the narrative’s harrowing tone.
According to New York Times writer Erik Piepenburg, director Osgood Perkins drew from this sense of doom because he recognized that the essence of true fear comes from the buildup. Being the son of Anthony Perkins, the star of Psycho, he found that making a film like this was something he was already familiar with; he took inspiration from his father’s role as a killer and crafted his own in the form of Longlegs.
Perkins’ approach to this film was to make it atmospherically horrifying. Lightless, isolated barns in the middle of nowhere, hoarder houses more akin to mazes, and Harker’s own house secluded in the woods all serve to make the audience feel alone and afraid in the dark.
Longlegs presents itself as a story that is all about the waiting, the dread, the trepidation. The fear-filled scenes make for a well-executed scary movie, and its inspirations are certainly clear throughout its duration.
Trailers revealed that critics were comparing Perkins’ film to the 1991 classic Silence of the Lambs. It is undeniable that the plot and characters of both narratives follow a similar format—a female FBI agent goes on the hunt for a demented killer in the nineties. But Longlegs differs in its storytelling direction and character work.
The standouts of this film are its character portrayals and approach to horror. Monroe and Cage play these roles in accordance with the dreadful atmosphere Perkins draws from to make for a film that is not just scary but nerve-wracking. The audience plays the part of the prey, and Longlegs succeeds in making the viewer feel hunted by this fright. If an unending sense of doom and distress sounds appealing, this is the flick for Friday night. An evening showing is sure to make any horror fan look behind their shoulder one or two times as they head home.
