Longlegs (2024)
Director: Oz Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt
Primary genre: Horror
Secondary genre: Thriller
“Coo coo”. Can you think of any film that made a seemingly innocent child associating act bearing so much dread? Perhaps James Wan’s “The Conjuring” (2013) comes in mind with its demonization of the clap game which was enough to give anyone a good amount of nightmares. Writer-director Oz Perkins has been consistent in putting out horror content (“The Blackcoat’s Daughter“ (2015), “I Am the Pretty Things That Lives in the House“ (2016)) supported by a hearty dosage of visual enthusiasm and technical finesse. Turns out the son of horror icon Anthony Perkins has one final(?) genre ace up in his sleeve; talent runs in the family one can concur.
The clever marketing campaign did wonders for “Longlegs”. Echoing the effective promotion of “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) with a dash of 70s satanic paranoia horror nostalgia (“The First Omen” (2024) capitalized on this too earlier this year), Nicolas Cage’s titular antagonist has been completely obscured from posters, stills and trailers inviting audiences to experience first hand his bold take on a common villainous trope. You have been invited in this occult and murderous party, enter at your own discretion.
Where others prefer the route of elaborate-killing scenery and telegraphic performances (e.g., “Mindhunters“ (2004), the “Saw” franchise (2004-2025)), Perkins does not mock around. His 4:3 prologue is particularly inspiring and as our adult now hero tracks down Longlegs, we are plunged into a pit of uncertainty, the clues surrounding the ongoing mystery not enough to give us the full extent of what is going on. Could cryptic messages, unexplainable phenomena, and lots of dead bodies being all parts of a grand scheme that has been set into motion? Wait till the end to find out. Heavily inspired by David Fincher’s “Seven” (1995) and Ha Ming-jin’s “The Wailing” (2016), the number one priority here is to establish and consistently maintain a sense of rot and spiritual decay instead of OTT decapitations, angry federal agents and scream queen victims.
“Coo Coo”
Paying heavy tribute to Jonathan Demme’s quintessential serial killer flick “Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Longlegs” enjoys a previously-tested-and-evaluated format. There is the troubled (but capable) female FBI lead, the witty (but deranged) villain, their back and forth exchanges, restrained yet highly effective violence and a doomsday focus across the snowy and earthy toned landscapes of Oregon once you realise what type of a “monster” roams free. Quid pro quo indeed. Cage’s Longlegs is far from your typical SK dude. He breathes life a peculiar role bringing forward eccentricity and menace with gusto . He is sensational delivering a captivating performance that will be remembered in the years to come amidst horror cinephiles. Perkins’ smart and contained script gives his star the opportunity to compose something unique that fortunately does not overshadow the proceedings or overstays its welcome.
The directional approach emulates this production with several visual hints requesting from the audience to revisit this hellish trip several times and appreciate his unique psychological and supernatural horror blend. Its stylish composition is a marriage of Demme and Wan’s work paired off with a striking, hypersaturated cinematography and an unnerving soundtrack, all instilling a relentless disquieting mood wrapped around a crime film. When horror strikes, it is swift and on point leaving the rest in the audience’s imagination where dread, desolation and despair are the only produced emotions through this magnetic experience.
“Longlegs” will go down as one of the most original serial killer movies since Tarsem’s visually arresting “The Cell” (2000) and Kim Jee-woon’s exercise in nihilism in “I Saw the Devil” (2010). Itself is a piece of evidence that when there is a will, there is a way and for all the push for AI content, human creativity has not been depleted. Not yet.
Horror original at its finest
+Cage is sensational
+Hypnotic cinematography
+Clever and original mystery
+Restrained horror approach
+Disquieting soundtrack
-Satanic Silence of the Lambs clone