I won’t go as far as to say that Longlegs is the scariest movie of the decade or even the scariest movie you’ll see this year. But it’s certainly unsettling, and will leave you thinking about it long after it’s over.
Longlegs stars Maika Monroe as Special Agent Lee Harker, who seemingly has clairvoyant abilities after she intuits which home belongs to a murdering psychopath. The bureau takes an interest in her after that, and she’s brought on to investigate a serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicholas Cage). Every family that Longlegs targets as the father killing his wife and children before taking his own life, however, there’s no physical evidence of anyone else but the family being in the house. How does he do it? And why the interest in the 14th? The movie begins so much like a procedural that you might think we’re in a movie like Zodiac or Seven, but you would be wrong.
If you’ve watched any of Osgood Perkins’ movies before, you’ll know that his wheelhouse deals with the supernatural. So while Longlegs is human – and the kind of weirdo you would avoid at the supermarket – there is also something otherworldly about him, an undeniably creepy essence that you want to be far away from. The opening sequence, where we’re introduced to Longlegs, is the most unsettling part of the film. That introduction in square aspect ratio, before transitioning to a full blood red screen, is one of the best openings I’ve ever seen in a horror film. I like when a film is so thoughtful in its presentation of opening credits, like Fresh’s title card only dropping about 40 minutes into the film.
The film’s cinematography is amazing, and every scene is so well-framed and staged. The interiors are murky and dark, and the warm lighting feels unsettling more than inviting. Lee’s house is the stuff of nightmares – an isolated cabin in full view of a creepy forest. We feel that she’s being watched even before we know she is. I was holding my breath for so many of the film’s static shots because I half expected Longlegs to pop out and start doing a jig. The film’s soundscape does a fantastic job in building the film’s eerie, hair-raising atmosphere. I leapt out of my skin so many times because the sound led me to expect horrifying things to emerge on screen.
The film’s marketing has done its best to keep Nicholas Cage’s involvement as secret as possible, but I knew he was in it before I watched the film. He is unrecognisable in it, well, until he unleashes his fanatic Cage screams, which is pretty distinct to all us fans who are familiar enough with his filmography. Still, he’s immensely creepy as Longlegs, and while some may be disappointed that we see him out and about in the day rather than keeping him firmly confined to the eerie spaces of the dark, I actually liked this choice.
Longlegs, much like Perkins’ previous film The Blackcoat’s Daughter, deals so much with the themes of isolation and loneliness. Before he was a killer, he was a lonely man who people found strange and creepy. Seeking out the man downstairs might seem like the worst idea to most of us, but people can do extremely messed up things just to feel less alone. The film also dives into Lee and her mother’s isolated lives together, and the consequences of that.
While Cage is incredible as Longlegs, the film lives and breathes on Monroe’s performance as Lee Harker. Lee is smart, methodical, but also antisocial – you can practically feel her discomfort when interacting with other people. This makes sense when we’re given a glimpse of her home life and what it must have been like living with her mother. We’re rooting for her to be successful, yet wonder if there’s a certain futility to the whole picture. And that’s what lingers with us as we watch the end credits roll backwards, the bleak realisation that this is a world with massacred families and nobody cares.
READ NEXT: 10 Rarest PS3 Games You Probably Shouldn’t Buy
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site.
