FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) may be new to the bureau and completely out of her depth, but she has a gift. When she and her partner are sent door knocking in search of a suspect it results in a traumatic and violent outcome. But the most shocking thing is Harker’s intuition could have prevented the entire thing, she saw it coming.
Later she has been tested and found to be gifted with certain psychic abilities. Able to predict outcomes beyond random chance. In desperation to solve a decades old ongoing case, she is partnered with Agent Carter (Blair Underwood). The crimes all involve brutal murder and suicides of families across the United States. Thus, called because while the killings all appear to be self-explanatory, each scene included a coded letter left by an outside party. Someone going under the moniker of “Longlegs” (Nicholas Cage).
As Harker investigates these murders, she begins down a cryptic path of nightmares and occult mysticism. A path which reaches all the way back into her own past and her own childhood. How is Longlegs controlling people into committing these horrible acts? What is the connection between the victims? More importantly what is the connection between Longlegs and Harker?
From filmmaker Osgood Perkins, comes one of the most talked about horror films of 2024. Perkins is known for three things, being the son of horror movie icon Anthony Perkins, for his daunting and nightmarish horror films, and playing Dorky David in Legally Blonde (2001). Jokes aside, even before I made the connection, the atmosphere of Longlegs jogged my memory of the memorable style of 2020’s ‘Gretel & Hansel’, Perkins‘ previous film.
This style is what I love about this film, Perkins‘ distinctive look and aesthetics are his trademark at this point. Director of photography Andres Arochi is also the perfect collaborator with Perkins and I hope that they work together again.
Longlegs is shot part in flashback, sort of like a super 8 film, and part in wide-screen (for “modern” sequences set in the 1990s). The wide-screen footage however still feels like it is an expansion of that 4:3 super 8 aspect and gives the entire film an off putting feel. Almost like we’re getting vertigo from the experience, which along with the disturbing performance by Nicholas Cage, sets the film off on a great start.
The most well hyped (and well marketed) aspect of Longlegs revolves around Cage‘s characteristically stand out role. Say what you want about his career, he’s generally the best thing in any movie he’s in, giving 110% to the project. That is definitely true here, as the creepiness of his performance hits hard, even if sometimes overstepping the line and reaching parody levels. That said, Cage gives the Longlegs film a shot in the arm whenever he is on screen.
Which is something this film needs as it puts the “slow” in “slow burn’. How much so? Well, there are horror films best not experienced with a full stomach and then there are the ones that make you sleepy. Longlegs is the latter and is best not experienced if you’re already feeling drowsy. Perkins keeps the same dream-like ponderous tone and pacing as he did with Gretel & Hansel. While this worked for a twisted fairy tale, it feels self-indulgent and even boring with Longlegs. There isn’t enough to the mystery of Longlegs to keep us entertained and attentive. I even witnessed several people in the cinema nodding off at points.
Perhaps this is a film straining under the weight of its massive hype. There just isn’t much to say about Longlegs besides praising the impressive cinematography and Cage‘s unhinged performance. Utilised with a better script, I believe this could’ve have been an incredibly effective thriller.
Legitimately disturbed early on and having no idea where the film would take me, when the familiar twists began appearing and became more and more predictable, Longlegs became disappointing and it is far from the future cult classic it had the potential to be.