This year has been filled with many horror films, many of them being the talk of the town, such as Immaculate, Late Night with the Devil, and recently, A Quiet Place: Day One. There are still many more horror films to come out later this year, but it seems like Osgood Perkins has already taken the crown for best horror film of the year with Longlegs. This film has already risen to critical acclaim before release, and thanks to its immersive marketing, it has gained the attention of a general audience. The question hanging over this film is: does it live up to the hype?
Longlegs is set in the 1990s (cleverly announced by a portrait of Bill Clinton at the FBI office) and follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) who has been assigned to an unsolved case involving a multi-decade serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage, unrecognizable under prosthetics). As the investigation continues and becomes more complicated with potential connections to the occult arising, Harker uncovers a potentially personal link to the killer and must act quickly to prevent another murder.
Before getting into the film itself, it’s important to acknowledge that one of its biggest achievements of Longlegs is its marketing. as it helped get the audience involved with the film, creating an atmosphere that was scary as they brought the serial killer to life to get our hearts racing before even watching the film. It works; this is how you market a horror film. Showing the film early to critics certainly helped, drumming up quotes saying it was the best serial killer film since The Silence of the Lambs. Now, while Longlegs doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of The Silence of the Lambs, it’s difficult to point to a serial killer film that matches Longlegs’ pure dread.
Others have referred to Longlegs as the scariest film of the decade, but it certainly isn’t. However, Perkins isn’t TRYING to make the scariest film of the decade. Films such as Talk to Me, The Black Phone, and Smile are “scarier” than Longlegs, but that’s because those films are actively trying to scare you through the use of copious jumpscares and musical stings. Longlegs is much more focused on creating an environment of uneasiness that never seems to let up throughout its tight 101 minutes. This isn’t to say there aren’t moments that elicit sudden gasps; there are a couple instances of jump-out-of-your-seat scares.
Longlegs is an outstanding horror film, but not just because of its story, direction, or the technical aspects that Osgood Perkins brings to the film; it also has two phenomenal stars that provide emotionally challenging and chilling performances with their characters. Firstly, there is Nicolas Cage. The marketing smartly kept Longlegs’ appearance hidden and only showing glimpses of his form, but the full picture is genuinely spooky; it’s nothing demonic or ghostly, but it’s uncanny and difficult to perceive. Cage is the perfect actor for this role, embodying Longlegs as a softly-spoken stranger that is unafraid of the consequences of the world around him. When Cage finally unleashes the rage of the character in a car, his guttural scream will freeze you to your core.
Though Nicolas Cage gives off a performance of a lifetime, the true star of the film is Maika Monroe. She plays a difficult to read FBI agent; she’s socially awkward but also very skilled at her craft, and she proves so in her opening moments. Her character Lee is quiet, a woman of very few words, but her facial expressions dp all of the work. Lee’s fear comes in waves throughout the film, and she doesn’t need to express that fear audibly for the audience to understand. Monroe is a great actor who rivals her counterpart Nicolas Cage in this film, and while it’s hard to get into the evolution of her performance throughout without delving into spoilers, her final moments are breathtaking to watch.
While Longlegs may be a serial killer film, it doesn’t focus on gratuitous in-your-face-violence. This ends up being extremely effective in the film as the rare violent attack that is shown has much more of an impact on the psyche. The fear comes not from what is shown, but rather what is possible, with every darkened corner creating the potential for your worst nightmare. The ending of the film will surely upset some viewers, as not every lingering question is answered by the time the credits roll. However, the conclusion ties up the themes beautifully: everyone is capable of horror, and sometimes that horror is systemic, built into the foundations of our world. Longlegs isn’t a film that will make you scream, but rather one that sits with you hours after leaving the theatre. Maybe the washroom down that darkened hallway can wait until morning.
Longlegs releases in theaters on July 12.
