In Longlegs, it’s the 1990s and the FBI are on the trail of a wanted suspect. After running out of leads, agents resort to going from house to house, knocking on doors for information.
While out in the field, rookie agent, Lee Harker senses something from one of the houses. When her partner knocks, the suspect opens the door, and shoots and kills the agent.
Following the incident, Lee is tested for possible clairvoyance. When it appears she does have some kind of gift, she is assigned to a decades old case involving a series of brutal murder-suicides involving families.
In each case, the father of the family murdered his wife and children, before killing himself. Due to the personal nature of the crimes, it would appear as if they are all unconnected.
However, a letter was left at the scene of each crime. There are ten letters in total, each written by the same person, and each signed with the name ‘Longlegs’.
Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, Longlegs is a horror thriller starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Kiernan Shipka. The film is now playing in UK and US cinemas, and if you adore nail-biting horror, or crime thrillers such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Seven (1995), The Cell (2000), and Zodiac (2007), then you need to throw yourself in front of this picture.
Longlegs is dark, atmospheric, and intense. The sort of movie which has the ability to raise the hairs on the back of neck, while sending a shiver down your spine.
If you’re someone who scares easily, this is not a film to watch alone. It’s going to creep you out and you’ll need to sleep with the lights on for a week.
On the flipside, if you’re someone who enjoys being unnerved, then knock yourself out. It’s nightmarish stuff and then some!
Longlegs has a grim and gritty aesthetic, which is both stylish and intoxicating. It’s difficult to take your eyes off it, but there are times when you wish you could.
Maika Monroe leads the film, playing FBI agent Lee Harker. The actress is excellent in the role, and she puts in a compelling turn.
Sure, there are shades of Clarice Starling and Dana Scully in the character, but Monroe works hard to ensure this isn’t a carbon copy agent. Lee Harker is quieter and seemingly less assured, but no less captivating, and she steers this movie well.
Joining Monroe on screen is Nicolas Cage as the mysterious and bat-shit insane, ‘Longlegs’. Cage is equally as captivating, but also disturbing and unhinged, and jeez is he good at being bad.
Despite having very limited screen time, and often shot in a way which obscures his face, Cage makes the most of every frame he is in. This is a superb performance, which plays like a cross between Buffalo Bill and Jackie Stallone.
It’s a truly transformative turn from Cage. Caked in make-up and utilising prosthetics, it is easy to lose sight of the actor and become completely taken by the character.
Outside of the central cast, Longlegs is an expertly shot piece, which is rich in tones and textures. There’s a real depth and verisimilitude to the world that is presented on screen, with writer/director Osgood Perkins selling the heck out of every scene.
The only real quibble is perhaps the story, which arguably attempts a little too much. Satanism, a serial killer, a clairvoyant FBI agent and various other things are thrown into the mix, and at times it is a tad overstuffed.
But Longlegs is a great picture regardless. It’s grim and freakish in just the right way, and if you have a taste for this sort of thing then you will certainly want to indulge.
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