Longlegs review

LONGLEGS: 

NICOLAS CAGE SERIAL KILLER MOVIE IS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE THAT MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

NEON

Maika Monroe in Longlegs

 

            Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dream Scenario) goes full serial killer in Longlegs, the new horror-mystery film from Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel) and the latest in the resurgence of Cage’s career that began with 2021’s Pig. Big surprise, I was onboard with the movie the moment I heard Nicolas Cage was going to be involved in it and that he was going to be a violent and deranged serial killer in the film. 

            While I’m not familiar with Perkins’ previous directing efforts, I thought Longlegs was fantastic with lots of anxiety-fueled tension, genuinely frightening scenes, and a gripping mystery. It already looked amazing by the trailer but this exceeded my expectations in just about every way. 

            The film follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe-It Follows, The Guest, Watcher) who is assigned an unresolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn when it reveals evidence of the occult. When she realizes she has a personal connection with the killer simply known as Longlegs (Cage) from her past, she must piece together the clues and track him down before he strikes again. 

            The film also stars Blair Underwood (Set It Off, Rules of Engagement, LAX) as Agent Carter (No, not that one!), Alicia Witt (Twin Peaks, Cybill, Mr. Holland’s Opus) as Lee’s mother Ruth Harker, Dakota Daulby (iZombie, Wayward Pines, Freaks) as Agent Horatio Fisk, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, When Marnie Was There, Twisters) as Carrie Anne Camera, and Jason Day (30 Beats, 2091, Playing with Fire) as Father Camera. 

            Overall, Longlegs is one of the most disturbing and unnerving films I’ve seen all year that ironically has much more Anxiety than Inside Out 2. I don’t just mean with Nicolas Cage doing creepy things and violent murders happening, I’m also talking about the film’s atmosphere and how it looks. 

            The movie has this bleak, unsettling tone that really empathizes anxiety and fear and the feeling of the mysterious. Even when Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs isn’t onscreen, something feels off about the film’s environment and that horrific things can happen at any moment. 

            It’s also a slow burn with more focus being on the mystery behind the murders rather than the serial killer himself so don’t go in expecting Nicolas Cage to completely steal the show (Though he takes full advantage of the screen-time he has). A lot of people tend to get slow burns mixed up with boring movies and Nicolas Cage isn’t quite as prominent as you’d expect, but because the mystery is consistently interesting and keeps you on your toes, it’s never a dull slog and a lot of that is in part to Maika Monroe’s performance who I thought was excellent. 

            Nicolas Cage may be the name that puts people in the movie theater seats, but Maika Monroe is the one who carries the entire film as the emotional surrogate for the audience to get attached to. I was thoroughly invested in her character and seeing her figure out the clues behind the murders, even the scenes where she’s interacting with her mother (who is clearly hiding some things from her) or her superior, Agent Carter are very well-handled. 

            Nicolas Cage is marvelous and absolutely horrifying in the film as the Longlegs killer, I’m starting to understand why the people in Dream Scenario were so terrified of Nicolas Cage in that movie because holy fuck! First off, he is almost unrecognizable with this makeup on his face that looks sort of like a weird mask but as soon as he spoke there’s no doubt it’s Nick Cage going crazy. 

            What’s especially interesting about his performance is that he does a lot of the typical Nicolas Cage acting tropes seen in all the memes, but where those are usually comedic they’re terrifying here with his hamminess set to creepy music, nightmarish visuals, and creepy atmosphere. This probably will not get awards attention because the Academy doesn’t like horror very much which I think is criminal because this is one of the best performances of the year. 

            I have a lot to say about this film, but it’s also crucial to go in with as little knowledge as possible for a greater effect so I will start wrapping this review up. Longlegs not only is the best horror movie of the year so far, but one of the best films of 2024 in general with its anxiety-filled, blood-pumping tension, terrifying Nicolas Cage performance, and interesting, brilliantly-crafted mystery, it’s a film that must be seen to be believed and follows in the footsteps of The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and Zodiac as a new serial killer horror classic. 

            I’m a little on the fence about the ending though, still a brilliant movie!