THE STORY – FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
THE CAST – Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage, Michelle Choi-Lee & Dakota Daulby
THE TEAM – Osgood Perkins (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 101 Minutes
It seems I wore my long legs today.” And, with that odd, chilling line, Nicolas Cage takes a definitive step into the lofty realm of legendary horror villains. His creation of the titular killer in “Longlegs” is exactly the type of unmistakable, easily identifiable antagonist that locks scary movies into the consciousness of the genre’s faithful fans for lifetimes. He’s established immediately in the film’s incredible opening scene, seemingly forewarning that the following 100-or-so minutes will be terrifying. And, while there are plenty of moments that’ll surely raise goosebumps, the film’s perfectly-established mood and upsetting images can’t make up for the shallow story, which deflates upon the briefest of examinations.
Cage’s killer has been terrorizing his Oregon community for 30 years, leaving coded messages at the crime scene as his grisly calling card. But, there’s one issue that has investigators stumped: he never appears to actually be present for the murders, which consist of fathers killing their families before ending their own lives. Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), a young FBI special agent, is assigned to the case after displaying seemingly-psychic abilities on the job (her superior, Blair Underwood’s Agent Carter, compromises with her protestations and labels her as merely “highly intuitive”). It’s not long before Longlegs notices Harker’s involvement and reaches out to her specifically. As Harker gets closer and closer to discovering the truth, her proximity to this strange case becomes increasingly dangerous.
“Longlegs” contains so many elements of similarly well-loved and well-crafted mysteries: coded letters, disturbing pieces of evidence, and terrifying flashbacks that let the audience peer into the disturbed minds of the film’s characters. Director-writer Osgood Perkins constructs these visions in a way that makes it clear we’re looking to the upsetting past, framed as old-fashioned home video footage filmed by an impossible cameraperson. In fact, the veil of dread that he shrouds over the entire film is impenetrable and impressive, making even the most banal moments feel like precursors to horrors. Smartly, he peppers enough humor throughout to alleviate the tension in ways that are genuinely hilarious and not at all inappropriate for the type of story he’s telling.
The film’s overarching tone puts the audience on edge for nearly the entire runtime, and yet, the shocking moments of pure horror never feel softened or expected. Perkins uses the simplest elements of filmmaking – framing, blocking, and sound design – for maximum scary effectiveness. And, there are secrets to be found throughout the film that only add to the general feeling of unease; this is a world where the devil is ever-present. Keep your eyes peeled and you may even notice him before the characters do (if they notice him at all). And yet, “Longlegs” falls victim to one of the genre’s most unfortunate fates. Once truths start being revealed and mysteries cease to be mysterious, the film loses its sense of perverse magnetism that makes the audience lean in even as they want to recoil. At one point, a strange metallic orb is discovered in connection to the murders, and even though its mere existence prompts confusion and questions, it’s made explicitly clear that there’s nothing inside it. This inadvertently serves as the perfect metaphor for “Longlegs” as a film; there’s an air of intrigue to the whole thing, but upon closer examination, it’s just hollow.
Unsurprisingly, Cage puts his entire being into the role. His horrifying makeup does a lot of work to make his character as consistently unnerving as possible, but all the latex in the world is worthless if the actor encased in it isn’t giving their all. His voice and enigmatic choice of words is constantly unsettling, and his physicality repels. He has been yanked straight out of a nightmare and smeared onto celluloid. Monroe makes for a worthy foil, managing to be both headstrong yet clearly terrified as the killer intrudes more and more into her life. She’s determined to get to the bottom of things, but her difficult past has made her nervous and (often hilariously) awkward. Monroe smartly shrinks her character using physical choices, such as a hesitancy to make eye contact. The two central actors give entirely different performances that somehow work in perfect harmony in parallel storylines that seem destined to merge.
“Longlegs” is a film made up of long lingering takes, open doorways, and other disquieting filmmaking choices that put the audience on edge, turning them into detectives themselves as they scan the frame for the next chill-inducing image. It’s unfortunate that the thin screenplay can’t match the excellent tone-setting. Much like having the lights immediately turned off, “Longlegs” is scary at first, but once your eyes adjust, it’s apparent that there’s nothing substantial to be worried about.
