Marketed as “the best horror movie of the year” with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes before its US premiere, can Longlegs really be labelled as such?
Before I even knew what the film was about, I had seen countless videos on TikTok and Instagram posts raving about how great the movie was, one person even stated it was the perfect horror movie.
However, whenever someone thinks about their version of the perfect horror film, what comes to mind will always differ from others so when you walk into a theatre with that expectation, you risk the feeling of leaving disappointed. While Longlegs was not my favourite horror film of the year, it is still a great movie.
The film follows FBI Agent Lee Harker as she is assigned to an unresolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn to the occult and becomes an even wilder ride as she discovers a personal connection to the killer, Longlegs.
Neon’s latest film directed by Osgood “Oz” Perkins, the son of Anthony Perkins, a Hollywood heavyweight and the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), both men have a great understanding of what makes people truly uncomfortable. While Longlegs’ storyline follows a conventional plot, its strength lies in its ability to unnerve. It excels in creating an atmosphere that crawls under your skin, wrapping its hands around your heart, willing it to not beat so loudly. Instead of focusing on scaring the audience, it fills you with nervous unease.
The opening scene is the most frightening sequence in the film and perfectly sets the tone for the story. It opens with a shot of a house covered in untouched snow, its whiteness refusing to look pure as it contrasts with the flashes of red from the opening titles. An eerie stillness pervades the air, mirrored by the deliberate stillness of the camera movements with its slow, measured pans. In just the first two minutes, a suffocating tension has been built—and nothing’s even happened yet!
It is a film to simultaneously lean into and wince away from.
But, what will ultimately decide if this film will be your favourite horror film of the year is whether or not you prioritise story over atmosphere.
What follows is a plot that feels more like a psychological thriller than a horror, despite Agent Harker trying to capture a serial killer who believes in raising Satan but even at that, not once were we to actually believe that the supernatural was real in this film until the very end.
The film itself is jam-packed with motifs often associated with serial killer thrillers—the cyphers that Harker needs to decode, violent letters left to taunt the protagonist, creepy dolls, and even a visit to a mental hospital. You can already see the comparisons to films like The Silence of The Lambs (1991) and Se7en (1995).
Like many people, I left the theatre questioning what I had just seen, I had so many unanswered questions about the ending. But more importantly, I left the theatre questioning whether or not I liked the movie. Yes, the film perfectly toys with your senses. And yes, the film is scattered with atmospheric scares. However, throughout it, I felt like there was a lack of stakes in the plot. Not once did we feel like the main character was in any real danger nor did the final murders feel heavily distressing.
Nicolas Cage plays the character, Longlegs, and does so with such theatrics taking inspiration from real-life serial killers, like the Zodiac and Weepy-Voiced Killer, with his high-pitched lyrical tone. Visually, he looked the part too, like a botched Ozzy Osbourne if Ozzy Osbourne had a plastic surgery addiction.
Even with the film’s promotion they built upon the character’s fear factor refusing to show his face in the trailers and posters. Only glimpses of his torso and distorted cackle, crafting a shroud of mystery around him. As if implied that his visage was too horrifying to behold, reserved only for those who dared to watch the film.
With sparing yet impactful appearances, each moment Cage graced the screen sent shivers down the spine. Despite this, by the film’s conclusion, his role felt peripheral, as though his character lingered on the edges of the story rather than at its heart despite being the driving force in the narrative.
The main protagonist, Agent Lee Harker, is played by Maika Monroe. A familiar face to the horror genre having starred in It Follows (2014) and Watcher (2022). Monroe’s fear and anxiety throughout the film were so palpable and authentic that it was hard not to feel the same. In scenes like her finally meeting Longlegs, the terror she exudes is contagious. Her character is an inherently unsettled soul with an awkwardness that seems to vibrate with every interaction. There was a fresh, raw quality to her, reminiscent of Jodie Foster’s Agent Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
While the film’s ending was fitting for her story, by the time the credits started rolling, I felt like it was nowhere near done. Did Longlegs successfully raise Satan? What’s going to happen to the little girl? How is she going to explain the final scene to the FBI? What the hell actually just happened?
Like I said, I had many questions.
Despite all of that, the film does take you on such a hauntingly atmospheric journey that’s not often felt in many horror films today. I understand why Longlegs had garnered such great reviews from early viewers, especially when their opinions hadn’t yet been influenced by social media. I’ve learnt my lesson now on not falling for the hype traps.
So, can you call it the “best horror movie of the year”?
I guess that depends on you.
