Title – Longlegs (2024)

Director – Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter)

Cast – Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt

Plot – Investigating a series of grisly murders spanning multiple decades, FBI agent Lee Harker (Monroe) starts to uncover more than she bargained for when it becomes clear there’s occult underlining’s to what has been occurring.   

“Are you still saying your prayers?”

Review by Eddie on 26/08/2024

Becoming one of, if not the biggest surprise hits of 2024 too the tune of much critical praise and a global box office haul of over $100 million dollars off a budget reported to be under $10 million, full credit to writer/director Osgood (son of Psycho’s Anthony) Perkins and distributor Neon’s marketing team for making their Silence of the Lamb’s mixed with a healthy dose of the supernatural feature Longleg’s what it has become. 

Becoming a viral sensation before it even hit screens thanks too a rampant and clever pre-release campaign that did a little with a lot and promoted the involvement of a very different looking Nicolas Cage as the films titular villain and the films horror elements that aren’t in fact as prevalent as one might expect here, Longlegs all of a sudden has found itself victim to its own success with many likely to be left disappointed by a film that isn’t really what it was promoted as even if there’s no denying Perkins film is an often unnerving and original offering. 

Following Maika Monroe’s hot off the press FBI agent Lee Harker, who possesses a strange ability to connect with what many others wouldn’t even see or feel as she embeds herself into a case looking into the “Longlegs” killings that have haunted the local community for over 30 years, Longlegs may have a very familiar set-up but Perkins ensures his breakout hit is it’s very own kind of beast that isn’t afraid to get very weird and is at the same time more than happy to allow Mr. Cage to run rampant with a role that is going to go down amongst his most unhinged in a career littered with colourful performances. 

One of the most visually unique films of the calendar year and featuring stunning sound design that goes hand in hand with composer Elvis Perkins/Zilgi’s otherworldly score, Longlegs does a lot to rise above its low-budget roots and both Monroe and Cage get to prove their metal here, even if Monroe’s Harker isn’t an always enjoyable main protagonist with her lack of emotions and awkward encounters not always gripping, even if her reasonings make more sense as the films loaded narrative begins to come together. 

Where Longlegs really stumbles is in it’s many semi/non explained happenings or pay-offs, lack of genuine scares that no amount of uneasy segments can cover and some divisive supernatural elements that are going to make or break many viewers enjoyment of the film and while the film was smartly promoted as a Seven meets Silence of the Lambs experience, Perkins never gets close to reaching the lofty heights of those genre classics that rounded out all their components into a much more all-rounded package. 

In a day and age where many are crying out for more originality in their movie and TV products, Longlegs is a mid-tier win that has some fantastic individual components that are pulled back down by some fairly unsatisfactory storytelling and plot queries but if all you’re after is an impressively wide-eyed and singing Nic Cage, Longlegs is all you need to be fully satisfied. 

Final Say – 

A victim of high expectations that have come from critical praise and arguably misguiding marketing ploys, Longlegs is an odd beast that remains oddly engaging throughout but one that never comes together the way you’d hope as the wheels begin to fall off the longer the runtime wears on. 

2 1/2 presidential photos out of 5