Longlegs

by Mike McGranaghan

Longlegs is part serial killer story, part satanic horror film. The most interesting thing about it – and there are many interesting things – is how writer/director Osgood Perkins (Gretel & Hansel) ties those two types together without betraying the fundamentals of either. This is a slow-burn chiller that erupts into madness during the final half-hour, and even the wildest of revelations are completely earned.

Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is an FBI agent with a gift for intuition. She’s put on a case involving a serial killer who murders entire families, yet leaves no forensic evidence behind, almost as if he wasn’t even there to physically commit those murders. Harker begins putting together the occult-related clues, including figuring out how to decipher the coded messages he leaves at each crime scene. It is not a spoiler to say that Nicolas Cage plays the killer, whose nickname provides the film with its title. Describing his altered appearance would take away the impact of seeing him for the first time, but rest assured his presence is as ominous as his performance is unhinged.

For the first 65 minutes, Longlegs introduces a series of seemingly disparate elements, including a lifelike doll and Harker’s tenuous relationship with her mother Ruth (Alicia Witt). It’s unclear how they all fit together, which is where the mystery springs from. Adding to the effect is that Harker isn’t your typical gung-ho agent, like Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. She appears traumatized by the gruesome stuff she sees on the job. Through her, we can feel the investigation building to something horrific. Her reticence adds to the ambiance of dread running throughout the story, like she’s afraid to see where the trail leads.

The final 30 minutes put the pieces all together, revealing connections we could not have imagined. Osgood formulates a truly original premise here. Introducing the occult into a Se7en-style serial killer tale could have led to a finale that was over the top or needlessly exaggerated, especially since part of what makes serial killer films scary is the idea that what they’re showing could actually happen in real life. How Longlegs operates and why he does what he does are conceived to plant a deeply unnerving seed into our heads. And it succeeds because the first two acts successfully lay the groundwork for it. No, the finale isn’t realistic, but it’s absolutely shocking nonetheless.

Maika Monroe does compelling work in the movie. Her performance is integral in making us buy into the premise. The actress gives Harker a nervous, jittery quality. Rather than feeling safe in the presence of our heroine, we feel just as spooked as she is. On his end, Cage walks a high wire. Few actors are as willing to take all-or-nothing risks the way he is. Cage’s interpretation of the character is unlike any other cinematic psycho, and his unwavering commitment makes him an unsettling presence.

Perkins and cinematographer Andres Arochi shoot the movie in a cold, harsh visual style that makes every location seem laden with doom. Longlegs is not a picture that cops out. The intent is to rattle the audience, and that’s exactly what it does, particularly with the explosive conclusion. I sat through the end credits slightly stunned. Then, after reaching the theater lobby, I was overcome with a sensation of euphoria. Because of the large number of horror pictures I see every year (for work and pleasure), getting under my skin is difficult. Longlegs got under my skin. If you like being creeped out, this hellish journey will deliver a huge rush.

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