Evil comes in many forms, and the evil that slithers throughout Longlegs extends beyond Nicolas Cage’s titular boogeyman. Writer and director Osgood “Oz” Perkins’ latest horror mystery film is a blend of a serial killer FBI procedural and a truly sickening satanic fairytale. Perkins’ singular style of infusing dread and atmosphere pulls you deeper into the grasp of Satan’s hydra, marking Longlegs Perkins’ best feat yet.
From the very first ten minutes of Longlegs, Perkins immediately sets the tone by dropping us into a dreary nightmare, captivated by its isolated, pure white landscapes displayed in a suffocating 4:3 aspect ratio. A cheeky yet visceral scare follows, and flashes of blood-red title cards saturate the theater as you brace yourself for whatever else Perkins has in store. The screen then stretches into the gloomy present of 1990s Oregon, where we meet FBI rookie Lee Harker (Maika Monroe).
Special Agent Harker seems to possess an unknown sixth sense that helps locate a local criminal through inexplicable hunches. This catches the eye of her superior, Detective Agent Carter (Blair Underwood), who enlists her in a decades-long case that only continues to grow colder. Families are found dead in their own homes, with fathers appearing to randomly murder their wives and daughters before taking their own lives. There is no evidence of anyone else being present during the crimes, the only connections are the children’s birthdays and a series of coded notes at each scene signed “Longlegs.” As Harker gets closer to the truth, Longlegs begins to take notice.
While Longlegs may initially seem familiar to other serial killer FBI procedural films, particularly Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs, the film sets itself apart with its supernatural tinge, keeping the audience guessing about the nature of the evil we’re confronting. Perkins cleverly hides Cage’s face for most of the film’s runtime, making our introduction to Longlegs all the more sinister. Cage sports a bloated, ghostly face warped by plastic surgery and stringy blonde locks that make him look both like a washed-out glam rocker from the 1970s and the porcelain dolls he makes. No one else could successfully pull off what Cage does here—his enigmatic and unsettling performance will have you begging for his taunting to end.
Monroe delivers one of her greatest performances as the socially awkward and independent Harker. Monroe highlights Harker’s ease around heavy crime subjects that contrasts her difficulty in connecting with other people. Harker’s special talents and resilience are continuously intriguing, as is her bizarre relationship with her mother Ruth, played by an incredibly harrowing Alicia Witt, who reminds her daughter to say her prayers. Underwood’s Carter grounds Harker as a warm and charismatic father figure, pulling her out of her comfort zone. Longlegs also explores a fascinating theme of how parents try to shield their children from the world’s horrors, until the smokescreen is lifted once they’re grown.
Perkins and cinematographer Andres Arochi utilize analog horror to craft disturbing crime scene imagery and sounds that assault the senses from every angle. The flashback sequences are filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio, creating a claustrophobic sensation as its pitch-black borders threaten to swallow you whole. Perkins further heightens discomfort by choosing what to include and exclude from the frame, leading our minds to horrifying places as we try to fill in the blanks. Longlegs is steeped in shadows and demonic visuals, with chilling sound design by Perkins’ brother Zilgi/ Elvis Perkins making you question what might be lurking behind your shoulder.
Production Designer Danny Vermette and Set Decorator Trevor Johnston pair well with Perkins’ aesthetic to create Longlegs’ various 1990s Midwestern Americana environments that all evoke a distinct feeling. A comically large framed portrait of Bill Clinton hangs above Carter’s office desk, and Harker lives in an odd, thick log cabin in the woods. Ruth’s hoarded house is especially disturbing—you can almost smell it—as Harker discovers her mother’s secret hiding places stored with family memorabilia.
It’s exciting to see an arthouse horror movie like Longlegs draw such large audiences to theatres, and even more thrilling that the film lives up to the anticipation. Perkins subverts the serial killer FBI procedural subgenre by intertwining it with satanic fairytale lore, resulting in a uniquely frightening cinematic experience. Rich with intricate details that will only reveal more with each repeat viewing, the malevolent forces that haunt the film lingers, rotting in your brain long after the credits roll.