Nicholas Cage, in what is arguably a career defining performance, appears on the big screen as never seen before, playing an erratic Satanic serial killer in a film that feels evil from the start.

Maika Monroe, having previously starred in It Follows and Watcher, is an absolute asset in this movie, putting on an incredible performance whilst playing an insular, dogged FBI agent fixated on solving a series of connected serial-murders and stopping Nicolas Cage’s unhinged Satanist character in this, the latest freaky, atmospheric film from Osgood Perkins.

Longlegs was released in cinemas last month but the buzz around the movie still remains as alive as ever. Marketed as the ‘scariest film of the decade’ and excitably compared in the far reaches of the internet to The Silence of the Lambs, Zodiac and Seven, there has been a lot of contention surrounding whether this movie actually hits the mark.

Whilst it may be too early to bracket Longlegs in the same league as these three other movie greats, the influences of each movie can be detected in brief touches throughout, with the addition of a supernatural occult twist that would feel right at home in the Sinister, Hereditary and Insidious universes.

A Chilling Beginning

Within the first few minutes the movie makes you feel palpably unsettled; physically uncomfortable and sitting on the edge of your seat, as though you are being personally hunted by the mysterious shadowy presence of Longlegs yourself. From the very start, this movie crawls under your skin and stays there until the end credits roll out; a white-knuckle, highly unnerving blend of subtle and explicit, disorienting the senses through its experimentation with sudden sounds, heart-stopping jump scares, subtle shots, spliced images and sharp cuts, triggering and maintaining a sense of predatory, pervasive doom. Without delivering a spoiler, be warned that Longlegs starts with a BANG and reminds you throughout that, if you don’t tread lightly, you might just end up caught in a nasty bear trap. Those of a nervous disposition should avoid this movie or, at least, have a defibrillator on hand!

A Game of Cat and Mouse

After showcasing her uncanny instinct when investigating a potential crime scene, Agent Lee Harker, variously described by her FBI colleagues as ‘Half-psychic’ and ‘Highly Intuitive’ (clairvoyant in all but name), is recruited to work on a puzzling cold case the FBI hopes to solve through the use of her special abilities. Whilst more at home lurking in corners or alone in her creepy wooden murder cabin in the woods, Agent Lee Harker is a gifted agent dedicated to picking apart all the minute details of Longlegs’ modus operandi, eventually cracking the code of his messages (with the help of an unexpected friend) and discovering a hidden pattern to the deaths, taking the form of an inverted triangle – a well-known sinister symbol of the occult.

Yet, what no one in the FBI was anticipating was the fact that Agent Lee Harker’s presence in the case acts as a catalyst rather than a deterrent to our killer, reawakening the monster known as Longlegs (Nicholas Cage) that haunts the movie’s narrative – an unhinged, rock-obsessed, Charles Manson inspired murderer implicated in a series of family killings that spans decades. To add to the tension, a skeleton lurking in Agent Harker’s childhood closet is freed amidst the carnage. A cunning game of cat and mouse ensues but the audience is deftly left questioning who is predator and who is prey as the insidious connection between the characters comes to light and we realise there is a third participant in this unholy triangle, pointing dramatically at the man downstairs himself.

Stunning Cinematography

Alongside the phenomenal acting, the cinematography is simply gorgeous throughout. The stark, bleak, cold scenery really sets the tone for the ominous plot development, with the symmetrical, over-the-shoulder shots and mysterious shadows captured in the corners immersing the audience as witnesses in the lonely, melancholy world of the protagonists. Likewise, the constant play in camera perspective, switching from grainy 70s home movie footage to widescreen frame to represent the past and the present, helped set the eerie tone and added to the intentionally disorientating authenticity of the world building. Throughout this movie you find yourself paying attention to even the most minute of details, seeking to spot or pre-empt the horror lurking in the corner of each shot; at times, expecting to see things in the corner of your eye that don’t transpire, at others, shocked to the core as the unexpected manifests and hits you between the eyes – and I loved it! The attention to detail was truly astounding, even down to Longlegs’ terrifying introduction, with old footage style cinematography taking the viewpoint of him from a child’s perspective, cutting off the top half of his profile initially so just his mouth and glimpses of his face can be seen from a lower vantage point – creating an air of mystique and child-like, morbid curiosity as we wait with bated breath for his true face to be revealed along with his macabre intentions.

Key Takeaways

Overall, this was a stunning movie with sublime acting, ably reinforced by an exceptionally unsettling score; it mixes all the joys of crime thrillers with the horror elements of Satanism and the occult into one big witches’ cauldron that will scare you witless. It is a masterclass in subtle, pervasive malevolence that raises your hackles and keeps them in a state of terrifying alert, whilst the floor is swept from under you time and again. Even when the overall pace relaxes in the third act, this movie never fails to recapture your attention dramatically and is guaranteed to have you feeling consistently uneasy all the way to the point you stumble shell-shocked, and not a little relieved, into the cinema foyer on completion. With powerful themes of influence, power, possession, predation and overcoming childhood trauma, Longlegs is much more than just your typical run of the mill horror and is a must watch for all lovers of the macabre and a worthy addition to the list of horror greats. Ultimately, Longlegs forms its own unique stand-alone work of horror-thriller art that we can all appreciate for what it is… creepy, poignant, morbid, precise and consummately unexpected.