Longlegs Review: An Unsettling Experience By is one of the most unsettling movies of the year. Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, this film follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) investigating a Satanic serial killer named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). As the investigation continues, she begins to realize a personal link between herself and the killer.
This movie operates under a particular type of horror, blending two genres: the serial killer and the supernatural. It does a beautiful job with both, creating an unnerving experience unlike anything you’re used to seeing in a horror movie. Perkins is no stranger to the horror genre.
Not only is his father Anthony Perkins (the actor who played Norman Bates in Psycho), but he has made films like The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and Gretel & Hansel. I have only seen the latter of these movies and was not a fan. But something about Longlegs made me very excited about it.
Perhaps it was the marketing campaign, which featured some inventive ideas, scary imagery, unconventional trailers, a phone number you could dial to hear Longlegs pick up (458-666-HELL), and a website revealing some information about the killer (thebirthdaymurders.net). NEON has outdone itself with this one.
Perkins does a spectacular job from the start, knowing you can craft a jump scare without buildup. Sometimes, that can be the best way to make sure it works. The sound design through all of Longlegs is bone-chil.
