Longlegs is a modern horror classic

The horror film has undergone a number of evolutions in its storied 100-year history.

From the early creeping dread of German expressionism, the allegorical horror of the Code era, the slasher craze of the 80s and the more recent slow-burn A24 brand of horror, the genre has always found a way to evolve.

That is what makes Longlegs so surprising – it manages to combine elements from each era of horror history and makes something truly unforgettable.

The latest film from Osgood Perkins, son of screen legend Anthony, stars Maika Monroe as a young FBI agent tasked with tracking down the infamous serial killer Longslegs, played by Nicolas Cage.

To describe any more of the plot would be doing viewers a great disservice, and while mildly discussing the film’s plot points is necessary for the purposes of this review, we would implore people to go into this film as blind as possible and be blown away.

The short version of the review is as follows; if you are a horror fan of any stripe, you need to see Longlegs. 

It has been quite some time since a horror film has come along and confidently asserted itself like Longlegs.

Talk To Me or Ari Aster’s films are the closest frame of comparison for horror films that have connected with the public at large, but Longlegs may end up being more influential in the long run.

Perkins’ style of directing is very particular; he absolutely loves to torture the audience and make them stew.

Longlegs has a Lynchian atmosphere where you are on the hook waiting for something to happen in every scene, and to sustain that terror for an entire movie is the sign of something special.

Perkins makes full use of the frame and trains your eyes to have them darting across the screen waiting for something horrible to pop out.

Cheekily, in some scenes he ratchets up the scares, in other scenes he builds the viewer up for a scare that never comes.

At the centre of the film is a brilliant performance from modern scream queen Maika Monroe.

Monroe broke out in 2014 with the exceptional It Follows, a film that felt very indebted to the spirit of Wes Craven or Brian De Palma, and her performance in Longlegs reminds us why she was such a special talent to begin with.

Monroe’s mood board and motivations for her character undoubtedly included Jodie Foster in Silence Of The Lambs and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files, but she has a disassociative, withdrawn manner to her character that makes her magnetic to watch.

A great actor is able to speak volumes without saying a word and Monroe is brilliant at conveying how her character is feeling by a simple facial expression.

The great Blair Underwood, who you’ve seen in a million movies and TV shows without ever being able to properly place him, finally gets a role worthy of his immense character actor chops.

Underwood serves as Monroe’s boss in the FBI and spends most of the film trying to coax Monroe out of her shell and harness her full potential as an agent.

The pairing of the veteran and the rookie is a tried and tested formula, but putting great actors like Underwood and Monroe in those roles gives you a little something you wouldn’t normally get.

Silence Of The Lambs, The X-Files and Zodiac course through the veins of Longlegs, and when a movie is that explicit in citing its influences that is usually a warning sign.

Somehow, miraculously, Longlegs manages to use all the genre tropes and conventions associated with those films and shows and breaks new ground on something that is already familiar and well-worn.

That might be the best part of Longlegs – in the hands of another filmmaker, this film would be written off as cliché and coasting off the iconography and style of other movies.

In this case, Longlegs is somehow the film that’s rewriting the rule book instead of reading from it.

Of course, the main draw here is iconic Hollywood weirdo Nicolas Cage but to discuss his performance would be delving into spoiler territory.

Cage is used very fleetingly, but you sure as hell aren’t forgetting him when he does show up.

Cage is known for chewing the scenery in movies, and he is at risk of getting splinters on his teeth in Longlegs.

For once, the hysteric over-the-top Cage shtick works and is actually deeply unsettling.

After making countless bad movies to pay off property-related debts, Cage has found himself in a great groove over the last few years of taking risky character actor roles.

2021’s Pig, last year’s Dream Scenario and now Longlegs marks a new era for Cage, and it is a testament to Perkins as a director that he was able to extract the perfect amount of craziness out of Cage without it becoming too silly.

Cage walks right up to the edge of going fully over the top in his performance here, but somehow manages to pull himself back at the last minute.

This push-and-pull dynamic with Cage’s performance is fascinating to take in, and considering the film builds up to Monroe and Cage meeting face-to-face it is fully worth the price of admission.

Lavishing such high praise on a horror film might seem odd, but Longlegs really is that good.

Time will tell if this film connects with mainstream audiences or will merely become a cult classic among horror fans, but it is clear that this film will end up being influential in some shape or form.

The difference between a 5-star drama like Oppenheimer and a 5-star horror film is usually vast and reveals the flaws in using arbitrary star ratings or grades when reviewing a film.

A film like Longlegs is 5 stars, but it would seem absurd to say it’s on a par with Oppenheimer and Killers Of The Flower Moon because a brilliant horror film is usually totally different to a brilliant drama.

Every so often however, a horror film like Get Out or Midsommar crosses the threshold and is among the very best films of the year.

Longlegs is now a member of that exclusive club.