“We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.” - Ted Bundy
Can you imagine a more twisted, demented The Silence of the Lambs? Because Oz Perkins did and he called it Longlegs. If you can picture Hannibal Lecter receiving his orders to kill from the devil himself you would understand what’s happening here. If you’re familiar with Perkins’ work you’ll feel his influence throughout his latest effort. It’s painfully delicate but bursting with tension and discomfort. And when that which is doused in shadow suddenly becomes revealed creates shocking, sudden moments of extreme, detestable violence. His previous horror, The Blackcoat’s Daughter carries on at a similar pace and structure. Never relying on jump scares, he turns to shock and awe as he hints at the terror to come and then simply delivers on what he promised.
Perkins has a talent for creating empathetic characters which allows the audience to fully imagine themselves in the shoes of those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the middle of one of his nightmares. He creates vicarious experiences which only elevates the effect of his most horrifying sequences. Unlike so many religious horror movies that put the focus on the devil or his direct influence he likes to focus on those willing to do Satan’s bidding. As a concept the devil can feel foreign, it can feel entirely too abstract to be scary. But when you focus on the followers, flesh and blood humans willing to carry out heinous acts, suddenly you have a very real threat to fear.
In this case, the follower identifies as Longlegs. He is, in just about every imaginable sense, pure nightmare fuel. He is just deformed enough to force anyone in his presence to stare, even when every instinct within them is screaming for them to keep away, he attracts in the same way a car accident brings onlookers. You don’t enjoy what you’re seeing but something is compelling you to look. He is an aberration of nature both visually and physically as he violates everything it means to be human. He is the nightmare Buffalo Bill endures when he sleeps, genitals tucked between his legs.
Nicolas Cage embodies foreign in a way that transcends simply being from a different country. He is foreign as Longlegs, like an entity from another world. He is walking radiation poisoning everything he touches. His face is contorted and powdered white as if a forgotten jester suddenly freed and loosed upon an unsuspecting world. As Longlegs he is what you would expect Nicolas Cage to be when asked to play a depraved serial murderer. And that’s a compliment, he is brilliantly gonzo.
Maika Monroe is a modern day Clarice Starling, someone who is somehow both out of her depth but also the perfect choice to go after these plagues of humanity disguised as normal people. She is stoic and hard to read. She seems determined but struggling. She wants to be a good FBI agent but feels cutoff from a more focused perspective. She appears to be lost within herself, contained against her will by a monster she didn’t realize was there most of her life. She starts connecting the evidence to discover something evil and it’s closer to her than she ever thought possible. Monroe plays it straight until the very moment everything lets loose and she flails in horror and it’s quite disconcerting to watch.
Longlegs explores the unnerving idea that a serial killer could literally be manipulated by the devil. Rather than just human behavior at its worst, Oz Perkins contemplates literal demonic influence over the worst of us. Lee Harker is a hopeful protector, as both an FBI agent and a potential psychic communicator. She is the pursuer of evil but doesn’t pretend to be untouched by the terrible things she witnesses. And as she finds the worst of humanity all too close to her own doorstep, she must make decisions that will change everything about who she is.
Longlegs is about the pursuit of keeping the wolves at bay from the lambs. It is a reminder that life’s predators, of all shapes and distinctions, are never as far as we might hope. Nicolas Cage’s character is less individual and more looming doom whose influence over others is nothing short of an invasive assault. The build up is slow and methodical but ultimately finds its target as it all culminates in moments of proper terror. Less about sudden shock, it seeps in the cracks and simmers with a persistent vexation. It is a giant overlooked warning that evil is coming and will arrive smiling and proud. It’s a product of our most unforgivable thoughts and wondering what if in the most profoundly disturbing ways.
As with his previous works, Perkins creates a scenario of unwinnable circumstances where the devil is always one step ahead. In his religious tales, there is no hero priest or determined parent able to navigate the equivalent of a Halloween maze with scare actors and eerie fog covering the floor. The best his characters can hope for is to simply survive it. Whether they are forever changed for the worse seems to be their problem. He has no interest in resolving the acidic touch of his worst villainous characters simply for the sake of whatever innocent characters he allows to survive, if any.
This is what it looks like when evil is resolute and patient. The demons and devils are dangerous but rarely are they ever as menacing as humans with a warped worldview and no moral qualms. It feels gross, uncomfortable and violating. The cinematography is beautifully haunting with grain and shadowy inference. It thrives the more it unsettles the audience and if you allow it to burn, slowly but determined, it will leave you questioning certain life choices that led you here. The Blackcoat’s Daughter was the appetizer preceding the confidently berserk terror that is Longlegs.
Rated R For: bloody violence, disturbing images and some language
Runtime: 101 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt
Directed By: Oz Perkins
Out of 10
Story: 9/ Acting: 8.5/ Directing: 9/ Visuals: 8
OVERALL: 9/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below:
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