/ Discussing Longlegs – Copic Poster Illustration, Harvey’s Horror Shoppe © 2024
Longlegs is writer/director Osgood Perkins’s deeply uncomfortable fourth film wherein FBI Agent Lee Harker works a decades-old unsolved case concerning the Satan-worshipping serial killer “Longlegs.” As Agent Harker (Maika Monroe) gets closer to finding the elusive Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), her past reveals she’s strangely well-suited to take the killer down.
Oh, but . . . it seems I wore my longlegs today.
Dale ‘Longlegs’ Cobble, Longlegs
Perkins’s screenplay feels polished and well-realized despite its largest trope and uninspired aspect, our friend: Tired Ol’ Satan. While the film’s writing certainly has other pain-points (e.g., forced dialogue, an unnecessary third-act expositional scene and more), they’re often squelched by constant and persistent strengths (e.g., unique, fleshed-out characters, genuinely subversive decisions and nearly perfect pacing). This horror film’s married to cop-drama and thriller elements which help it feel rooted and relatable despite its supernatural elements.
Its uniquely bizarre sense of humor feels enjoyable yet occasionally unsettling but may be a disappointment to some after the movie’s purely horror-centric viral marketing campaign. If you’re looking for the scariest film of 2024, keep looking.
Perkins’s character framing and direction masterfully places plenty of empty space in every scene, creating constant dread and anxiety. His persistent focus on atmosphere and keen eye for secluded, visually stunning settings help a fictional Oregon feel dream-like and abandoned.
The casting choices are immaculate here too as everyone from Underwood to Cage gives a dedicated, believable performance.
Special mention should also be given to Andrés Arochi Tinajero, the film’s cinematographer, whose constant wide-angle shots allow dreadful things to lurk throughout the film’s various dark backdrops and settings.
Maika Monroe’s Detective Lee Harker is indefinable: trepid but randomly courageous; awkward though relatable (“Do I have to?”); present but . . . also not entirely. (And for good reason, script-wise.) Sure, Perkins’s world revolves around a quivering protagonist, and it does so very intentionally—that isn’t to say any strength is removed from her character because of it. Lee has survived serious trauma, being somewhat ossified by it, and has even chosen the path of FBI Agent despite several uncontrollable (and slightly supernatural) challenges. Monroe’s incredible talent elevates lines that occasionally feel too thin for a character opposite “Longlegs.” It seems the horror community has decided, almost unanimously, Monroe’s performance here solidifies her ability to play varied roles and shake up her ongoing “Scream Queen” streak. (See: It Follows, The Guest, and The Watcher.)
It seems the horror community has decided, almost unanimously, Monroe’s performance here solidifies her ability to play varied roles and shake up her ongoing ‘Scream Queen’ streak.
Nicolas Cage gives a remarkably refreshing performance as Dale “Longlegs” Cobble. By “refreshing,” I mean even Cage’s repertoire of bizarre-yet-beloved performances can’t hold a candle to the allure of this character sometimes. Longlegs has as much mystique, devilishness, and…dedicated acting decisions as some of cinema’s greatest villains, let alone horror villains. (For those who underestimate Mr. Legs, here, I would reconsider—his actions and decisions in this film ultimately have leviathan-scale consequences.)
Major credit to has to be given to the film’s makeup and costume teams, specifically Mica Kayde, Crissy Renaud and Pamela Warden, who altogether helped to mold an unforgettable look for the film’s antagonist; the bundle of wild curly hair over a face of numerous botched plastic surgeries gives Cage a distinctive look to work with, elevated once again by the strong decisions he pulls forward on screen.
Cage noted in an interview with Associated Press’ Krysta Fauria that he was inspired by his mother. He pulls key characteristics from her for this performance, even her behavior while she was undergoing severe schizophrenic episodes. Upon rewatch, this information clicks instantly—Cage’s performance here feels honest and genuine rather than disparaging or worse. Longlegs’s spiritual relationship with Spooky, Tired Ol’ Satan layers over these eccentric human aspects well regardless of that standard trope. The result is a character that fittingly feels disjointed from the regular, everyday world in Longlegs. At times, he’s a villain plucked straight from a Grimm fairy tale or a silent era film—just as playful and cartoonish as he is horrifying.
Composer Zilbi scores here with tense compositions that graduate the discomforting tone to downright unsettling, mesmerizing, and even anxiety-inducing at times. The next “Tubular Bells” won’t be found in this film and it’s for the better; Harker’s investigation through dark indoor spaces benefits from Zilbi’s pulled-back, minimalist approach.
The score races to the foreground from time to time as symphony whines crescendo to chaos throughout, adding to Longlegs’s otherworldly atmosphere.
Horror fans are treated to a thoughtful score that looms and weaves in and around Longlegs’ otherworldly atmosphere.
We’ve talked a bit about some of this screenplay’s strengths (e.g., truly subversive decisions that mostly pay off, unique and original concepts, well-written, varied characters) but it has some shortcomings as well. Some uneven dialogue throughout the film seems character dependent; characters with less screen time get lines like “He’s allowed to, this is the United States of America.” I’m still unsure if that response was meant to be played for humor, but most of the film’s eccentric dialogue works.
Odd dialogue works well for a couple of characters—specifically, two monologues performed excellently by Kiernen Shipka and Nicholas Cage. With the assistance of masterful editing, and a thoughtful scene partner in Monroe, both Shipka and Cage command their respective key scenes of the film with eerie calmness.
Upon rewatching—and even for keen first-time viewers—the exposition scene then proves almost completely unnecessary. It drops like a brick right in the center of the film’s third act, crushing all momentum and nearly taking viewers out of the movie altogether. Combine that with the secondary antagonist of Tired, Spooky, Used-Up Ol’ Satan and you have what, on a macro level, truly could have been a horror steak that’s well-done, tenderized, and aged dry to the bone. But Perkins and Co. here assemble a unique artistic vision that’s as fresh as it needs to be in its unforgettable atmosphere, performances, direction, and more—despite some of the film’s hodgepodge nonsense and fun fringes.
While Longlegs has frightening moments, it primarily finds success in making its viewers deeply uncomfortable.
While Longlegs has frightening moments, it primarily finds success in making its viewers deeply uncomfortable. It’s a horror film that relishes in its suspense, tension, and unexpected dark humor more than anything that screams, “Boo!”
From the film’s off-putting opening scene to its final moments, viewers are left with an amalgam of wonderfully bizarre character work, beautiful cinematography, and screenplay choices that mostly feel subversive despite occasionally falling flat. Longlegs isn’t the next horror classic that the community hoped to agree on, but it certainly will go down as a classic for some and earn a well-deserved spot on the Blu-Ray shelf.
Shoppe Commendations for:
Osgood Perkins (Gretel & Hansel, The Blackcoat’s Daughter) – Director
Andrés Arochi Tinajero – Cinematographer
Nicolas Cage (Mandy, Pig, Color Out of Space) – Dale “Longlegs” Cobble
Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Watcher) – Detective Lee Harker
Kiernan Shipka (Madmen, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) – Carrie Anne Camera
Blair Underwood (Just Cause) – Agent Carter
Alicia Witt (Urban Legend, Dune) – Ruth Harker
Minor Commendations for:
Satan (Again)
Dolls
Those Teeth in a Box &
All That Stuff in the Background