LongLegs Review: Spiraling Nightmare

Longlegs has only been out for a short time and is already being called one of the scariest movies of the year. The trailers for this film worked overtime, creating an unsettling atmosphere around a mysterious serial killer. Not much is given away about the film either. Although I’m reluctant to call this the scariest movie of the year I will say it’s a pretty darn good serial killer film. Almost every aspect of this movie delivers, but it ends up a bit short by the time the credits roll. This Longlegs review will be spoiler-free.

Longlegs is now in theaters.

See Also: The First Omen Review: A Disturbing Origin

Story – Book of Revelation

Longlegs centers on Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) who through her intuition, finds herself on a case with Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) involving a serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). It has been marketed as a horror film and although it has some horror elements, I would argue it’s more of a mystery. As mentioned, this Longlegs review will be spoiler free so I won’t say anymore. I think the premise is enough to sell most folks. What I will say is that the story set up with how Lee Harker gets into this situation alongside the things that are discovered throughout the film is done meticulously. This film benefits from multiple viewings due to how many details are thrown into it. 

This scene was gripping

It’s also one that doesn’t hold the audience’s hand. It makes you think later on. At first, walking out of the movie, I was a bit underwhelmed truthfully. I thought there were a lot of things set up that were not fully explored or explained. After I thought about it more, however, I realized that everything had an answer. I just had to think about it more. That all being said, I still did find the ending a little disappointing. It didn’t hit hard enough. I think it might have if I cared more for the characters. 

Characters and Performances: Monotone

I think that the biggest aspect of Longlegs that falters is the characters. That might differ from person to person, but they did not work for me. Although Maika Monroe gave a great performance, I never felt we knew anything about who she is. We know she is emotionally distant, never sharing much social interaction with others, but that’s pretty much it. I never felt as though that changed throughout the film. It felt one note. Her importance grows throughout the film but not who she is. I couldn’t connect with her. I thought Agent Carter contrasted her in a way that helped move some scenes along but sadly not enough.

Maika Monroe is fantastic in this film

Longlegs himself was okay. I didn’t care much about the character. I thought Nicolas Cage gave an eerie performance as Longlegs though. He loses himself in the role. The problem is that he doesn’t come across as very scary. He is creepy, but it almost comes off as comedic. It’s very close and I don’t think many viewers will ultimately view this character as horrific. Personally, I do wish we got to see more of the character.

Pacing and Editing – Creeping Suspense

Longlegs immediately gives the viewers a sense of dread in the opening scene and only picks up from there. Some might think the film is on the slower side and I can see that. I didn’t feel much of a “slow burn” with this one as I was constantly engaged with the mystery in the film. There were many times when I was genuinely surprised by how fast certain scenes escalated. Scenes like these also made it difficult to know exactly where the story was going because of how sudden conflicts would arise. 

Each clue’s significance made following along enjoyable

Editing on the other hand is more deliberate. The camera will often linger on the characters solving a puzzle, reading a clue, or having a conversation. Because of the sometimes sudden events that occur, it never felt dull. These lingering shots also helped set up the atmosphere in the film, as you often saw things happening in the background. Jump scares are rare appearances in this horror film and it makes sense with how little actual “scares” there are here. 

Cinematography and Sound – Hellscape

Similar to other aspects of the film, the sound and cinematography is very deliberate with how they function. They’re aspects that are used to service the overall dark and ominous vision of the film. Visually, Longlegs almost appears to scale back with its colors. It’s noticeable immediately during the opening scene. Although the scene takes place during a snowy day, there is this ominous grey filter over it all. Every scene in general appears to be a lot darker. 

This opening scene effortlessly set the mood for the rest of the film

The sound doesn’t particularly stand out either. It’s more subdued with music kicking in after a revelation occurs. Many horror films use quieter moments to prepare a jumpscare but not here. Most of the memorable moments come from Longlegs whose few lines of dialogue especially stood out in an otherwise very low-sounding film. He captured everyone’s attention because of how different he was from everything and everyone else. 

Have you seen Longlegs? What did you think if you did? Do you agree with this Longlegs review?