LONGLEGS (2024) – A serial killer who does not actually lay hands on any of his victims!

What strikes me right from the start of Longlegs is how original the movie looks and feels. It plays with the aspect ratio as it moves from a flash back sequence to the opening credits. It reveals the villain of the piece, Longlegs in the very first scene. The images are often done with wide angle shots that opens up the scene to scrutiny as we anticipate and look at all corners for any hidden piece of information. The film is classified as a horror movie but director Osgood Perkins does not succumb to standard shocks associated with the genre such as jump scares, excessive display of gratuitous gore, foul language or nudity. The killings are brutally portrayed without showing the gory details which is a technique that actually leaves the viewer with a stronger and more lasting impact. To some extent, the movie may disappoint hard core horror movie fans who are long conditioned for something bloodier. Longlegs’ biggest strength is with its story’s novelty and the creative direction by Osgood. Osgood’s style also lends the air of suspense and dread to the story telling. He can make an ordinary setting look and feel menacing with his camera composition! No technical tricks employed. Just a trick to your mind.

Much of the movie’s plot plays along like a Silence of the Lamb like cat and mouse thriller where we have a young FBI agent Lee Harker (played by Maika Monroe) trying to solve a series of gruesome family killings linked to a serial killer Longlegs (played by Nicholas Cage). However, there is a strong element of the occult thrown in the mix which distance the movie from conventional serial murderer crimes stories. The character of Longlegs is also uniquely thanks to a heavily disguised Nicholas Cage giving a totally creepy and unsettling performance that is often uncomfortable to watch. He is almost unrecognizable here, giving us an original new monster to remember, and I thought he was perfectly casted for this role. His screentime is short but his scenes were the ones which stood out the most.

Where the film falters a little is in the way the story concluded where there were a number of what felt like plot driven conveniences and coincidence. All these only served to render the revelations feeling too contrived. Maika Monroe is great in the lead role but her agent Lee Harker was written such that she came across as emotionless which in turned made her a rather unsympathetic heroine for us to root for.

I liked the way it ended without the usual cheap last shot to provide some sort of open ending scenario for a sequel. This movie is strong enough and confident enough to come across as a well-made original that would hopefully capture the imagination and appreciation of its target audience group for horror thrillers.