Longlegs was one of my most anticipated films of 2024. Directed by Osgood Perkins, with Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe front and center, the film promised to be a haunting and sinister addition to the horror genre. Between the striking marketing campaign spearheaded by Neon and the film’s comparisons to classics like The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, I was ready to be blown away.
Unfortunately, Longlegs didn’t live up to the hype for me. While packed with potential and some chilling moments, it felt more like an FBI procedural thriller than a true horror movie. Here’s why.
Osgood Perkins’ Style Stands Out, but the Substance Falters
If you’ve seen Perkins’ previous works like The Blackcoat’s Daughter or Gretel & Hansel, you know he thrives in creating unsettling atmospheres. Visually and tonally, Longlegs has the hallmarks of his style—low camera angles, moody lighting, and an ominous, near-dreamlike detachment. The sound design amplifies tension, offering eerie audio cues as cryptic as the film’s central killer. You feel unsettled for most of the movie’s runtime, which speaks to Perkins’ prowess as a craftsman.
But just like countless “style over substance” criticisms of modern cinema, Perkins’ masterful grip on mood doesn’t entirely save the story. For every scene drenched in chilling unease, there’s another bogged down in exposition or hollow character beats. At its core, the film substitutes ambiguity for complexity, leaving some plot points frustratingly unexplored while others are spoon-fed with clunky dialogue.
Longlegs: A Thriller, Not a Horror
Despite being marketed as a horror film, Longlegs lacks the hallmarks of the genre. The story follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), tasked with investigating a series of Satanic-inspired murders committed by possessed family patriarchs. Think cryptic symbols, chilling Zodiac-style messages, and an unsettling focus on children born on specific dates.
It’s a grim premise that should have delivered nail-biting horror, but the movie largely swaps out scares for mystery and puzzle-solving. I couldn’t escape the feeling that Longlegs wanted to be more of a crime thriller—like Se7en or Zodiac—than a bone-chilling horror tale.
While films blending these genres can succeed (The Silence of the Lambs being an obvious reference point), Longlegs doesn’t quite balance its supernatural elements with its thriller structure. The result feels less like a horrifying descent into madness and more like a slow unraveling of clues in a grim game of connect-the-dots.
Stellar Performances—with One Caveat
Maika Monroe delivers a restrained, if somewhat distant, performance as Agent Harker. She embodies her character’s trauma and determination, but there are moments when her portrayal feels too impassive, lacking the spark needed to bring the audience completely into her world. This is particularly noticeable in more personal scenes meant to showcase Harker’s psyche.
Nicolas Cage, on the other hand, steals every scene he’s in as the cryptic Longlegs. His portrayal is intense, unhinged, and teeters on the edge of absurdity. Cage leans fully into the film’s supernatural weirdness, creating a character as captivating as he is unsettling. My only gripe? Cage isn’t in the film nearly enough, sidelined for much of its runtime.
Supporting players Alicia Witt (as Lee’s unsettlingly religious mother) and Blair Underwood (as Harker’s superior) do their best with the material, though their characters feel undercooked.
Frustrating Pacing and Uneven Payoff
Longlegs begins with a brilliant opening scene—a flashback sequence shot through a Polaroid lens that establishes an eerie yet deeply personal tone. Unfortunately, the film can’t sustain this momentum.
Much of the middle act feels bogged down by repetitive scenes of Lee decoding cryptic messages and piecing together clues. While these sequences might intrigue fans of slow-burn thrillers, horror purists may find themselves growing restless. By the time the third act arrives—complete with a marathon of exposition dumps and plot twists—the payoff feels rushed and doesn’t strike the emotional or narrative impact it aims for.
The Good and the Bad
What Worked:
Atmosphere: Perkins knows how to make dread palpable. Every frame is intentionally designed to make your skin crawl.
Nicolas Cage: A fair performance. I wished the film was centered more around him.
Production Design: The retro 1990s aesthetic, atmospheric low lighting and haunting set pieces build a visually striking world.
What Didn’t Work:
Identity Crisis: Is it a horror movie? A supernatural thriller? A psychological drama? By trying to do all, it doesn’t fully succeed in any.
Underwhelming Plot: Too heavily reliant on exposition and genre tropes without injecting fresh ideas or surprises.
Lack of Emotion: Many characters feel more like plot devices than people, which makes it hard to stay emotionally connected.
Longlegs: Should You Watch It?
Despite its flaws, Longlegs isn’t a disaster by any means. Horror fans and thriller enthusiasts may still find moments to appreciate, and Cage’s performance alone is worth the price of admission. While it didn’t fully click with me, I recognize there’s enough here to warrant giving it a chance—especially for audiences who thrive on slow-burn mystery and eerie world-building.
Don’t go in expecting a genre-defining masterpiece, though; manage your expectations, and you might walk away a bit more satisfied than I was.