★★★★1/2
Longlegs is bloody brilliant; delivering on the promise of being a genuinely terrifying and emotionally gripping horror experience. With a gripping story that captivates you from the first frame, the film holds you tightly and doesn’t let go. It’s the closest we’ve come to Zodiac, Se7en, or The Silence of the Lambs in terms of absolute creep factor. Not since the likes of these films has a serial killer film disturbed me the way Oz Perkins’ Longlegs did. The confidence Oz Perkins displays in his framing, atmosphere, and pacing reaches its full potential in this psychologically scarring police procedural that steadily evolves into something even more sinister and otherworldly. His masterful direction and storytelling immerse the audience in a world of dread and unease, enhanced by exceptional performances. Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage are phenomenal, with the former barely keeping it together under intense emotional distress, while the latter delivers a disturbing but controlled performance that stays consistent with Perkins’ chilling tone. I was sitting in the film trying to think of more terrifying movie characters than Nicolas Cage’s performance, and there aren’t very many. I was truly left in fear while watching Cage’s unhinged character. The movie carries a tension and unease all the way through that never lets up. If you’re looking for cheap scares you’ll be disappointed, but the combination of disturbing imagery, mounting dread, and other atmospheric horror was exactly what I was looking for — this film got under my skin in ways that few horror movies do. It’s not one I am going to forget soon — this is a horror classic in the making. 2 hours of constant flinching and a high heart rate throughout. This is a very well-done, and very unsettling, psychological horror/thriller film that we will be talking about for years! Oz Perkins has crafted a gripping immersive story that engulfs you in its atmosphere through eerie visual storytelling and a haunting score. It's a methodical/gripping mystery that gets more disturbing with each passing moment. Longlegs is intense. There is an overwhelming sense of unease and dread that just overtakes the entire film, that I can’t even seem to shake hours after watching. It is not what I was expecting and I love what we ended up getting; a meticulously crafted and unnerving descent into hell that will haunt your mind and soul.
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