Longlegs

Longlegs is dark, weird and very effective. I don’t know what I was expecting based on the marketing but it certainly wasn’t this. The film I saw plays out like a horrific and dark police procedural episode and It’s like Silence of the Lambs by the way of The Exorcist III and I loved it. The tension and dread filled atmosphere worked for me and I was completely engrossed in the story.  Director Osgood Perkins and cinematographer Andrés Arochi make sure that every frame of the film is beautiful and haunting. From deciding how much of Nicholas Cage they want to show, to using empty spaces to create tension, they’ve made some great choices here that all adds to the atmosphere. At some points, a simple camera pan coupled with the musical score and the expert sound design was enough to make my heart skip a beat.  Maika Monroe is fantastic here. I have not disliked any horror movie she’s done so far and this continues the streak. If you haven’t yet, Watcher is another incredible film starring her that I highly recommend. Monroe sells Lee Harker’s awkwardness, fear and resolve. A great horror heroine. Nicholas Cage is also deliciously evil here. He’s unhinged, funny and downright terrifying at times. Also it was great to see Alicia Witt in another horror film after so long. She is also fantastic as Lee’s religious mother.  I loved Longlegs. It might not be for everyone but it definitely was for me. Some people might dismiss it and say the film “sucks” because it wasn’t scary for them which yeah… I can smell that discourse coming and I’m so not looking forward to that.