With their brilliant performances and the oft-disconcerting settings and music, the cast amplifies the emotional unease, allowing Longlegs to cast a shadow of dread that clings to audiences, keeping them engaged and intrigued.
Longlegs is a dread that builds with occasional shocks and imagery, with Nicholas Cage’s (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dream Scenario) titular character being the stuff of nightmares. His singing feels akin to Janis Joplin and sticks to the ribs. With him, Longlegs’ words and appearance send shivers up your spine. Maika Monroe (Watcher, It Follows) gives a brilliant turn as an awkward yet bright officer on Longlegs heels. With their brilliant performances and the oft-disconcerting settings and music, the cast amplifies the emotional unease, allowing Longlegs to cast a shadow of dread that clings to audiences, keeping them engaged and intrigued.
Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, the movie follows quiet, unassuming FBI agent Lee Harker. After correctly identifying a criminal’s home, Lee undergoes several exams to test her psychic abilities. Then she transfers to work with Agent Carter, played by Blair Underwood (Origin, Deep Impact). Alongside him is Agent Browning, played by Michelle Choi-Lee (Joy Ride, Yellowjackets). They try to find the connection between a collection of murdered families. Their investigation ties in with Harker’s past as both come together.
Longlegs Core Cast Performances Heighten Discomfort
While inarguably, Nicholas Cage needed more screen time, he made the most of what he had. His character has a disconcerting zeal, mixing dread and nervous laughter in audiences. His singing is spirited, with a shrieky pitch. While his character is over-the-top creepy, Maika Monroe’s acting is the opposite. She counters him with a subdued, often pained performance. It’s as though she’s uncomfortable with speaking or looking at people around her. Blair Underwood is the talker in their team and pushes Maika’s character to engage with others more.
Additional cast stands out too. Carmel Amit (Ghost Wars, Somewhere Between), who plays Agent Carter’s wife, Anna, delivers the mom aspect and the eerie turn later. Kiernan Shipka (Twisters, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) plays Carrie Annie, a girl who’s met Longlegs, who is residing in a mental hospital. Alicia Witt (Dune, Urban Legend), who plays the role of Lee Harker’s mom, is downright uncomfortable to watch, exuding the “piercing gaze” effect.
Every Scene Is Unusual In Its Stillness
Longlegs shines in eerily quiet moments. The silence continues for so long in some scenes that it’s a challenge not to speak to ease the tension. Mixed with those moments are occasional violent scenes. They are all the more shocking because of that stillness. Aspects of the movie feel like other popular classic films like Silence of the Lambs. The mundane moments have horror that lies in wait. But there are scenes of smiles, adding a squeamish discomfort that builds the emotional thread of dread.
Longlegs is an incredible horror entry that mixes the supernatural with grounded horror, which adds an authentic element. While more of Nicholas Cage and his disconcerting talking and songs is preferable, the movie stands solidly without that. Some decisions and inaction make it easy for audiences to scream at the screen. However, that is part of the appeal. Music amplifies that ever-present discomfort and I’ll never hear The Price Is Right theme again without a shiver. With a dynamic cast and unnatural stillness, Longlegs builds a heightened sense of horror and brutality that feels unrelenting, keeping senses dialed up.
