Longlegs
★ ★ ★
‘Longlegs’ is a dark, foreboding and creepy film with a lot of potential, but it unfortunately misses the mark. Writer and director Oz Perkins wanted to create a film that conveyed a ‘Silence-of-the-Lambs’ feel but ended up with something that’s entirely not that film.
There are some positives – Longlegs takes you in new and unexpected directions; the plot twists relate to the story and make sense when they happen. As far as horror-thrillers go, this isn’t an incredibly terrifying film, yet the dark paths protagonist Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) must follow to catch a serial killer are intriguing enough to keep us engaged.
Maika Monroe examines the clues © 2024 NEON
Monroe’s Agent Harker carries a dark, heavy burden while possessing a highly attuned intuition that allows her to pick up on things like which dwelling belongs to a suspect in a neighborhood of identical townhomes.
The script begins to explore Harker’s exceptional intuition as the FBI puts her through a series of tests designed to assess the level and magnitude of her special skill. After this, there isn’t much follow-up on her ability, though it’s obvious she possesses it. It’s an intriguing part of her character, and I wish they fleshed it out more.
The story opens in 1970s Oregon during winter when a young girl notices an ominous white station wagon parked in front of her house. She leaves the house and walks towards it, hesitating halfway. She hears a voice and turns around to see a creepy man approaching her. We only see the bottom half of his very pale face. He refers to her as the “almost birthday girl,” telling her he “wore his longlegs today.”
An interview gone wrong © 2024 NEON
We then cut 20 years forward to the 1990s when Agent Harker is working a case with her partner, Agent Fisk (Dakota Daulby). They’re in a neighborhood of townhouses going door-to-door asking about a suspect. Harker’s intuition kicks in, and she quickly points to one of the townhome units. Fisk knocks on the door, and when it opens, he’s immediately shot point-blank in the head, leading Harker to enter the residence and arrest the killer.
Harker’s intuition gains the attention of her boss, Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) who, intrigued by the potential applications of this unique ability, puts her on a new assignment. The case involves a series of serial murders, spanning decades, where the victims were entire families, each killed by the father before killing himself. A message coded with satanic symbols is left at each scene and all were signed “Longlegs.”
An emotional drive © 2024 NEON
The murders are also known as “the birthday murders” as each occurs on the birthday of one of the children in each family. The birthday always coincides with the 14th of each month.
Harker’s investigation forces her to come to terms with, or at least better understand, the trauma of her own past and her strained relationship with her mother, Ruther Haker (Alicia Witt).
We’re introduced to Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) early in the film, which is a little uncommon for a movie like this. It cuts a bit of the mystery out of the story but mostly works because Cage’s acting is so viciously unsettling. Cage is known for over-the-top performances I suspect only he can get away with. He does here in spades.
A covered doll © 2024 NEON
There are so many elements to this film that really do work well but others that start well but then fizzle out. To that end, the story feels incomplete. It could have been much more satisfying.
Longlegs is more creepy, dark and foreboding than terrifying. It could have easily made any ‘best thriller’ list if it just nudged us to the edge of our seats a little more.
Rated: R (Disturbing Images, Bloody Violence, Some Language)
Running Time: 1h 41m
Directed by: Oz Perkins
Written by: Oz Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
