'Longlegs' Creates Something Fresh From The Familiar

Excellent camera work and choice of actors make this movie feel new and interesting, not boring or typical.

As a genre, I’m always super wary of horror and horror-adjacent movies. They have the unfortunate reputation of being the films that are the most easily over-hyped. The films that lean so heavily on one type of trope (think jump scares) to the detriment of everything else that makes up the characteristics of a good movie. In Longlegs, director Oz Perkins, wastes no time in pulling you in, getting under your skin, and keeping you unnerved and enthralled the entire hour and forty minutes. 

From scene one, Perkins manages to create a film with fantastic cinematography, great performances, and a tense (if somewhat familiar and at times uneven) story to deliver what I consider to be one of the best horror thrillers in recent years. 

One of the main things that stands out about this movie above all else is the way Perkins uses cinematography and direction to maintain a sense of tension throughout the film. The lighting is superb—so much of the movie is framed and lit in such a way that our eyes are naturally drawn from whatever is going on in the foreground to the background. I found myself constantly scanning around each scene trying to find something off or strange; instilling in you a feel of dread throughout the entire movie that does not let up. I kept getting Alan Wake 2 (2023) vibes from it. The set-pieces work to this advantage—every office, every home, every room, and every corridor feels so small and cramped.

I’ve always been of the opinion that what makes a good thriller or horror movie is the idea that less is more. The film doesn’t rely on camera tricks, overuse of filters, or effects; instead relying on already existing real world elements. Everyone can name one or two moments and/or locations they’ve been in where the very few sources of light instilled a sense of unease and fear. Those moments when you’ve been home alone long enough that you feel like maybe you should turn on a few more lights—you know, because you feel like it—definitely not because you’re scared, or someone might be watching you, or anything! To use a more modern (and overdone) example: imagine a liminal space, but with people actually inhabiting it. Humans are present, but that uneasy feeling that something feels off just won’t go away. In my view, real life is plenty scary as it is, and Longlegs understands that very well.

The performances were just as impressive to me as the cinematography. 

Maika Monroe, in the lead role as a newly-minted FBI agent Lee Harker with an uncannily good intuition for crime scene investigation (welcome back Alan Wake!) trying to solve a decades long series of murder-suicide, gives a great performance. As Harker, Monroe, gives off what felt like massive neurodivergent vibes; awkward and repressed with clearly more going on in her head than she cares to vocalize until she’s sure. Harker isn’t one for socializing, small talk, and prefers to get back to work as soon as possible. She isn’t rude or trying to come off like a know-it-all genius asshole—a depiction of neurodivergence that has become, frankly, fucking annoying to see in media—but instead clearly trying to find the best way to get across to her boss (played fantastically by Blair Underwood) and the FBI exactly why she feels so sure about what’s really going on with the case and how it all connects. Monroe did a great job of getting into Harker's head and nailing down the mannerisms of someone as reserved as someone like her would be. 

Nicolas Cage was phenomenal.

I’ve long been of the opinion that Nicolas Cage is a terrific actor when he’s utilized properly; the type of actor that when the director has a good grasp and understanding of the strengths that particular actor possesses and helps bring that out of them can create some incredible entertainment. Perkins is clearly that type of a director; using Cage’s strengths to deliver one of the best performances I’ve ever seen out of him in recent memory—probably ever. As the titular character, Longlegs, you’re not given enough time to fully take him in. You only get little glimpses. Most of the time his face is obscured by conveniently placed objects that get in the way or out-of-focused shots in the distance. Once you get up close and personal, however, you’re treated to an unsettling, creepy and stellar performance by Cage. In glancing at some other reviews before writing this I saw some people have described his performance as being too “‘cheesy” or “hammy”, but I could not disagree more. Cage’s style of acting just works here. I recommend letting go of any preconceived notions you have about him and judge his acting based on what you see on screen.

Without giving too much away the plot, the film does a lot of things really well storywise. I was enthralled by the mystery as well as the thrilling atmosphere. However, I wouldn’t consider the plot of Longlegs as having done anything groundbreaking in terms of story; it follows a pretty straightforward formula and you’ll probably see more than a few things coming, but nothing that’s so annoyingly or boringly predictable that it becomes a joke. I'll admit that the ending wasn't quite what I hoped for, and the reveal of what's really going on still leaves some things unclear. Yet, there’s a lot of great things already going on in this movie that you won’t really notice a plot with themes and story beats that films in the past have already explored before. Longlegs reminds me a lot of movies like Us (2019) or Creep (2014); films that are great at evoking a sense of claustrophobic tension and as though you’re experiencing a nightmare. Amazingly, there’s also small moments of humor and levity throughout the film that, again, just works! 

Yeah, Longlegs does tread familiar ground, it does it with such attention to detail that it feels like something brand new.

Ultimately, while Longlegs will not revolutionize the genre, Perkins does a great job creating a tense and engaging movie with great camera work and amazing acting by Monroe and Cage. The film maintains a creepy and scary feel without using too many cheap horror tricks or over-the-top effects, focusing instead on real-world fears. Even though some parts of the story are predictable, the movie is still really suspenseful and exciting. Nothing here is new, but Longlegs makes it feel new by getting all the basics of good filmmaking right before worrying about scares.