Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe and Blair Underwood shine in Oz Perkins‘s unsettling serial killer thriller, Longlegs.
Cage may be the title character and he’s terrifying in the few moments he’s on screen. However, like Silence of the Lamb, Longlegs is far more concerned about the young female agent on the hunt for a serial killer and the investigation’s impact on her.
Lee Harker is a young FBI agent with terrific, almost psychic-level instincts for putting cases together. Monroe is excellent at showing Harker’s anxiety. She delivers Perkins’s dialogue in a staccato manner to avoid revealing too much to Agent Carter (Underwood), the veteran agent who brings her on the case. Underwood brings a necessary realism that helps ground the film as Longlegs ventures into more occult territory.
Harker and Carter investigate a string of killings in which the killer seems to coerce family members into killing their loved ones and themselves. The investigation eventually takes on a personal note for Harker as she remembers Longlegs from her childhood.
For most of the film, Perkins takes a conventional serial killer story and uses different camera angles to keep you off-balance. Cage is pure, unhinged evil as Longlegs. He provides the film a jolt of horror energy whenever he’s on screen.
The only issues with Longlegs are the 3rd act and trying to juggle too many elements. The 3rd act becomes exposition-heavy and features a climax that needs faster pacing. Harker’s psychic-level insight isn’t explored much outside of an early scene. Longlegs would have been just as compelling if Harker was a devoted agent with a unique ability to get inside killers’ minds. Adding Harker’s gift to an occult series of murders makes the film less scary.
These issues aren’t enough to stop Longlegs from being a great thriller. It features an all-time Cage performance, a rising star in Monroe, and the constant ominous tone fostered by Perkins.
Following the overview and ranking Longlegs 8 out of 10 (Great), let’s explore Lee’s investigation, her partnership with Carter and family trauma.
Search for Longlegs
Before being assigned to the Longlegs case, Lee is assigned a different case with a partner in an FBI manhunt. Lee has a bad feeling about the house where the suspect resides. All of the homes look the same, but her partner follows her intuition. She’s right. Unfortunately, her partner dies, but her successful identification of the house leads to a testing session of sorts.
Following the tests, Carter picks her to join in an investigation into an occult series of killings. The only calling card is a series of letters that don’t match any of the killers or victims.
Lee quickly begins to connect the dots. All the murders revolve around families who have daughters born on the 14th of the month. However, the killings don’t take place on their birthday only near the dates. Lee can follow Longlegs’s trail pretty quickly and concludes that Longlegs has an accomplice showing up at these homes.
The Vet and Rook
Underwood is great as the veteran cop serving as the audience voice. Whenever Lee suggests a path forward in the investigation, he may object initially but usually follows Lee’s lead.
Carter goes to great lengths to make Lee feel welcome. One night, after falling asleep at the office, Carter invites her out for a drink—not as a date but as an excuse to get out of the office. Since he drinks and she doesn’t, Lee eventually drives him home and meets Carter’s family.
Lee has difficulty communicating with people. Her interactions with Carter’s wife and daughter are awkward. Eventually, she warms up in the daughter’s room and receives an invitation to the daughter’s birthday party.
Meanwhile, Lee keeps part of the investigation to herself. She connects the birthday dates after receiving one of the killer’s letters. While Lee does explain the killer’s methodology, she doesn’t reveal anything about getting one of these letters.
Childhood Trauma
Perkins also delves into the childhood trauma of Lee’s relationship with her mother.
The letters aren’t the only time Lee has received a message from Longlegs. Shown in flashbacks, almost as if the scenes were shot using a Polaroid camera, Longlegs introduces himself to a young Lee Harker in the 1970s. Harker’s Mom, Ruth, ends the conversation. Lee continues to remember this encounter. Her kleptomaniac mom doesn’t remember this encounter and refuses to talk about it because it’s not nice.
Once Harker reveals the photo to Carter, the investigation begins to pick up steam, leading to a brutal finale.
Longlegs Final Thoughts
Overall, Longlegs is an engrossing, terrifying thriller featuring compelling performances, a constant ominous tone, and brilliant directing by Perkins.
The Review
Longlegs
PROS
- Nicolas Cage is terrifying as the titular serial killer.
- Strong breakout performance by Maika Monroe as the inexperienced but gifted FBI agent.
- Writer-director Osgood Perkins creates an ominous tone throughout the film.
- Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt and Kiernan Shipka are terrific at showing the impact Longlegs leaves on their characters.
CONS
- 3rd act doesn't quite stick the landing.
- The clairvoyant elements aren't fleshed out much nor is much revealed about the killer's backstory.
