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I’ll be honest, I almost completely forgot that Longlegs was coming out until the more recent string of social media posts and commercials that have been flooding the internet, hyping it up to be one of the most terrifying Horror films in decades. I was intrigued by the initial teasers, using brief, vague, sometimes disorienting images that were followed by a coded message, truly clever marketing that drew me in, beyond the claims. Discovering that Maika Monroe, who plays FBI Agent Lee Harker, and Nicholas Cage, who plays the enigmatic antagonist known as Longlegs, were both involved was more than enough to sit me down in the nearest theater to see it.

The story follows Lee, a gifted FBI agent whose intuition borderlines the supernatural in the eyes of her peers. She becomes assigned to a chilling serial murder case that has been open for decades, with very few leads. Things slowly take a darker turn, as the deeper that Lee dives into the case the more it strangely becomes tied to her past.

Longslegs does a great job, even from the first scene, of establishing itself as a psychological thriller with a little something more crawling beneath the surface. Even the cinematography makes many of the seemingly mundane moments and locations feel off, unnerving. There are quite a few lingering moments that make you feel like a jump scare is imminent, given how often they are utilized in modern Horror films, but they never come, only further adding to the overall tension.

Going into this movie, I was concerned that my love for Nic Cage, and Nic Cage acting like Nic Cage, would undermine the fear and discomfort that this film would otherwise have no problem instilling into its audience. To some extent, my fears were not unfounded, but only during the moments where Nic Cage would Nic Cage (random screaming, sometimes high pitched, but always humorously unhinged). The prosthetic and makeup work, however, was excellent, as was his performance throughout. Maika Monroe also did a phenomenal job as the story’s protagonist, pulling in my interest in her character and history from the start.

The quality of acting, atmosphere, and intricate plot were the standouts of this film for me, but I’m afraid that the pacing of the story, and some of its more complex plot elements may end up losing the interest of some viewers. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this movie “Elevated Horror” but parts of it require that you’re paying attention and also slowly piecing things together to fully understand what’s going on. It’s certainly a slow burn, but I never felt like it really dragged on during it’s 1hr 41 min runtime. I will say that I enjoyed the buildup far more than the movie’s climax. Although this movie may not live up to the hype, in my opinion, and lacks any truly memorable moments, I would still highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of true crime and/or psychological thrillers.

– Anthony

REVIEW SCORE: 7.5/10