Aqib Rasheed
What makes a movie scary? If you ask this question to 10 people, they will tell you 10 different answers. To some, it’s the jump scares. To others, it’s blood and gore. Because horror is such a subjective genre—all genres are but horror more so—everyone is seeking something different when they want to be scared. That’s why it’s really important to know what type of horror movie you’re getting when you watch Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs. Let’s get one thing clear: this is not a jump-scare-a-minute fright flick. The terror in what is going to be Perkins’ breakthrough feature is more nuanced than that.
Longlegs’ marketing campaign has been nothing short of masterful (from an engagement standpoint) but may hurt the movie in the long term (from an expectations standpoint). Early reactions to the film touted the movie as a masterpiece and one of the scariest movies of all time. Comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs—some of which are well deserved—were made aplenty. When a movie already has those laurels attached to it, living up to those expectations can be a Herculean task. But, credit to NEON’s PR department, they’ve done a terrific job of drumming up hype and getting people to the cinemas for Longlegs. The eerie posters, cryptic teasers, satanic phone calls, and someone with a Letterboxd account named “Mr_Downstairs” leaving comments under reviews in the titular serial killer’s alphabet have got the town talking about Longlegs.
Some will be disappointed when the film doesn’t cause their soul to leave their body, but those who can accept this psychological horror-thriller for what it is will be unable to shake Longlegs long after they leave the cinema. To talk about the plot would ruin the experience and all you need to know is that FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is tasked to bring down notorious serial killer Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) during the Clinton administration.
The opening scene in Longlegs is bone-chillingly scary with a claustrophobic aspect ratio and snowy scenery. It culminates in one of the film’s few jump scares that’s truly terrifying. The key word is few because Perkins plans to subvert everyone’s expectations. The aspect ratio expands but the uninviting atmosphere persists and the film turns into a methodical procedural in the vein of Se7en, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and the aforementioned The Silence of the Lambs. Our POV is through Agent Harker who understands more than others that something sinister is afoot. She’s committed to solving it, but similar to Clarice Starling, there’s distress and a sense of uneasiness on her face.
Her distress becomes our distress. Her easiness becomes our uneasiness. Her anxiety becomes our anxiety. That’s becomes Perkins creates an ambiance that’s so cursed and so evil, that it feels real. This is where Longlegs differs from most horror movies—it’s ambiently scary. The vibes are horrible (complimentary) without an overuse of most horror movie tropes. Perkins crafts set pieces that you think you’ve seen before but the way he keeps us on the edge of our seats, waiting for a loud noise or person to show up, often ends with nothing there. Sometimes evil is omnipresent yet we can’t see it. It doesn’t only exist in big cities or ancient times, it lives in our homes.
That doesn’t mean everything is doom and gloom in Longlegs. Blair Underwood’s Agent Carter has some effective and genuinely funny moments. His joking nature contrasts Agent Harker’s stoic demeanor which allows us to learn more about these characters. There is a very thin line between horror and comedy and that line is Nicolas Cage’s performance as the titular killer Longlegs. This character/role will be polarizing since it is over the top and covered in makeup and prosthetics. For me, Longlegs was equally scary and hilarious, which is why you get an actor like Cage to play him for the intended effect. The director does a great job of minimizing Cage’s screen time to maximize the effectiveness of the antagonist. Many will find it goofy or misplaced and, again, it comes back to the type of movie you want Longlegs to be—it’s all about subjectivity.
Certified indie horror queen Maika Monroe is channeling her It Follows energy with Agent Harker. A subdued and low-key performance that doesn’t diminish the severity of the tragedy around her. Her lack of outbursts or freak-outs heighten the horror and ground the movie into something real. I need to highlight Kiernan Shipka who has a one-scene cameo (quite possibly the best scene in the movie). Her monologue is horrifying to listen to, but it’s her petrifying and bone-chilling delivery that will leave a mark. Alicia Witt is quite good as well as Agent Harker’s mother, even though her role becomes more substantial in the film’s weakest section: the third act.
For the first two-thirds of the movie, Perkins keeps the plot very light and reveals few details to the audience. It works well because we are on our toes and dying to know what happens. The pacing and editing are employed perfectly to give us that effect and, for a good amount of time, I felt Longlegs was primed to become a classic. The expository and hasty third act prevents that from happening. Movies shouldn’t be too ambiguous but it seemed too many questions were answered, some to a satisfying degree and others in a confusing fashion. I would’ve preferred Perkins to continue the spooky ambiance till the end as the effect of the ending would’ve hit harder that way.
The patient journey to that third act, though, is what I love about Longlegs and what I want from a movie like this. I wanted to get out of this world but could not get enough of it, simultaneously. I needed the movie to end but could’ve watched another two hours of it. Perkins’ ability to employ such a languid approach but still keep us unnerved is an alarming joy. While it may not be as good as those movies, it reminds me of Jordan Peele’s direction of Get Out, Us, and Nope. The horror is not about what you’re seeing, but what you’re not seeing.
So, what does make a movie scary? The beauty (or horror, I should say) lies in the eyes of the beholder. I don’t respond to jump scares like others do. I want my horror movies to affect me on a psychological level, where they creep under my skin and linger on. These experiences need to stay in the mind and prompt us to think about life around us. We’re too used to thinking such things only happen in movies and would never dare occur to us in real life. Longlegs tells us that evil is prevalent and closer than you think, even in our driveways.
