The 2024 horror film Longlegs finally broke my resolve and I rented the thing off Prime. The silence of the clearly autistic detective trying to solve the serial killer cases, caught me. It was something different from the get-go and bore checking out.
the story
A serial killer who has been active for decades is assigned to Special Agent Lee Harker. As she delves into the available clues, signs of the demonic appear. She learns that the ultimate truth behind the killer may be very close to home.
behind the camera
Osgood Perkins writes and directs this oddball serial killer tale. Longlegs is an “outside the box” horror that features a number of nods and winks to real serial killers. Perkins uses his team; DOP Andres Arochi, editors Graham Fortin and Greg Ng and the rest of the gang to bring us into this 1970’s and 1990’s environment.
Cast is Everything
Maika Monroe is Special Agent Lee Harker.
Nicolas Cage is Longlegs.
Blair Underwood is Carter.
Alicia Witt is Ruth Harker.
Michelle Choi-Lee is Agent Browning.
So much works
Longlegs has a lot going on. The name of the main protagonist for example. Harker is a main character in Dracula, a classic, nay iconic, horror novel and many films based on Bram Stokers’ vampiric character.
The entire film references, to some degree or another, Silence of the Lambs and maybe a little nod to other serial killing films. Let us be clear here though, Lee Harker is no Clarice Starling. This FBI agent is a barely functioning autistic detective. Her social skills are minimal and she is very, very quiet.
Cage, of course, steals the film despite having very little screen time. His over the top, and breathless, delivery guarantees that Longlegs is the centre of attention. His death scene evokes images of Smile 2 but this does not detract from the impact of said scene.
However, Monroe rules as the nearly silent agent assigned the case. Another winner here is Alicia Witt. I will confess to being a fan of her work for some time, but here she rocks as the “Carrie-type” mum of Lee.
The film has a few twists up its sleeve and Longlegs finishes on a somewhat surprising note.
The verdict
Longlegs is a solid 4 star film. It does not live up to the previous hype put out by the Hollywood publicity machine. The film is not the “scariest” film to date by any means. It is, however, odd and quirky. Scary in places and disturbing in others it is worth a look. Longlegs can be rented from Prime, and other streaming platforms, for a small fee.
The trailer
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