My daughter and I are big horror fans, especially those which offer something more unique and challenging than your typical high-concept Blumhouse film. So it was with some anticipation that we checked out Longlegs in theaters this past summer. The moody, disturbing trailer made it look right up our alley.
We left the theater a few hours later, not quite sure what to think. Disappointment is too strong a word, since we both enjoyed the dark tone and beautifully bleak aesthetic, both which certainly suited the story. We also appreciated the deliberate pace and effective performances, especially Maika Monroe as protagonist Lee Harker, a young FBI agent with a talent which suggests a little psychic ability.
While we both agreed Longlegs was a good film, we were oh-so-slightly underwhelmed. But what exactly were we expecting it to be? Something more? Something less? Or was it one of those films that gets better upon repeated viewings? Well, we got that chance for this review.
Longlegs is about an ongoing FBI investigation into a series of brutal murders that have been committed over the years, all involving families. Their primary suspect is mysterious man who calls himself “Longlegs” (Nicholas Cage), yet he’s not actually present for these killings. The only thing these families have in common is that the daughters in each one share the same birthday.
Lead investigator Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) recruits Harker to study the evidence. She quickly decodes Longlegs’ cryptic messages and finds further clues, including some related to Satanism. Longlegs also seems to be aware of Harker herself, who not only begins to believe he’s a literal monster, but she and her eccentric mother (Alicia Witt) are somehow connected with his actions.
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Refreshingly, much of the story is told through Harker’s investigation and several hallucinatory sequences, which could either be interpreted as supernatural or products of her imagination. If nothing else, the film is filled with truly haunting imagery, imaginatively captured by writer/director Osgood Perkins (this is arguably his best film).
But upon second viewing, I think I’m able to determine why Longlegs isn’t entirely successful. Despite a cavalcade of unnerving imagery and unexpected plot turns, these elements sometimes feel forced into the story, and not always seamlessly. For example, the point when Longlegs’ dolls become key to the narrative seems to belong in another movie…and to be honest, is somewhat derivative. Speaking of which, the film occasionally wears its influences almost too proudly. More-than-a-few moments - and characters - draw obvious inspiration from such classics as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en (albeit with supernatural overtones).
As for Nicholas Cage…with the unique quirkiness he brings to most of his roles, casting him as a demonic serial killer should be a slam dunk. However, he’s not in the film nearly as much as the promotional campaign suggests, and despite a couple of scenes where he does let loose, he’s buried under so much prosthetic make-up that Longlegs could have been played by anybody capable of screaming.
But I did enjoy Longlegs more with a second viewing, catching certain visuals and subtleties that escaped me the first time. I also have a greater appreciation for the overall look of the film, which certainly enhances its grim, ominous tone. While the whole ultimately doesn’t equal the sum of its parts (or its influences), it is a good horror film…almost a great one.
EXTRA KIBBLES
INTERVIEWS - Individual promotional interviews featuring director Osgood Perkins, actors Blair Underwood, Maike Monroe & Alicia Witt.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer/director Osgood Perkins.
"THE CLUES" - A few half-minute segments from the film related to the narrative puzzle. Weird but superfluous.
“EVIDENCE” - I far as I’ve been able to figure out, this is just a single still of the farmhouse where some of the movie takes place.
3 TRAILERS - Including a really strange one subtitled “Dirty/Sweet.”
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