Reviews

Nicolas Cage is well known for giving wild, unhinged performances and he delivers yet again as a serial killer in Longlegs.

Osgood Perkins’s latest film stars Maika Monroe as FBI agent Lee Harker, who is assigned to a team investigating the elusive serial killer known as Longlegs (Cage). He leaves letters at the scene of each crime to suggest that he was there, yet there are no other signs of his involvement. Did he do it? Was he there? And above all, who is he?

As the investigation deepens and she discovers evidence pointing to the occult, Harker realises her own personal connection to the killer.

Longlegs has been significantly hyped, with marketing quotes dubbing it a “masterpiece” and “the scariest film of the decade”. It is a very good film and a creepy, unnerving horror but it is not the nightmare fuel you might be anticipating.

Admittedly, there is one jump scare that is highly effective and one seriously savage and bloody body horror moment, but in general, it is more about the ominous atmosphere.

Perkins makes you feel on edge and off-kilter by creating a sense that something not quite right. The camera often moves as if Harker is being watched and Longlegs could appear at any second. You can’t help but feel tense about what might happen next.

Cage is spot-on as this unhinged psychopath. The hair, make-up and prosthetic teams have done a fantastic job making him look so freaky and off-putting. Cage goes too big at times and you’re not sure whether to laugh or take it seriously but it all adds to the unsettling feeling.

Monroe, an established scream queen since 2014’s It Follows, is an interesting lead. Harker is not your typical agent; there is something off about her but you don’t know what. What isn’t she telling us? You will find out in due course!

Longlegs might not be as scary as the hype would suggest but it is still a disturbing serial killer horror that really gets under your skin.

In cinemas from Friday 12th July.

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