I always knew that 2024 was going to be a rough & strange year for movies due to the strikes, but I never thought that this years, and this summer in particular, would be such a strong year for horror. Between the cast and the marketing for the film, I was very much looking forward to it. I am a big fan of these type of horror movies in the vein of The Silence of the Lambs or Seven. If you go in with those expectations, you are going to be at least satisfied.

The lead actress, Maika Monroe, has been on my radar with her work in horror ever since The Guest. She can easily command the screen and I don’t think she has yet gotten the right worldwide fame. As for Nicolas Cage, I am quite surprised with the comeback he has had. Not that he is a bad actor. I’ve rarely seen an actor make quite the comeback like he has after a bad string of straight-to-DVD movies. With the marketing not showing his face at all, I was intrigued in seeing this. I had to see it, because I needed to know what he look like. Add that to the images of Monroe looking surprised, and this turned into something that I needed to see to know what it’s all about.

I was fortunate enough to step away for a while to go see this movie while on vacation at an early afternoon showing. The showing I went was nearly full and only two people left halfway through, and I think I know why. The first act, in my opinion, is a bit rocky and slow. I have seen where that’s not the case for everyone else. The film has a strong indie tone, requiring you to pay attention more. When the pacing requires more patience, I even felt like I was missing something.

The first act is not bad at all. I could just see improvements with the pacing. Outside of that, director Osgood Perkins establishes the correct creepy atmosphere that makes the film more unsettling than scary. That may or may not work for people based on their expectations. To me, this gave me my fix. It takes influences from other amazing films. What makes this stand out is the direction from Perkins. This is Perkins’ fourth feature film, yet this is the one that will put him on the map. His vision from the way the camera looks to the way the characters act will make it his signature stamp as a filmmaker going forward.

When the film goes back in time, the aspect ratio is much smaller, indicating to the audience that they are not getting the bigger picture. The present is showing in a full screen aspect ratio. This even helps the audience understand the difference between past and present when the film already takes place in the past. The cinematography is already unsettling as it is. Either characters are showing out of focus or shown at a weird angle, which creates more intrigue as to what you are seeing. When the shoe drops and something shocking occurs, your eyes are already attached, giving more shock value.

There’s a really effective ad out there showing Monroe’s heartbeat as she first sees Cage’s character. It’s clear how Perkins kept Monroe out of the dark with what to expect. My guess is that he told Monroe what to expect, but never explicitly told her the outcome. You can see where this allows Monroe to give more realistic performance as she is shocked at the same time as the audience.

I’m not totally sure if this will give Monroe a bigger break. She deserves it, but indies can be unpredictable. She certainly carries the film with her screen presence. Similar to Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa, her face speaks for itself. She doesn’t even need to say much. Nicolas Cage gives one of my favorite performances of the year, and he honestly isn’t even in the film that much. When he on screen, he never goes over the top, but he still manages to match Perkin’s spooky atmosphere. As for Blair Underwood, who plays as a FBI agent working closely with Monroe’s character, he gives an incredible and earnest performance.

At 101 minutes, the film breaks itself up in 3 parts, which may have been the right choice to make this movie feel longer. Aside from a bit of the pacing with the first act, I was never bored and even found myself anxious more than scared. There’s a few jump scares, but they aren’t fake. They feel earned and it also wouldn’t have been possible without the haunting score from Zilgi.

Overall, Longlegs gave me everything that I wanted from a thriller on this level. There are some great performances with Cage being the easy standout. Director Perkins creates an effective creepy atmosphere through the look, performances, and score. I hope this gives Maika Monroe more roles going forward, but I can’t wait to see what director Osgood Perkins cooks up next.

VERDICT: Amazing