Longlegs has had an insane marketing campaign accompanied by overwhelmingly positive word of mouth. The film was one of my highly anticipated films this year and to say it exceeded my expectations would be inaccurate, as it was slightly underwhelming. But even saying it was underwhelming is also inaccurate. It’s best to describe the situation like this:
Osgood Perkins is a terrific director. His mastery over the available cinematic tools at his disposal created a very tense experience, gluing me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire runtime, my heart pounding beyond a resting rate. Longlegs is one of the most well-made films I’ve seen this year. Unfortunately, it’s the screenplay where the problems are situated, especially the third part.
The film starts off on very solid grounds, gripping you from the creepy prologue presented in 1.33:1. the first part of the story lays down the fact that this is a detective horror film. We are instantly introduced to Lee Harker, the protagonist, and her psychic powers which don’t really come back later? Or do, but in a vague way. The first part is really good and fleshes out the stakes and the mystery, not to forget mentioning the increasingly ascending creepy atmosphere, where the silhouette of the devil starts apprearing in the background. The second part is where things start to go downhill. The satanic elements of the story start to increasingly show up but the film becomes a bit lost and meandering. Here, we start seeing some clever editing and disturbing imagery mixed with terrific sound design. Evil seeps from the frame. It’s a beautiful delight for horror fans.
While watching the second part, I was still invested but I knew my satisfaction would be based on the payoff which I hoped would complement these faults. Part three is where the film disappointed me. We do find out what’s happening, but it’s revealed in a lazy way that comes off as flat and uninteresting despite the clever and creepy concept. The film doesn’t take advantage of its satanic elements and doesn’t go all the way. Additionally, what preceded this part felt too celever to be followed by such an underwhelming finish - the ending is not bad, it's just the way they choose to do the reveal and tie everything together that comes off as disappointing, veering towards deja-vu territories. I still like the film but this really, in my opinion, brought down what could’ve been a truly remarkable horror film.
Complaints aside, I think Longlegs dwarves many films in its artistic merits. Osgood Perkins who’s the son of Anthony Perkins (famous for playing Norman Bates in Psycho) shines in the director’s chair, directing the film in a very eye-catching way. His use of wide-angle lenses and a 2.35:1 aspect ratio creates beautiful images that are dizzying and attract your attention to the center of the frame. the editing which sometimes lingers more than it should or cuts faster than it should enhance moments of tension and shock. Although sudden cuts with stingers do seem like cheap tricks for jumpscares, the few ones used in the film worked well and felt fitting. The intercut imagery is very vile sometimes and contrast well with the slow, brooding filming and editing style. I also appreciated the film’s restraint when it comes to violence (mangled bodies, rotting corpses, murders), as the approach taken in framing and editing and the buildup to the reveals gives violence a gravity and makes it shocking even to the most desensitized viewer: violence isn’t cheap special effects, it’s presented as horrible and dangerous and disgusting. On top of the imagery, the film benefits from a truly horrifying sound design that elevates the film’s atmosphere.
And before I end the review, I must mention the excellent acting throughout. Maica Monroe as Lee Harker. Nicolas Cage as Longlegs: utterly unhinged, terrifying, and unrecognizable - maybe one of his best performances.
Longlegs is worth checking out. I may need to rewatch it soon to properly absorb it.
(Without this sentence, the review is 666 words; this was coincidental and NOT intended ????)