Longlegs is an odd beast. It’s a dark thriller with supernatural undertones, about an FBI agent hunting a demented serial killer. Writer/director Osgood Perkins mostly gets the tone right. It’s consistently unnerving, with a creepy villain and the general feeling that nothing is going to be okay. The idea that the killer may be committing murder using some kind of black magic is unsettling. This isn’t a whodunnit, since we know the killer’s identity from the beginning. It's more of a howdunnit. Perkins uses this effectively to generate tension in individual scenes, but he can’t quite sustain it throughout.
Longlegs (98 minutes, without the end credits) has its share of alarming moments, yet the story as a whole doesn’t really linger. It is thin and derivative, with a central performance that is creepy, while also feeling very much like a performance. It is an interesting and well-made movie, though ultimately not as haunting as it wants to be.
FBI agent Lee Harker has a sixth sense for catching killers. She is brought on to a bizarre case spanning twenty years in which several families were found dead, seemingly at the hands of the father, who then took his own life. The murderer leaves no DNA, no sign that they were ever there. The only evidence is a letter left at each scene, written in code, signed Longlegs. Can Harker crack the case before he kills again?
There are definitely shades of Silence of the Lambs, Se7en and other similar thrillers on display. A vulnerable female agent, a disturbed killer, hints of the satanic, a clueless bureau, some sort of connection between the heroine and the villain, etc. What gives it a little edge is its style. It is grainy, grimy, dread-filled at all times. Perkins teases us by not hiding as much as he seems to be. Without spoiling anything, he shows us his hand while giving the impression that he's raising questions. It is a clever approach that makes it feel like Harker is dealing with something she can’t possibly beat. It is unsettling, even if it lacks momentum.
Then there’s Longlegs, played by a way over the top Nicolas Cage in a freaky wig and makeup. He’s not bordering on camp, he’s full-on camp here. Exaggerated line readings, wild gestures, he’s the type of character you would take one glance at and say “that dude’s a serial killer.” That both works in the movie’s favor, because his craziness is in plain sight, and works against it, because he is so distracting from the otherwise eerie tone. The shift whenever he appears is jarring. It doesn’t help with the inconsistencies (however, Perkins’ refusal to show his face early on, cutting away when the camera is about to see it, is an extraordinary choice in terms of making him seem evil).
Maika Monroe is pretty good as Harker. Socially awkward, obsessed with finding her prey, terrified of the truth, a loner who isn’t lonely, she’s mostly a type, but Monroe gives her a three-dimensionality that makes her engaging. Her scenes with Blair Underwood, as her supportive boss, and Alicia Witt, as her mother, bring needed depth to a story that isn’t particularly concerned with it. Her fear makes the mysteries surrounding her even more frightening.
Longlegs has enough to recommend it for genre fans. Perkins makes a lot of great shot decisions and it is very unnerving. I was entertained by Nic Cage going off the deep end. It never clicked like I wanted it to. I didn’t walk out of the theater feeling much of anything. It’s a frustratingly weird package, yet there’s something here. Osgood Perkins certainly knows how to creep people out.
3¼ out of 5
Cast:
Maika Monroe as Agent Lee Harker
Nicolas Cage as Longlegs
Blair Underwood as Agent Carter
Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker
Written/Directed by Oz Perkins
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