Longlegs

Longlegs is the most recent high-profile attempt at proving that the umbrella genre of horror and thriller can be more than just cheap scares and gore, and I can say with certainty, and a long sigh of relief, that it succeeds.

Those who've been following Longlegs' viral marketing campaign (a huge shout out is in order to the team behind it) have likely already seen Oz Perkins' latest, and by far best, directorial outing. For those who haven't, I'll be keeping this review as spoiler free as possible so as not to pull back the curtain pre-watch - and watch you should.

Right from the start, there is an intense atmosphere of something menacing sitting just outside of the audience's perception. Lurking in the periphery or hiding in dark corners, there is an ever-present shroud of dread and a sensation of close proximity to something dangerous and evil.

After decades, seemingly unrelated murders begin to come together and spin a wider web. The FBI creates a task force to track down the only link - a killer leaving signed letters at the crime scenes under the alias Longlegs. That's when Maika Monroe's fresh-faced agent Lee Harker comes onto the case, with an uncanny ability to sense danger and an almost preternatural understanding of Longlegs' eerie puzzles that draws her deeper into the brutal killings and closer to the truth of their dark nature perhaps faster than she or her colleagues would have liked.

Acting as the audience's guide to the things just outside of their understanding, at times Harker's sleuthing prowess is admittedly a little too much, but the thorough and well-written plot by Perkins doesn't let these instincts go unexplained, and indeed they point toward a larger thematic picture within the film.

As Harker begins to unravel the threads of Longlegs' murders, the audience and FBI are confronted with the realisation that Longlegs isn't a self-gratifying killer taunting the authorities, akin to the Zodiacs of the world, but something perhaps more sinister. Both methodical and deranged, Longlegs is a madman acting with malicious intent. The puzzle here isn't set to be figured out - although it must be in order to catch the culprit - so much as it is an intrinsic part of the killings themselves.

I can, with confidence, urge anyone from the biggest scare fans to horror sceptics to go and watch the film - it's one of the genre's most beautiful recent outings, taking a lot of cues from Fargo in that regard, and is extremely well-composed in both an auditory and visual sense. An impeccably tense score lends itself to cinematography that is both gorgeous and purposeful. This film is somewhat of a masterclass in the use of empty space, lighting, and of corners to evoke fear, with characters often set in empty, darkly-illuminated places as they pour over the gruesome trail of Longlegs' deeds. And beyond this expert framing, when the camera itself does move, it moves detached from our characters with a voyeuristic touch that enhances the feeling of Harker's life being thrown into perpetual chaos and unease.

There are a lot of great performances in the film, but none stand out more than Nicolas Cage's titular serial killer, and I think he does a wonderful job in bringing the unhinged, larger-than-life and downright creepy character to life. Especially given how much of a double-edged sword hype can be, to execute this kind of character this well is truly commendable.

That being said, as with horror and thriller in general, I do think Cage's Longlegs requires good-faith, invested viewing in order to work, and whilst I personally think his performance is spot-on for the role, I can easily see it being somewhat of a Marmite factor with wider audiences. Additionally, one of my larger faults with the film is how early it shows its hand, and there is no more blatant case for this than with its handling of Cage, whose performance I would've loved to see drawn out more sparingly over a longer duration, so that his eventual reveal could have hit harder.

I don't think it quite sticks the landing in the latter third, and especially quarter of the film, but I can't say that the truth of the killings isn't well and repeatedly seeded to perceptive audience members right from the outset. Whilst I believe the story could have done better with a different, more humanist or psychological conclusion, it's lazy criticism to fault what isn't there, especially when what is there is far from bad, and whilst not wholly fulfilling, is certainly not unsatisfying.

A collage of things glimpsed but not quite seen, Longlegs is a film with a deep understanding of the small fears of the mind, and it knows with expert precision how to prey on them. Everything from the film's scoring to its setting is purposeful and impactful, and it proves to me that what is often touted as an 'easier' cinematic genre has a place for beauty to sit at the right hand of fear, and indeed only serve to deepen its impact.