Noah Soudrette’s review published on Letterboxd:
I've been a fan of Osgood Perkins since I saw his underrated film The Blackcoat's Daughter. In Longlegs, Perkins brings the chilling menace and suspense of that film to the serial killer procedural. Every moment of the film is pregnant with a feeling of great horror being barely held back at the edges and background of the frame. The story is a welcome spin on the FBI vs Serial Killer archetype combining heavy doses of Silence of the Lambs and Twin Peaks. There were moments and images that reminded me of everything from Zodiac to Phantasm.
Aside from Perkins terrific direction, the cast is exceptional. Maika Monroe owns the screen in just about every scene she's in, delivering a performance that's quirky, humorous, emotional, and sympathetic. Much will of course be said of Nicholas Cage's performance as the titular rock and roll satanic magician Longlegs, and rightfully so. I was also impressed by Alicia Witt's turn as the lead character's mother and a chilling cameo by one of my favorite young actresses, Kiernan Shipka.
While some of the plot reveals were predictable, it didn't hurt my enjoyment of the film. There's still enough ambiguity left on the bone of certain aspects of the story that I didn't feel they gave away the farm, so to speak, once the film started actively explaining things.
Unless you don't care for tense and creepy horror, I think you'd be hard pressed not to like this film. This goes on my list of favorites from the last few years and I highly recommend it.
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