brendonpricco’s review published on Letterboxd:
64 years ago Anthony Perkins starred in Alfred Hitchock’s Psycho (1960). A film that redefined the horror genre and gave birth to the slasher flick. If Psycho started the family that is modern horror films, Longlegs is that weird cousin that doesn’t talk to anybody.
Directed by Ozgood Perkins, the son of leading man Anthony Perkins, Longlegs is an abstract reimagining of the slasher blending traditional suspense and mystery genre elements in its own unique ways. Where many suspenseful films follow similar beats and pacing, with a calculated algorithm including an alluring score, usually capped off with loud and sharp hits to create jump scares, Perkins’ Longlegs creates its suspense in silence. From the opening scene the film grabbed me and never let go. In a quiet theater I felt loud breathing, I was too engaged to even reach for my popcorn. A great deal of credit for the ambiance and unsettling atmosphere in the film goes to Perkins’ directing. But Longlegs would not be the horror flick it is without Nicholas Cage.
Nicholas Cage is transcendental as Longlegs. Every second he’s on screen you forget to breathe. He has your undivided attention, and it feels like cockroaches crawling up and down your skin. He’s unsettling and perturbing but you can’t look away. Cage propels this movie forward and gives my performance of the year.
Not only is Cage magnetic, Maika Monroe as Lee is a strong lead. Perkins’ doesn’t fall into the trope of writing a bland and stereotypical female FBI agent lead, but creates an incredibly unique and interesting character.
Add all these elements together with graphic kills, a nagging score, crisp compositions, and a killer marketing campaign you get the indie hit Longlegs.
brendonpricco liked these reviews
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_d00e5068-ce8a-4170-a16f-5cf2c611043f" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-d00e5068-ce8a-4170-a16f-5cf2c611043f'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-d00e5068-ce8a-4170-a16f-5cf2c611043f'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-d00e5068-ce8a-4170-a16f-5cf2c611043f'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_b4cc9382-4e69-4d74-8523-345621aa5dff" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-b4cc9382-4e69-4d74-8523-345621aa5dff'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-b4cc9382-4e69-4d74-8523-345621aa5dff'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-b4cc9382-4e69-4d74-8523-345621aa5dff'));
