raquel’s review published on Letterboxd:
GIVE! THE! MARKETING! TEAM! A RAISE! 👏🏽
Highly anticipated by fans due in large part to the viral marketing campaign, Longlegs, the 4th film by Osgood Perkins, may have shot itself in the foot with hyperbolic comparisons to the classic Silence of the Lambs, and claims of being "the scariest film of the decade". While ultimately entertaining, the film fails to overcome very obvious references, fortuitous really, leaving the audience with a few questions.
Told in 3 parts: his letters, all of your things, and the birthday girls, the film, which acts more as a procedural thriller than a horror movie, follows detective Lee Harker ( a clear reference to Dracula), who due to "special" abilities has been assigned to a serial murder case in which she's is clearly connected by the opening scene of the film. A metaphor for generational trauma, we follow Lee in her pursuit of Longlegs, which ultimately brings her closer than she ever thought to herself. With a masterful performance by Nicolas Cage, who acts as our title character, and producer, our antagonist Longlegs is a botox filled Lynchesque nightmare; the film, much like Perkins's other films is atmospheric, creepy, but lacks the commitment to its weirdness by all but Cage - with Longlegs himself, though terrifying, lacking a real modus operandi.
this is not on the level of Silence of the Lambs, but is good without the comparison on its own if you go in committing to having no expectations. The film is refreshing in its own way, masterfully shot, and carried by strong performances and an unsettling score. Let it be that, like a gift...for the almost birthday girl.
