Longlegs
Michael Marino

Review by Michael Marino Patron

Longlegs 2024

★★★½

Watched Jul 12, 2024

"Longlegs" is a work that clearly emanates from someone with a deep understanding of horror. It plays out like an R-rated, modern Twilight Zone episode. Personally, I think that show's creator, Rod Serling, would have been proud, as it's evident from the two films I've seen that Perkins adeptly grasps the darker dimensions of human experience in his storytelling.

Speaking of Serling, director Oz Perkins similarly draws from personal experiences, much like Serling did with his wartime background, to deftly incorporate his personal grief into his work. Knowing his real-life history—having openly lost both his father to AIDS and his mother on 9/11—it's evident to me that Perkins has firsthand experience with true dread, both off and on screen. If you ask me, that's a testament to what defines a true horror filmmaker.

The cast is excellent all around, with Maika Monroe delivering arguably her strongest performance of her entire career so far. I must also mention Alicia Witt, The D-girl herself from The Sopranos, who played Monroe’s mother—she's still quite the foxy redhead.

Nicolas Cage as the title character Longlegs is sure to divide opinions. His character’s appearance, with makeup and prosthetics, resembles a blend of musician Tiny Tim and Donald Glover’s Teddy Perkins from that memorable episode of the show Atlanta. 

In one of his few major scenes, he repeatedly screams "MOMMY DADDY" in his usual goofy-as-fuck acting mode while driving a car, essentially behaving like what I imagine the average fan of the band T-Rex would. Bang A Gong, am I right y'all?

One random thing I must mention before I go: I loved how they used pictures of presidents to show the passage of time in the scenes. For instance, showing Clinton (modern scenes) and Reagan (flashback scenes).

Guess I’ll end there. I had a good time with this. Perkins is one of the best horror directors, and I can’t wait to see where he goes next. He already has two movies in the can, including "The Monkey," based on the Stephen King short story, set for release in February 2025.

Bring it on!

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