Longlegs
Justin Turner

Review by Justin Turner Patron

Longlegs 2024

★★★★

Watched 11 Jul 2024

Mission accomplished in avoiding the trailers for Longlegs, but what was unavoidable was seeing the strong word of mouth on social media; their own social account promoted a review that deemed this the scariest film of the decade.

Now, that is certainly a stretch (to each their own, I guess), but what director Oz Perkins achieved here was crafting atmosphere. It was a definite slow-burn, but one that felt earned, maintaining a consistent level of intrigue towards solving this murder case.

The film was technically proficient, showcasing skilled camera work and cinematography, with efficient use of changes in aspect ratio to vividly depict the period and setting.

By no means should you expect a jump-scare horror fest; if so, you will be disappointed. It is more of a mystery with psychological-thriller elements, and it ties up its narrative with few loose ends.

Nicolas Cage's performance might be viewed as controversial among viewers, particularly regarding his portrayal being a bit too over-the-top, but I thought it worked and never clashed with the tone. Some effective prosthetic work is featured here too.

But what should be a consensus is the praise towards Maika Monroe and her continued success in leading roles in this genre: let us not forget It Follows (2014) and a personal favorite of mine, The Guest (2014).

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