Cameron’s review published on Letterboxd:
Out of all of the films i’ve watched over the last decade or so, rarely any have genuinely filled me with dread and terrified me as much as Longlegs has. It’s an indescribable feeling but the best way I can possibly explain it is by comparing it to two well known sequences in fantastic films
The first being the basement sequence from Zodiac where Graysmith goes to meet Vaughn and is led down into his basement. It’s a scene that feels like it’s an hour long and I felt like I had held my breath for the entire time. Similarly to Longlegs, living in a space of anticipation of something happening yet terrified of what it could be caused me to forget to breathe at times
The second scene being the entire Underworld sequence in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon. I’m a massive massive fan of Babylon and truly believe it’s Chazelle’s best and one of the best films in recent years. Travelling through the Underworld with Tobey Maguire’s character acting as our depraved tour guide is such a harrowing experience that I was genuinely thankful when the film progressed out of that sequence back into the normal story
Those two sequences are how Longlegs felt for most of it’s runtime. It’s not aiming to terrify you with jumpscares and classic horror cliches, however it creates an atmosphere that feels so unbelievably uncomfortable that the sense of relief you feel when you remember to breathe again as the credits roll is unmatched. In terms of a horror or thriller, I think this is my favourite experience in the cinema
Going into Longlegs, I had anticipated it being good. From the sheer brilliance of the limited marketing, the fact Osgood Perkins directed the Blackcoat’s Daughter and, well, Nicholas Cage, it always seemed as if it was going to be great. Didn’t necessarily expect it to feel on the same level as Fincher’s Zodiac, but here we are
Fantastic performances all across the board, some bloody brilliant visuals, a great story and overall just an incredibly meticulously crafted film that all works towards creating that atmosphere of dread and despair. Fantastic.
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