Nathan Spencer’s review published on Letterboxd:
A calculated and frigid dread machine. Like the best serial killer procedurals, an off-kilter mood is present from frame one, forcing you to lean into the unraveling narrative. Demme's Silence of the Lambs is what Longlegs is visually indebted to most— with the Clinton-era 90s liminal suburbia milieu, baggy FBI uniforms, and even the glam-rock costuming of Cage's titular Long Legs. But thematically, Oz Perkins uses Lambs’ iconography to convey a story more in line with Mann's Manhunter and Kurosawa's Cure. Those films, like Longlegs, mix true-crime procedural grunt work with existential surrealism bordering on supernatural. The clashing styles blend masterfully, stretching the limits of genre filmmaking into something more potent that scratches at the very concept of evil, not just evil acts. Longlegs takes its occult elements a step further, foregrounding them in the narrative rather than hinting. The procedural skin suit is ripped off rather quickly, revealing a film more interested in the legacies of parents and the confusing pain that comes with discovering what they chose to tell us and what to “protect” us from. Though decidedly “pop,” Longlegs is also an auteurist work inextricably linked to its director. The son of Anthony Perkins, Oz Perkins has described in interviews the unease he felt at home due to his mother “shielding” him and his brother from his father’s sexuality. He has said he was aware his father was gay growing up but lacked the vocabulary to verbalize it. His complex relationship with his mother drives the narrative thrust of his latest, which sees a mother and daughter (Alicia Witt and Maika Monroe are excellent) reckoning with their relationship in a way I won’t spoil. I haven’t spoken much about the Nic Cage of it all because… well you’ll have to see for yourself. How Perkins uses him is, for me, brilliant— simultaneously providing the sicko goods we crave while attacking the way society ceaselessly idolizes and mythologizes fiends whose most “interesting” traits are having to kill people to have an orgasm. Though inseparable from the masterpieces that have preceded it, Longlegs is a worthy entry in the serial killer film cannon and one I believe will linger quietly in my mind for years to come.
Nathan liked these reviews
All
' ].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_de290fa1-51d4-4591-88fd-0e66fac03bca" }; 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-de290fa1-51d4-4591-88fd-0e66fac03bca'; 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-de290fa1-51d4-4591-88fd-0e66fac03bca'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-de290fa1-51d4-4591-88fd-0e66fac03bca'));
' ].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_37ee9ab0-857a-4312-91d5-8adfac6f3d8d" }; 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-37ee9ab0-857a-4312-91d5-8adfac6f3d8d'; 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-37ee9ab0-857a-4312-91d5-8adfac6f3d8d'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-37ee9ab0-857a-4312-91d5-8adfac6f3d8d'));
