DIRECTED by Osgood Perkins, the son of Anthony Perkins of Psycho fame, Longlegs is one of the scariest and most suspenseful horror films of the year.
The compelling opening scene is sure to live on in cinematic history and leave film lovers wincing for years to come, in the same way as that famous shower scene in the aforementioned 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic.
Longlegs kicks off like a heart attack. It is akin to some twisted and brooding nightmare set in 1970s Oregon, in a sepia-toned Pacific Northwest. Think Little Red Riding Hood with touches of Stanley Kubrick’s unhinged Overlook Hotel colour palette for added menace. I’m still not right after it.
Of course, Nicholas Cage is no stranger to playing deranged maniacs, but even by his over-the-top standards, this is quite a terrifying transformation that still has my heart beating faster than footsteps in a dark alley.
As the phantasmic satanic serial killer Longlegs, with a penchant for T Rex and Lou Reed, Cage’s disturbing voice and grotesque prosthetics are sure to curdle your blood and leave you breathless each time he bounds onto the screen like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker after a weekend bender with Motley Crue. He has certainly earned the honorary title of legendary horror villains after this jaw-dropping performance.
Similarities to The Silence of the Lambs are obvious and plentiful, as FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker, Clarice Starling to Cage’s Buffalo Bill from Hell, discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Monroe previously worked with Perkins on the acclaimed horror film It Follows, and Longlegs is equally as frightening and just as memorable. Expect elevated heart rates and ghostly complexions aplenty at local cinemas as this diabolical game of cat and mouse plays out to its diabolical conclusion.
(4/5)
