Longlegs (Canada/United States, 2024)

Longlegs is a well-mounted horror film where a sense of dread and discomfort infuses every frame of every scene. From a narrative perspective, however, it’s an abject failure. Style can only get a movie so far and, in this case, that’s maybe 15 minutes (30 tops). As it becomes clear that the film’s “mysteries” are going to result in unsatisfying resolutions, the experience of watching Longlegs becomes tedious. The film’s underlit aesthetic may amplify the atmosphere but it strains the eyes and the discordant music feels more manipulative than effective.

The movie is pitched at those who enjoy their horror with a dollop of existential obtuseness. Director Oz Perkins (son of the actor Anthony “Norman Bates” Perkins) leans so heavily into the film’s look and feel that it’s occasionally possible to forget how bankrupt and generic the supernatural story is. A weirdo serial killer. Satanic rituals. Possessed dolls. The movie is chock-full of horror tropes, none of which are presented effectively. It mostly takes itself far too seriously (excepting those instances when Nicolas Cage’s scenery chewing provides unintentional humor) and its artistic pretensions become grating.

Perkins’ screenplay follows an FBI investigation into the “Longlegs” case – an ongoing attempt to unravel the truth behind a 20-year series of murder-suicides. New recruit Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is assigned to the case and her boss, Agent Carter (Blair Underwood), quickly recognizes that her seeming psychic abilities might be useful in finally solving the mystery. Each of the instances has similarities: a father kills his wife and children before committing suicide and a note (not written by any of the victims) is found containing Satanic symbols and signed by “Longlegs.” Lee’s intuition allows her to pinpoint Longlegs’ location during her first day in the field but her partner’s cockiness allows the suspect to escape. She then throws herself fully into the investigation while avoiding contact with her mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt), with whom she has only perfunctory phone conversations.

Perkins’ debut film, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, was similarly staged, with an obtuse storyline and a focus on atmosphere over true horror, but the plot worked, especially when seen in retrospect. Despite occasional forays into the past (the main storyline is set in the 1990s but there are flashbacks to the 1970s), Longlegs mostly plays out chronologically and the only surprising thing is how disappointing Longlegs is as a villain. The supernatural elements underwhelm and the only shocks come from jump-scares provoked by musical stingers.

This isn’t actor Maika Monroe’s first horror rodeo. She previously appeared in David Robert Mitchell’s 2015 outstanding It Follows, but the roles – and her performances in them – couldn’t be more different. In Monroe’s defense, Lee is intended to be introverted and damaged (borderline-autistic), but the character is so flat and unengaging that it makes it difficult for a viewer to care one way or another about her. Outside of Lee, no one gets a lot of screentime or anything resembling a full-fledged personality. Agent Carter feels more like an obligatory plot device than a person. Ruth is absent for a good portion of the movie. As for Longlegs – Cage is in full self-parody mode, coming across more like a coked-out clown than an entity worthy of dread. The full reveal of Longlegs is deeply disappointing with Cage buried underneath a mound of unconvincing prosthetics and makeup.

The movie is woefully underwritten. The most damning aspect may be the way the FBI is portrayed. Okay, I know this isn’t intended to be a drama or a documentary, but does anyone really believe this is how federal law enforcement would approach a case of this sort? With a quick briefing and the placement of a novice agent on a taskforce? Or that, following a particularly shocking shooting death, said agent would be put back onto field duty working the same case? One typically gives a lot of latitude toward the suspension of disbelief in horror films but, for that to work, the framework needs to be grounded. There needs to be something the viewer can latch onto as having a real-life analog and it’s not here.

Longlegs falls into the category of horror films that are more excises in directorial experimentation than genuine excursions into terror. Everything about this movie feels both tired and tiring. Yes, it does a great job setting up a sense of deep unease but that quickly evaporates when it becomes apparent the movie isn’t going anywhere worthwhile or interesting, and the ending is downright silly. Longlegs will likely find a core audience of adherents among the style-over-substance horror crowd but word-of-mouth among general viewers will likely (and justifiably) be dismal.

Longlegs (Canada/United States, 2024)