Longlegs Movie Review - The Morning Star Murders
I don’t always hold such anticipation for a horror movie in any given year, but 2024 has become the exception that proved the rule. Alongside Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu”, a horror film that I’ve also had my eye on for quite some time, was Osgood Perkins’ latest serial killer feature, “Longlegs”. The concept for it alone held my curiosity. I mean, what other horror film in this day and age investigation of a homicidal maniac who murders his victims in the name of Satan himself (man, just saying that question and premise alone sends shivers down your spine, doesn't it?)? As I type this review, I must confess that I this will be the first picture I have seen from Perkins’ himself, though I do acknowledge that he has made films in the past such as 2020’s dark Brothers Grimm retelling, “Gretel and Hansel”.
Admittedly, a small amount of the hype surrounding this film has gotten a bit absurd. Seriously, Awards Radar calling it the “best serial killer horror film since ‘Silence of the Lambs’” — while ignoring that David Fincher’s “Se7en” came out four years later — is pretty preposterous. Even the label of “scariest horror film of the decade” has lost its meaning as it’s been given to several movies before this like candy. Despite the uneven comparisons, the praise of “Longlegs” is indubitably deserved as it stands as a possible contender for being one of the best movies of the year.
Taking place in Clinton-era Oregon, a young FBI agent, Lee Harker, is assigned by her superior to investigate an unsolved murder spree committed across the nation by the titular serial killer and put an end to his work. As she unravels even further that the killings are connections to the occult, she dives deeper down a rabbit hole of satanic proportions she wasn’t prepared for.
The screenplay of Harker’s investigations takes you through many unsettling turns, whether it's exploring the killer’s mythological methods of how he put his murders into action or examining Harker’s personal connection to the case. A grand majority is executed poignantly, you can feel the inspiration Perkins has from certain serial killer flicks in the past and it shows how much Perkins he dedicated himself to the Satanic black magic mechanics and how the killer uses them without being present at the scene of the crime. Going further into the deepest, darkest story bits would be going into spoiler territory, so for all of you who want to check out this film: brace for the unimaginable as this tale will fill your soul with terror up until it reaches the devastating finale.
The pinnacle of this film is how it handles its horror. It’s one thing to throw in repetitive jumps-scares or gruesome imagery (that being said, the prologue’s soon-to-be iconic jump-scare jolted me out of my theater chair), but the greatest weapon acquired by “Longlegs” is the cinematography and atmosphere. An example of how well demonstrated it is, is a scene in which Harker is all by her lonesome decoding one of the killer’s riddles. Throughout most of the film’s runtime, it is filmed with both wide-angle lens shots in central framing and beautiful and murky wide panning shots. Combined with dark atmosphere and lack of music leaving the nervous viewer to guess where the killer could be in the cabin and whether if he’s going to bounce behind our protagonist and kill her or not, epitomizes one of the many things that make “Longlegs” unnerving; making the audiences constantly dread of what may scare them rather than the film telegraph a jump scare to the audience every other scene.
Maika Monroe as Lee Harker and Alicia Pitt as her mother are convincing and are written with unique character depth, however, Nicolas Cage as the occult murderer, Longlegs, is probably his creepiest and most uncomfortable performance to date. His performance isn’t without his typical, crazy Cage freakout hailing the Prince of Darkness, but his mannerisms and acting approach as the film progresses is chilling to say the least. It also should be added that his costume design and make-up design is insanely inspired.
It’s been a long while since I have witnessed something so morbid and disturbing in all my years of reviewing horror. “Longlegs” is not a masterpiece, but it’s an absolutely exceptional horror film that dives head first into the blackest realms of Satanism and showcases itself with solace as an unsettling serial killer mystery that will make you freeze with horror, even just by the single utterance of the phrase “Hail Satan”.
RATING: 4.5/5
