Longlegs (2024) ***

Longlegs (2024) plays like the goofier second cousin of The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) (review), Manhunter (1986)/Red Dragon (2002) (review), and True Detective (2014–present). Like Osgood Perkins' other films—The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) (review), I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (2016) (review), and Gretel & Hansel (2020) (review)—it's another flawed film which still has much to enjoy. 

I like over the top Nicolas Cage, but his Tiny Tim-like performance and heavy prosthetics (while ridiculous and enjoyable) don't gel well with the ultra serious tone of the film and his scenes really took me out of the movie. I found Maika Monroe to be fine, but her performance was nothing special. Alicia Witt was solid and gave perhaps the best, most balanced performance of the film.

There's also a lot of connective tissue that seems absent here. I enjoy a good mystery, but not everyone can be David Lynch and get away with leaving out this much information, character and story-wise. I did like the film (particularly the overall mood and the soundscapes) and I appreciate that Perkins took some well-worn tropes and put a few interesting spins on the serial killer/horror thriller genres, but he has yet to hit a home run for me. 

Osgood Perkins Films Ranked

Cage Rages Ranked