Longlegs: The BRWC Review

2nd August 2024

Longlegs: The BRWC Review. By Nick Boyd.

“Longlegs” is a very suspenseful psychological horror movie starring Nicolas Cage as the titular character and Maika Monroe as Agent Lee Harker. Directed by Oz Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins of “Psycho” fame, the film looks at murders that have taken place over a 20-year span going back to the 1970s, each involving a family. It seems as though Longlegs could be connected to each murder, as the crime scene of each is very similar and has a pattern. However, there seems to be no trace of Longlegs having ever stepped inside the houses. This leads to the thinking that he might have had an accomplice.

Agent Lee Harker is quite methodical as she tries to unravel the clues. Her boss is the much more experienced Agent Carter, played by Blair Underwood, who has a photo of president Bill Clinton in his office, which is how we know the movie takes place in the 1990s. He is married with a daughter. Harker is the much more reserved of the two, keeping to herself and living alone. Going through the case files and seeing the crime scenes has quite the effect on Harker. With a laser focus, it is all she can think about.

There are several instances in the film where the script does not make sense. For example, one question early on is why Harker’s FBI agent partner Fisk would have gone into a house alone that Harker suspected Longlegs was living in. He should have either gone in with Harker or called for backup. Also, when Harker is at her residence late at night, she hears someone knocking at her door. While she does not answer, a short while later, she goes outside to see who it could be. One would not think that an FBI agent would want to try to figure out who it could be in that situation, especially if she thought it could be Longlegs. When Harker and Agent Carter drive to a family farm where murders took place years earlier to try to uncover possible clues, it does not make sense why they would do so at night. Doing so during the daytime would be more sensible.

The film has a bleak, wintry look to it. This adds to the unease and suspense that permeates the picture. Also, the film’s production design is very well thought out.

Cage, somewhat in his appearance, and definitely in his demeanor, resembles Heath Ledger’s Joker from “The Dark Knight.” Delivering an unsettling, creepy performance, he leaves an impression. Monroe, meanwhile, is stoic and understated in her role, the complete opposite of Cage.

The movie can be best thought of as a flawed puzzle, where all the pieces do not fit neatly together, but the various elements intrigue. Certainly very disturbing and uncompromising, the picture is consistently involving and not easy to forget. A word of warning, though: not for the squeamish viewer.

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