Film Review: ‘Longlegs’ is a Serial Killer Horror Masterpiece That Burrows Deep Within Your Psyche

I’m rarely scared by horror. Now, I love the genre, but the more you know how the sausage is made, an appreciation for scary movies does tend to lead to fewer and fewer actually frightening you. So, when I’m unnerved or even outright terrified by something, it bears notice. With Longlegs, the very essence of the film chilled me to my core. There are some scares to be found, sure, but the movie injects fear into your very marrow. Anything and everything can happen, which puts you on edge. This is a masterpiece of the genre and just out and out art. Nothing I’ve seen so far this year has come close to Longlegs. Yes, it’s that good.

Longlegs is the best serial killer horror film since The Silence of the Lambs. They don’t quite traffic in the same territory, but they’re cousins in some ways, notably in petrifying vibes, impeccable craftsmanship, and just overall quality. Watching this mix of police procedural, occult slayings, and atmospheric stress, you’re able to give yourself over to the filmmaker. For about 100 minutes, you’re allowing the possibilities of a great horror movie to just wash over you.

In the 1990s, newly recruited FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is thrown into the deep end of the job when her first assignment sees an agent killed. Mildly psychic, her ability to know where to look for things, and in particular, the bad guys, catches the attention of superior officer Agent Carter (Blair Underwood). Carter assigns Harker to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer known only as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). A satanic killer, Longlegs is murdering entire families around a notable birthday for the family. There’s no known pattern and there’s never evidence of his presence. The FBI is stumped. Taking a risk by tapping Harker, Carter almost immediately sees his hunch pay dividends.

As Harker works the case, we not only see more of Longlegs, but also begin to piece together flashbacks of hers. It seems she has some kind of history or personal connection to the killer. When that becomes known to Carter and her superiors, she’s sent to look into that thread back home with her troubled mother Ruth (Alicia Witt). Harker is in a race against time, since Longlegs has no intention of stopping, or even slowing down. The deeper Harker goes, the more troubled she becomes, though it becomes clear that she’s the only one with even a chance of ending this spree.

Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage are both outstanding here. Monroe is one of the most compelling and interesting heroines since Clarice Starling, while Cage’s title character will haunt your nightmares. The former never loses the fear and human touch of this new agent, even if she’s no-nonsense, gifted at her job, and a force of nature. When she’s scared, we’re scared. It’s the best performance to date from Monroe, who first blew me away with It Follows. The latter, known to chew the scenery from time to time, plays his satanic killer perfectly, finding a frequency that will not soon be forgotten. The look, the sound, everything about Longlegs is a Cage original. Blair Underwood has more to do early on than towards the end, but he’s a steady and reliable presence, bouncing well off of Monroe. As for Alicia Witt, she initially seems a bit out of place, but she more than holds her own as things progress. Supporting players include Lauren Acala, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, and Kiernan Shipka, but it’s Monroe’s show, with Cage doing some of the best supporting work of his career.

Filmmaker Oz Perkins has been steadily building his horror profile, but this is above and beyond. Simply put, it’s his masterwork. Longlegs has Perkins writing a screenplay that trusts his audience while always playing fair with them, while his direction funnels dread into every frame. The existential fear baked into every single scene is something to behold. Perkins infuses dread and terror into the absolute core of the picture. Utterly terrifying and deeply unsettling, he has such control over tone and his story that you’re just in awe. You don’t have to be shocked by the ending to be shaken by it. This is A-list writing and directing, from start to finish.

In a perfect world, Longlegs would be an Oscar contender. Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Perkins, Best Actress for Monroe, and Best Supporting Actor for Cage are all worthy citations. Now, the Academy will almost certainly not go for this flick, but the point is, they should. This is as deserving a work of cinema as we’ll see all year.

Longlegs is a horror masterpiece. It’s not just a crowning achievement for the genre, it’s the best film of 2024 so far. I loved it from start to finish, even if it left me with a pounding heart. They so rarely make movies like this anymore, so it’s more than an instant horror classic, it’s something that I’ll never forget. I can’t recommend it highly enough. This is something special.

SCORE: ★★★★