Sunday Scaries: ‘Longlegs’ Should Stand the Test of Time as a Modern Horror Classic

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! This time around, we’re talking more about one of the best horror films in recent memory…

Longlegs is a horror masterpiece, full stop. Audiences this weekend have discovered that, coming out in shocking droves for the NEON hit. Oz Perkins‘ film, which stars Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe, is the return of the serial killer horror smash. A $10 million Friday at the box office, which is arguably what the high end for the entire weekend would have been, shows that the raves, as well as the savvy marketing campaign, has paid off. Now, I’m here to tell you that the movie’s lifespan is only just beginning.

In my rave review here, I said the following to kick it off:

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.

I followed up later in the review by praising the cast and filmmaking (of which, I just recently spoke to Monroe and Perkins here), as well as its overall quality, writing:

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.

Ever since I saw it, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the movie. Hopefully all of you are now having that experience with this work. The fact that it’s getting the reactions out of critics, as well as audiences, is how I know that this is going to be an all-timer. Feel free to share your take once you see it, but I’m fully confident that we’re going to be talking about Perkins’ chiller for years to come.

Longlegs is going to stand the test of time. An indie fright flick paying like a studio horror outing, it could very well be expanding the palate of audiences right now. Some may not jive with it, but as the years progress, folks are going to discover and re-discover it as a genre classic. We love to see it, especially when the film is as good as this one. Huzzah.

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!