‘Longlegs’ Review
Maika Monroe in Oz Perkins’ new eerie and expertly crafted horror film, ‘Longlegs’
Osgood Perkins’ ‘Longlegs’ is a pillar of modern horror
Horror is in good hands with Oz Perkins. So much of today’s horror is blood for the sake of blood and jump scares for the sake of a jump scare. But Longlegs is a breath of fresh air in that sense. Longlegs is horror with purpose. It’s scary… really scary, but there’s a reason it doesn’t leave you after a moment of terror. ‘Longlegs’ gets under your skin and refuses to leave. Not before the movie ends and certainly not after.
Going into Longlegs, there’s only so much one can expect. From the fantastic marketing by Neon to the general public’s overwhelming positive response, it’s hard to not get excited. But the ‘Longlegs’ marketing has kept what needs to be hidden, hidden - unlike so much of horror marketing these days. There’s so much to enjoy with this movie. From the haunting visuals to immaculate twists. From the Maika Monroe’s devastating performance to Nicolas Cage’s sickening one. What’s not to love?
I’ve always said that if you can spoil/ruin a movie in a 1-2 minute trailer, you need to make a better movie. ‘Longlegs’ isn’t scary the way scary is perceived so often nowadays. It’s impossible to ruin ‘Longlegs’ with a trailer because Neon knows how to market, and Perkins knows how to make a movie.
On a first watch, Longlegs is sickening and terrifying and brilliant, but it also feels like something. It is such a theme in horror to make a pointless movie, and “make up for it” by giving you a flinch or two. That type of horror film is not re-watchable in the slightest, because it doesn’t care to be. The cast and crew of this film made sure that there is an endless amount of horror and meaning, wrapped up into one, near-perfect tale of complete and utter dread.
If not for every other redeeming thing about this movie, watch it because it’s new, and unique, and a towering, haunting achievement by Perkins and the entirety of this extremely dedicated troop of actors, giving us exactly what we needed. A breath of fresh air for horror, and one that makes you feel like you’ve stopped breathing altogether.
★★★★
By Ryan Nicolas
