Nights of Horror: Longlegs (2024)

*Spoiler-Free*

I enjoyed Longlegs a lot. My first takeaway was that it's a technical masterpiece, and I wasn't sure how I felt about the story itself. I unpacked it throughout the rest of the night, slept on it, and now I'm convinced it's an instant classic. 

For people saying "oh it's supposed to be the scariest thing ever and I wasn't scared once" I don't..... I don't think it's supposed to be the scariest thing ever. I think Longlegs is supposed to worm its way into you, and live rent free in the back of your mind. It's sneaky, nasty, mysterious, and beautifully done. 

Horror royalty Maika Monroe is at the top of her game and I'm not convinced she could ever disappoint me. Nicolas Cage has created a character so instantly iconic, so worthy of my obsession that I'm going to be seeing him everywhere, and I will because I let him in. 

The surprising standout performances for me were Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt, who brought so much humanity and warmth that every time they were onscreen, I was so charmed by them that I forgot what kind of movie I was watching.

Osgood Perkins already established himself as a master of mood with his previous films, and he's working with a team of seasoned storytellers who were all given free reign to imprint their own personalities onto something as irreverent as it is reverent of its obvious influences. Longlegs wears its inspirations on its sleeve very much on purpose. Perkins himself says it's a ripoff, but watching, you understand why that is and why it has to be. It's just so enchanting, I know I'm going to be mulling over it for ages. 

Long(legs) story short, it's something that will stick with you forever, and make you ask yourself honestly about all the things you've forced yourself to forget.