Longlegs Reviewed by RP Madison

Everybody is talking about ‘Longlegs’. From the hyperbolic reviews promising the ‘Scariest Movie in decades’ to the lips of trusted colleagues, I was encouraged to witness this new spectacle of terror. It seems so many people in the horror community are rushing to theaters to see this thing, but here I am, telling you that maybe you shouldn’t. However, it’s not for the reasons you might think.

‘Longlegs’ is not a bad movie by any measure. It’s beautifully filmed. Every shot seems to have been meticulously arranged which, in a visual medium, at this point in history especially, is absolutely necessary. We can consider every inch of every frame we are presented with and that is no small task. The film's atmosphere is what people are taking with them, along with a career-best for producer and star, Nicholas Cage. In a role that could have been another typically whackadoo Cage outing, he transforms in a way that I don’t think we’ve seen from him before. 

There isn’t a weak link in this cast. The sparse score does what it needs to. Everything works. What it didn’t do was actually get under my skin. This is kind of why I don’t think you should rush out to see it. With little prior knowledge, I purchased tickets to see ‘Longlegs’ on a blisteringly hot Sunday morning. The film's wintry setting was a welcome contrast to the hellscape outside. It seems that many of my fellow New Englanders had the same idea and were funneling in long after the opening credits began. These frequent interruptions in what should have been a creeping crawl into this quiet, terrible world derailed my immersion. Now, I love the theater experience, but for this one, I really wish I had held out for a quiet viewing by myself, as it may have scratched the promises of those early blurbs and reviews. Choose your own adventure, kids, but I think this one might be better on a cold dark night in your living room.

Personal theater woes aside, this was an entertaining experience, which to me, read more crime drama mystery than standard horror film. Cage’s psychopathic Satanic albino gives it a large nudge in that direction, but as strong as his performance was, I couldn’t help but think ‘Oh, here’s this year's big Halloween costume’. Maybe it’s my age but I’m kind of over these visually distinct characters, in basements with dolls or mannequins and strange art as killers. Successful serial killers avoid capture because they blend in. Who the hell wouldn’t see this guy as a walking, talking red flag? The ending left me a bit frustrated too, but not so much that I regretted seeing it.

‘Longlegs’ is a beautiful, intriguing but not unflawed film that I look forward to revisiting with fewer bodies around me.

Do you Tik Tok? https://www.tiktok.com/@paulnomad

Instagram it up! https://www.instagram.com/paulnomad/

Like Us! https://www.facebook.com/idlehandsblog/

Give us a follow: https://twitter.com/idlehandsblog
All the VIDS! https://www.youtube.com/user/IdleHandsBlog