Rating: 4.5/5

This review contains spoilers for Longlegs.

But you knew that already. Right?

Basically, Longlegs (2024) is not about spiders. What Oz Perkins has written about is a web of occult-influenced killings pointing towards the Buffalo Bill-style serial killer, Longlegs (played by the recognisably unrecognisable Nicolas Cage). Our semi-psychic, ever so slightly autistic protagonist, Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), has literally drawn a triangle-shaped arrow out of the algorithm Longlegs has created from the dates of his killings. He always kills daughters born on the 14th of the month to create this inverted triangle algorithm to show his worship of the devil.

But why?

Perkins is probably sick of people mentioning his nepo baby status, but he did write a film based off his unique experience of having famous parents -- so, it is somewhat of an invitation to discuss the matter. In a nutshell, Perkins:

"...grew up in a household with a very famous, visible father who was living two lives, at least, and was a closeted homosexual or bisexual man"... the narrative of there being “two stories” influenced Longlegs, which he wrote and directed.

People explains that Oz Perkins is "the eldest son of a horror legend, Psycho actor Anthony Perkins, as well as photographer Berry Berenson."

"Everybody knew it, even my brother and I theoretically knew it, but we were never given any language for it," he said. The idea that his mother could keep up the story throughout his whole childhood partly inspired his film Longlegs, in which Alicia Witt’s character keeps a shocking secret from her daughter.

'“Your mother can protect you from a truth that she thinks is unsavory,” reflected Osgood. “And then you just build out a crazy movie around that.”

Perkins has done an impressive job of creating an outlandish tale from something seemingly unrelated, taking the age-old advice 'write what you know' to another dimension. It feels necessary to clarify that Longlegs is not based in any reality beyond that inspiration. Instead, Perkins takes his screenplay in the direction of a mother being so desperate to save her child from brutality that she makes a deal with the devil. His own mother was not coerced into occultism.

Longlegs is a scary film. Some contrarians may attempt to recategorise it as a 'crime thriller', but let's not get too involved in our own pretension. It's got lots of gore, it's got Nicolas Cage in weird makeup, and it makes you go "ah!" It's a fucking horror. It has similarities to The Silence of the Lambs, but it's not as grounded as that. Willow Catelyn Maclay notes in her review that

The Silence of the Lambs has persisted for as long as it has because there is life happening outside of the frames, and there is a rich tapestry of personality coursing through the veins of each character. Longlegs exists only unto itself.

And this is an astute observation. It's hard to imagine Lee in a life outside of Longlegs, which perhaps makes the finale even more disturbing. The world she exists within is so sparse. Her hyper fixation upon solving the Longlegs case makes it seem as though she came into being for the sole purpose of entering law enforcement. This is intentional; ramping up the tension to reveal that Lee's life has, in fact, almost always revolved around Longlegs. Who is she without Longlegs? Who is Perkins without his parents?

Oz Perkins has established himself as a distinguished director, but Lee Harker is haunted by the devil. The tale of Longlegs leaves you with the question "what was the point of all of that?" and you anticipate a profound answer, but you don't really get one. "The man downstairs" is both literally Nicolas Cage living in the cellar, and figuratively the devil. The latter orchestrates the killings and has his agents carry out his dirty work. That's it.

This is where Longlegs could have maybe done with a little more development. Every other part of the film is treated with such delicate attention -- the cinematography, the editing, the acting -- that it makes you wonder why we don't get a full explanation as to why Lee is the one to suffer her whole life with the burden of a serial killer living in her home. Yes, her mother takes on the duty of protection; but this raises more confusion than it does satisfaction. But it feels wrong to doubt a film that does everything else so well in its final moments. It fits horror genre conventions to leave the story's bows untied. Where is Lee's father? Why does Longlegs break his pattern of having a father kill his wife and daughter with Lee's family? Is she related to Longlegs? Perhaps we're being left with room for a prequel.

There is little to fault Longlegs on. It is a thoroughly enjoyable fright-fest with a plethora of jump-scares and moments enticing fearful laughter. It takes pride in referencing its predecessors (i.e. The Silence of the Lambs) without relying too heavily on nostalgia to carry its value. Nothing is boring; there is only suspense. It's a refreshing and surprising reference to the life of a nepo baby and Perkins has undeniably earnt his place in the movie industry through the merit of his filmmaking. The only thing keeping Longlegs from being a perfect film is the question mark around its purpose. Write what you know but write with intention.