Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs is one of the most anticipated horror films in recent years. The film is receiving high praise, the marketing has been A+, and it’s getting compared to films like Silence of the Lambs – horror fans are prepared to be scared to death.

Longlegs isn’t the type of horror film that has a boogeyman jumping out of the shadows. It’s a thriller that’s very disturbing with sinister tentacles that have a hold on you well after the movie is over.

Set in the Pacific Northwest sometime in the 90’s, FBI Agent Harker (Maika Monroe) is investigating a series of murders by a serial killer known as Longlegs. The Bureau has been baffled by these unusual murders for decades. There is zero physical evidence of a killer at the crime scene and the only thing left behind is a note with cryptic symbols signed “Longlegs”.

With the help of her intuition, and support from Special Agent Carter (Blair Underwood), Harker starts to put the pieces together to help the Bureau find Longlegs.

Longlegs is much more sinister, chilling, and wildly disturbing than it is “scary”. The FBI procedural part of the story is straight forward and delivers familiar plot points seen in most thrillers. Where Longlegs starts to separate itself form other horror films is in the second half of the film, specifically the third act. As the film’s dread slowly creeps towards a chaotic finale, there’s a mix of unsettling terror, unease, and WTF moments in the best way possible. It’s one of those films that are hard to describe without spoiling…. if you’ve seen Silence of the Lambs or Hereditary, you get the vibes Perkins is aiming for.

The instrument Perkins uses for his terror is Nicolas Cage. He looks, sounds, and moves in the creepiest ways imaginable. The opening scene with Longlegs shows he’s not a menacing or threatening character but he’s incredibly frightening. He’s odd and a bit awkward at times, yet here is something about his speech pattern that puts you on edge – it gets under your skin and raises the hair on your arms.

Cage’s ghoulish performance doesn’t work without Maika Monroe. She’s taken the lead as Hollywood’s Scream Queen with this fantastic performance. She plays Harker as awkward, flawed, and flappable. Despite all that, Harker continues to put the puzzle pieces together and that’s what makes her as believable a she is strong. Monroe hit all the right notes for a character that’s dropped in the middle of a nightmare.

Longlegs is one of the best horror films of the year and one of the best films of 2024. It’s a fantastic blend of a psychological rollercoaster and insane supernatural horror. This nightmarish tale will leave you with little time to breathe and feelings of dread an unease that last longer than you’ll like.

Grade: A-