July 2, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Film Review: Longlegs

By Dolores Quintana

Longlegs is pure poetic eldritch terror. From the very beginning, director Osgood Perkins uses the actors’ performances, cinematography, and even locations to create a sense of foreboding and dread. The filmy plastic sheets of a murderer’s hideaway are both frightening and beautiful, which is a hallmark of the film. Gorgeous, thrilling, and irresistible evil beckons to the audience with a seemingly harmless giggle. 

Longlegs, directed by Osgood Perkins, starring Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, Alicia Witt, and Blair Underwood, opens on July 12. You can watch the official trailer here. 

Maika Monroe’s performance as Lee Harker is stellar. Her entire being seems shot through with a presence of doom and a whirlwind of inner panic. Nicolas Cage’s appearance in one of the film’s first scenes is utterly terrifying, while he does very little. 

In his previous films, Osgood Perkins has honed his skills as a director and used his own unique inner alchemy to grasp the audience in his powerful grip and squeeze. The first time I watched the film, I was overwhelmed with a wave of terror; with the second viewing, I was able to see so much more of the film’s intricate and delicate underpinnings. Gazing into the eyes of Nicolas Cage as Longlegs and down the barrel of Osgood Perkins’s wild and fiendish talent made me burst into tears. 

Cage’s appearance is an acting feat that few actors are capable of, and he’s almost unrecognizable as the enigmatic and unholy Longlegs. The brief scenes in which the character appears have a dreamlike or psychedelic effect that preys upon the mind of the viewer, increasing the already almost unbearable levels of intensity. Still, there is a childlike aura to this disquieting being, which is all the more dreadful. Nicolas Cage has once again raised the bar for all actors. 

My hands instinctively rose in defense as he appeared, and the way the shot was presented intensified the surreal feeling of horror. The director’s sure hand with the rich characterizations of Maika Monroe and the other major characters enlarges the film’s scope. Lee Harker, a character similar to Clarice Starling and Will Graham, is haunted by something she doesn’t understand about herself, adding to the sense of unavoidable fate in the film.

In the scene where Harker is on a neighborhood canvas with a partner, the audience can follow along with her thought patterns as she connects the dots, knows where the danger is, and tries to warn others. This is the trope of the FBI investigator with an uncanny ability to connect with the killer, amplified to an uncanny level never previously seen in such films as The Silence of the Lambs and Manhunter

The film follows the inner life and thoughts of Harker so closely that it sometimes feels like the audience member is inside her head, particularly when she is in danger. It takes the idea of the investigator who has a connection with a killer and makes it more palpable and less of an intellectual exercise. It’s great character work because it involves the audience so much more. It’s one thing to hear that someone has a connection to the killer, but it’s another to actually feel it emotionally. It’s very real, very involving, and so much more frightening. 

The film really conveys the loneliness of the main characters, Harker and Longlegs. Alicia Witt’s performance is deeply unsettling, even when she is just on the phone. It feels like she is not really there, as if she were a whistling void rather than a person. Her performance expresses the central idea of Longlegs incredibly well. Blair Underwood and his family offer a warm contrast to the chilly world that envelops Harker—a lifeline to the world where the rest of us live.

The film’s quietude sets it apart from the genre’s typical jump scares and use of music cues. While the film’s sound design is incredibly well done, the silence in between everything is one of the most chilling things about the tale. It’s like being in the mind of a madman hurtling through space with only yourself and insanity as your companions. It is the inner life of the film’s characters blooming inside your own head. 

When violence erupts, usually with the jarring blast of a gun, its impact is heightened. The film creates a sense of a world that is empty and cold in a way that feels utterly hopeless. From the production design to the cinematography and use of music, there is a pervasive feeling that we all inhabit Longlegs’ world, but only so as long as he allows it. 

Longlegs is a mesmerizing serial killer tale that swallows the viewer whole. The feeling of being inside the head of a serial killer or an intense FBI agent has never been so enrapturing and seductive. It shows rather than tells all of the plot devices and character arcs that other films have used and makes you feel it in your bones. It is the work of nefarious sorcerers of cinema who worship at the altar of a mad god.

Related Posts

(Video) Los Angeles County Supervisor from the 2nd district, Holly J. Mitchel, Gives a Powerful Speech

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

Supervisor Mitchell Called on Residents to take action at the rally for Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano in Culver City.

Top Military Commander Urges Return of Troops Deployed to ICE Protest Response

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

General Requests 200 National Guard Soldiers Be Returned to California Wildfire Unit The senior U.S. military officer overseeing federal forces...

Second Victim Killed Alongside LAPD Sergeant in Brentwood 405 Crash Identified

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

Authorities Confirm Garcia, 34, Died at the Scene, GoFundMe Launched  Authorities have identified the civilian who was killed alongside a...

The Westside Lights Up for July 4: Fireworks, Drone Shows, and Parades Return Across West Los Angeles

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

From Marina Del Rey’s Fireworks to Culver City’s 1980s-Themed Drone Show, Get Ready to Celebrate From fireworks over Marina del...

California Judge Rules FAIR Plan’s Smoke Damage Policy Unlawful

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

Court Says Wildfire Insurance Program Illegally Denied Claims Legal protections for California homeowners took a step forward this week after...

(Video) Culver City Residents and City and County Leaders Rally for Disappeared Ice Cream Man Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

US Representative for California’s 37th Congressional District, Sydney Kamlager-Dove Speaks About What is happening to the disappeared.

Historic Sawtelle Nursery Site Could Become 40-Unit Townhome Complex

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

Sawtelle Continues to Change as Nursery Site Faces Redevelopment Plans have been submitted to redevelop a nursery site, F.K. Nursery,...

Drake Slashes Price on Beverly Hills Estate to $79 Million Amid Market Slowdown

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

Price Cut Adds to a Broader Retreat From His Los Angeles Real Estate Holdings. Musician Drake has reduced the price...

Iranian Pastor in West L.A. Speaks as Church Rocked by Immigration Raids 

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Five Detained as Fear Spreads Through Persian Christian Faith Community  Fear has spread through a West Los Angeles congregation after...

Overdose Deaths Drop 22% in Los Angeles County, Marking Largest Decline on Record

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Fentanyl Fatalities Fell 37% as County Ramps up Funding for Prevention, Treatment Drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County declined...

Cinespia Brings Fireworks and Fan Favorites to Hollywood Forever This July

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Watch Top Gun, La La Land, and More Under the Stars at Hollywood Forever Cinespia, Los Angeles’ iconic outdoor movie...

California Doubles Down on Hollywood: $750M in Tax Credits Approved for Film and TV Industry

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

State Lawmakers Back Major Expansion of Production Incentives, Raising Job Projections Los Angeles’ film and television industry is poised to...

Pedestrian Killed on 405 Freeway to State Route 90 Connector in Culver City 

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Fatal Crash on Culver City Adds to Growing Safety Concerns Early Friday, a pedestrian died after being struck by a...

EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles Returns with Star Chefs, Firefighter Tribute, and Wildfire Relief Efforts

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Culinary Festival Features Exclusive Restaurant Collabs, Support for Small Businesses  EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles, the celebrated food festival curated by The...

Supporters to Gather This Weekend for Longtime Culver City Paleta Seller Held in Detention

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Family and Neighbors Will Gather Sunday to Sell Paletas and Raise Funds Supporters will gather this Sunday at Veterans Park...