Longlegs

2024 American film by Osgood Perkins

  • Dan Kagan
  • Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
  • Nicolas Cage
  • Dave Caplan
  • Chris Ferguson
Starring
  • Maika Monroe
  • Nicolas Cage
  • Blair Underwood
  • Alicia Witt
  • Michelle Choi-Lee
  • Dakota Daulby
CinematographyAndrés ArochiEdited by
  • Greg Ng
  • Graham Fortin
Music byZilgi
Production
companies
  • C2 Motion Picture Group
  • Traffic.
  • Range[1]
  • Oddfellows
  • Saturn Films
Distributed by
  • Neon (United States)
  • Black Bear International[2] (International)
Release date
  • July 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)
Running time
101 minutes[3]CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Longlegs is a 2024 American crime horror thriller film written and directed by Osgood Perkins and produced by Nicolas Cage. The film stars Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, and Kiernan Shipka with Cage also starring as the film's titular antagonist.

Longlegs was released in the United States by Neon on July 12, 2024. The film received critical acclaim for its writing, performances (particulary Cage's), directing and atmosphere, with many comparing it to The Silence of the Lambs.

Premise

In the 1990s, new FBI agent Lee Harker was assigned to an unsolved case involving a Satanic serial killer known as Longlegs.[4] As the investigation becomes more complicated with occult evidence uncovered, Harker realizes a personal link to the killer and must act quickly to prevent another family murder.[2]

Cast

  • Maika Monroe as Lee Harker, an FBI agent assigned to Longlegs' case[5]
    • Lauren Acala as young Lee Harker[6]
  • Nicolas Cage as Longlegs, an elusive serial killer being hunted down by the FBI[5]
  • Blair Underwood as Agent Carter, Lee's superior[6]
  • Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker, Lee's religious mother[6]
  • Michelle Choi-Lee as Agent Browning
  • Dakota Daulby as Agent Horatio Fisk[7]
  • Kiernan Shipka as Carrie Anne Camera, Longlegs' only known survivor[6]
    • Maila Hosie as young Carrie Anne Camera
  • Jason Day as Father Camera
  • Lisa Chandler as Mother Camera[7]
  • Ava Kelders as Ruby Carter
    • Rryla McIntosh as Adult Ruby Carter[7]
  • Carmel Amit as Anna Carter
  • Peter James Bryant as Senior FBI agent

Production

In November 2022, it was reported that Osgood Perkins would direct from a script he wrote.[8] Nicolas Cage signed on to produce (under his Saturn Films banner) and star in the horror thriller film as a serial killer.[2][9] In February 2023, Maika Monroe signed on as FBI agent Lee Harker.[2] The following month, Alicia Witt and Blair Underwood joined the cast.[10]

Principal photography took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, from January 16 to February 23, 2023, with Andrés Arochi serving as cinematographer.[11][9]

Release

In February 2023, Neon acquired the film's North American rights at the European Film Market.[12] The film had a screening at Los Angeles's Beyond Fest on May 31, 2024.[13] Longlegs premiered at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood in Los Angeles on July 8, 2024.[14]

It is scheduled to be released in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 12, 2024.[9][15]

Longlegs held several special screenings across the USA throughout July 8-13, 2024.[16] Including a 'parent-free' RSVP screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Brooklyn, New York on July 12, 2024. The Longlegs team claims teens should ditch their parents and will be attended to with a bloody nun instead as their legal guardian.[17]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Longlegs will be released alongside Fly Me to the Moon, and is projected to gross $7–9 million from 2,500 theaters in its opening weekend.[18]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 100 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Saturated in disquieting mood while leveraging a nightmarishly gonzo performance by Nicolas Cage, Longlegs is a satanic horror that effectively instills panic."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]

David Rooney writing for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, saying "It might be argued that he stirs too many elements into the mix here — crime procedural, occult mystery, mind manipulation, Satanic worship, scary dolls, a Faustian bargain and a 'nun' not fit for any convent. But Longlegs is [Osgood's] most fully realized and relentlessly effective film to date".[21] Bob Strauss of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Most impressive is how Perkins blends psychological and supernatural horror in a manner not quite seen before. Longlegs is a conjuring of dark, poetic cinema where the devil is definitely in the details".[22] Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson thought the film was disappointing, writing "Longlegs is stylish but vacuous, a prettily foreboding picture with nothing behind it. As Hannibal Lecter might say, it's a well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste".[23]

J. Hurtado of Screen Anarchy declared Longlegs "a masterpiece; an unholy, horrifying confluence of high art and anxiety, a film in which every frame is a nightmare, and it's beautiful."[24] Writing for Bloody Disgusting, Meagan Navarro praised Longlegs' performances and atmosphere, concluding, "Longlegs is as stylish as it is timeless, dripping with claustrophobic dread and rot."[25] Bill Bria of /Film called Longlegs "the most terrifying horror movie of 2024," noting the film's "rock n' roll spirit."[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 20, 2023). "Prolific La La Land Producer Automatik Merges With Range Media Partners". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Ravindran, Manori (February 6, 2023). "Nicolas Cage Horror 'Longlegs' Casts 'It Follows' Star Maika Monroe, Black Bear International to Launch Sales at EFM (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Longlegs (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (June 20, 2024). "Why You Won't See Nicolas Cage as a Serial Killer in Any 'Longlegs Trailers". IndieWire. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Wampler, Scott (April 17, 2024). "NEON's Trailers For LONGLEGS Continue To Be Freaky As Hell". Fangoria. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Howard, Courtney (June 10, 2024). "'LONGLEGS' Review: Oz Perkins Serves Up Satanic Panic For Our Pleasure". Fresh Fiction. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Sayce, Rebecca (February 24, 2024). "Oz Perkins' New Horror LONGLEGS: Everything We Know So Far". Fangoria. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 11, 2022). "Nicolas Cage To Star In Horror-Thriller 'Longlegs' For C2, Automatik & Cage's Saturn Films; 'Sinister', 'La La Land' Producers & 'Joker' Exec Among Team". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Lattanzio, Ryan (February 2, 2024). "Longlegs Teaser: Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe Star in Neon's Mysterious Serial Killer Horror Movie". IndieWire. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 6, 2023). "Alicia Witt & Blair Underwood Join Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe In Longlegs Horror-Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "In Production - Creative BC". Creative BC Film Commission. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  12. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 19, 2023). "Neon In Pole Position For Nicolas Cage Horror-Thriller 'Longlegs' Marking First Sizeable Domestic Deal Of EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Peters, Daniel (June 1, 2024). "Nicolas Cage horror movie Longlegs gets rave reactions following surprise screening". NME. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  14. ^ "LONGLEGS". American Cinematheque. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Travis, Ben (June 17, 2024). "Longlegs UK Release Date Confirmed For July". Empire. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "LONGLEGS | NEON". neonrated.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "LONGLEGS: Teenagers Can go to a Parent-Free Screaming (Screening) in New York, This Friday, With Bloody Nuns". ScreenAnarchy. July 11, 2024. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 9, 2024). "Gru To Rule With $33M+ As 'Fly Me To The Moon', 'Longlegs' Provide Depth To Weekend Box Office – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Longlegs". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "Longlegs". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Rooney, David (July 6, 2024). "Longlegs Review: Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage in a Mesmerizing Serial Killer Chiller That Burns With Satanic Power". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  22. ^ Strauss, Bob (July 8, 2024). "Review: In Longlegs, Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe go to impressively disturbing extremes". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  23. ^ Lawson, Richard (July 10, 2024). "Longlegs Is a Grueling Collage of Far Better Films". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Longlegs Review: Every Frame Is A Nightmare In The Year's Best Horror Film To Date". ScreenAnarchy. June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Navarro, Meagan (June 10, 2024). "Longlegs Review – Oz Perkins' Latest Gets Under Your Skin and Festers Like a Putrid Nightmare". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  26. ^ Bria, Bill (June 10, 2024). "Longlegs Review: Osgood Perkins' Masterpiece Is The Most Terrifying Horror Movie Of 2024". /Film. Retrieved June 11, 2024.

External links

  • Longlegs at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Films directed by Oz Perkins