Caged tension falls bit short of the hype Wonderfully weird screen direction
Longlegs Cinemas ●●●●●
It has been full steam ahead on the hype train for writerdirector Oz Perkins’ Longlegs.
But has the son of horror icon Anthony ‘Norman Bates’ Perkins lived up to his lineage in the genre?
Predominately speaking yes as while Longlegs is no instant classic, it makes several creative choices that shocked even a long-term horror buff like myself.
The opening wintry scene, shot using a claustrophobic 4:3 ratio, is a chilling, startling introduction to the film’s titular antagonist, played by Nicolas Cage.
Told in three parts, a Hannibal Lector-clarice Starling-esque dynamic develops between Longlegs and Maika Monroe’s FBI agent (Lee Harper) on his tale – only with a possibly more personal connection.
Perkins’ direction is wonderfully weird. He often utilises wide shots before zooming in and out on his characters and the use of silence, darkness, out-of-focus backgrounds and soft whispering are all very unnerving.
His movie is a slow-burn as Perkins drip-feeds crumbs of clues and a grisly corpse and dimly lit microfiche search evoke memories of the grim world and circumstances of David Fincher’s Se7en.
Monroe’s Lee is socially awkward, and looks like she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, which encapsulates her offbeat methods and desire to solve the case.
Cage’s memorable look is hidden for a while – Perkins framing him with lowangle, distant and blurred camera work – but his terrifying threat is always there.
When the 60-year-old gets to let rip, though, a few familiar ‘Cage-isms’ set in which could provoke unintentional humour.
Alicia Witt (Lee’s mum Ruth) and Kiernan Shipka (Carrie Anne) do fine work as damaged characters displaying cold-eyed defiance.
The film’s brave climax relies on your faith in out-there ideas and I preferred the show-and-not-tell tense first half where no-one felt safe, no matter their status or surroundings.
Longlegs makes for an uncomfortable cinematic experience that tests the nerves – just don’t go in expecting a modern masterpiece.
●Are you a fan of Nicolas Cage? If so, which of his performances have impressed you the most?
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