Longlegs is a 2024 American horror thriller film written and directed by Osgood Perkins. The film stars Micah Monroe and Nicolas Cage, with Cage also producing through his company, Saturn Films. The supporting cast includes Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee and Dakota Dolby.
The plot revolves around an FBI agent tasked with apprehending a serial killer who uses covert practices to murder entire families across America without being physically present at the crime scenes.
Released by Neon on July 12, 2024, Longlegs received positive reviews from critics.
Introduction to Longlegs Movie
| Directed by | Osgood Perkins |
|---|---|
| Written by | Osgood Perkins |
| Produced by | 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 |
| Cinematography | Andrés Arochi |
| Edited by | Greg Ng, Graham Fortin |
| Music by | Zilgi |
| Production companies | C2 Motion Picture Group, Traffic, Range, Oddfellows, Saturn Films |
| Distributed by | Neon (United States), Black Bear International (International) |
| Release date | July 12, 2024 |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | <$10 million |
| Box office | $33.3 million |
Longlegs Starring Cast & Crew
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Maika Monroe | Lee Harker, an FBI agent assigned to Longlegs’ case |
| Lauren Acala | Young Lee |
| Nicolas Cage | Longlegs, an elusive serial killer whose real name is Dale Cobble |
| Blair Underwood | Agent Carter, Lee’s superior |
| Alicia Witt | Ruth Harker, Lee’s religious mother |
| Michelle Choi-Lee | Agent Browning |
| Dakota Daulby | Agent Horatio Fisk |
| Kiernan Shipka | Carrie Anne Camera, Longlegs’ only known survivor |
| Maila Hosie | Young Carrie Anne |
| Jason Day | Father Camera |
| Lisa Chandler | Mother Camera |
| Ava Kelders | Ruby Carter |
| Rryla McIntosh | Adult Ruby |
| Carmel Amit | Anna Carter |
| Peter James Bryant | Senior FBI agent |
Longlegs OTT Release Date
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Neon acquired North American rights at the European Film Market | February 2023 | European Film Market |
| Screening at Beyond Fest | May 31, 2024 | Los Angeles |
| Premiere at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood | July 8, 2024 | Los Angeles |
| Release in North America and the United Kingdom | July 12, 2024 | North America and the United Kingdom |
| Special screenings across the United States | July 8-13, 2024 | Various locations across the United States |
| ‘Parent-free’ RSVP screening at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | July 12, 2024 | Brooklyn, New York |
Longlegs Worldwide Box Office Collection
| Event | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debut weekend collection | $22.4 million |
| Competing films | Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2, Fly Me to the Moon |
| Wednesday collection | $2.4 million |
| Number of theaters | 2500 |
| Tuesday to Wednesday drop | 23.1% |
| Biggest Tuesday for R-rated films since Scream 6 | Surpassed The Nun 2’s $2 million |
| North American cumulative collection | $30.5 million |
| Comparison with I, Tonya’s domestic run | Beat I, Tonya’s $30 million in six days |
| Neon’s ranking in highest-grossing films | Second highest-grossing film |
| International collection | $2.68 million |
| Worldwide box office collection | $33.34 million |
| Release date | July 10, 2024 |
| Success in the US | Running successfully |
The first time Maika Monroe saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs, her heart rate hit 170 bpm.
— ↃL⊥\\Ↄ—\\ᘰ (@LonglegsFilm) July 8, 2024
LONGLEGS opens in theaters Friday: https://t.co/3tgjmFAPLc pic.twitter.com/DaweYaDgxM
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Longlegs Review: It Will Haunt You
For at least an entire hour, Osgood Perkins’ aggressively styled film Longlegs holds the audience tightly in its grip. The movie’s impact doesn’t just come from expertly executed jump scares, although there are a few. Instead, Perkins uses unique shooting and editing techniques, sometimes dragging out ominous pauses and other times quickly removing them. It presents a familiar story (a young female FBI agent hunts down a serial killer, like Silence of the Lambs) and an everyday setting (suburban houses, empty fields, humble streets) in a way that feels otherworldly. feels Its unbalanced structure and wide angle seem to make the space strange. The movie has a Lynchian sense of the uncanny, making the familiar seem unreal.
This off-kilter approach extends to the plot and performances as well. Lee Harker, the main character, is played with nervous energy by Micah Monroe. She delivers her lines in tense bursts, as if she’s afraid to say too much. Harker investigates a series of murder-suicides where fathers kill their families and then themselves. Strange characters written in zodiac-like code and signature “long legs” appear at crime scenes, pointing to a mastermind. But what is addiction? This killing goes on for 30 years. Is a dark force driving these people crazy? If so, is it hypnosis or something more supernatural?
In essence, Longlegs is a modern horror movie where evil spreads through ordinary people. Unlike typical slashers or monsters, real horror extends into society. This idea is not new. Movies like Attack of the Body Snatcher, Night of the Living Dead and Cure explore it. Going further back, German Expressionism often featured mysterious figures who manipulated others into committing terrible acts. These fictional characters foreshadow real-life lunatics in history. The recent popularity of horror films focusing on ordinary people like Smile and the upcoming sequel It Follow shows a society obsessed with fear of each other. Horror reflects this social malaise.
The uneasy mood of long legs enhances this idea. Perkins uncomfortably shares basic information. This is a serial-killer mystery where we already know the killer. In the striking opening scene we get a glimpse of Longlegs’ face. Although he doesn’t look like Nicolas Cage, the opening credits clearly state: “Nicolas Cage as Longlegs.” Perkins keeps the viewer on edge, mirroring Harker’s troubled mind. Harker, a relatively new agent, is on this decades-long case because of her psychic potential. In the opening scene, she mistakes another serial killer for her hideout. Tests on her abilities suggest she may have paranormal powers, though the results are inconclusive. When Harker notes that he fails as many exams as he passes, his bestie Carter (Blair Underwood) replies, “Half-mindedness is better than no-mindedness.” This probably doesn’t make Harker any less confused about his abilities.
Long Legs impressively maintains this sense of disorientation for most of its runtime. Unfortunately, like many horror movies, it ultimately tries to explain too much. The final act overflows with information, confusing us while revealing details. Perkins struggles to balance the revelation of the story with his stylistic control. The tension between form and content, which initially enriched the film, becomes too much. Our attention starts to wander. Horror thrives on the unknown, and the best films in the genre leave some mysteries unsolved, causing the nightmare to linger long after the credits roll. Long Legs is terrifying for most of its duration and satisfies many horror fans. However, the greatness he was initially set to achieve slipped towards the end.
