I had high hopes for the recently released horror movie Longlegs. With all the pre-release buzz and the great marketing campaign, it was hard not to get swept up in the excitement.
I loved the marketing for the movie. I loved how they built up the suspense with it and created this creepy mystique. The marketing campaign was brilliant!
So, the anticipation was exciting, with social media ablaze with claims that this film was the scariest of the decade. I even convinced my 19-year-old daughter, a fellow horror movie fan, to join me for the experience.
But, unfortunately, Longlegs did not live up to the hype. From the moment the film started, it was clear this wasn’t going to be the great movie I was expecting.
My daughter pointed it out first, remarking on how boring it was. And she was right. This movie lacked the thrills, chills, and terror that were promised. It was a slow burn, and while I generally enjoy films that take their time building suspense, this one never seemed to ignite.
I had expected to be dragged into the depths of hell, experiencing a relentless and horrifying journey. Instead, the movie fell flat, with none of the horror elements landing effectively.
The comparisons to Silence of the Lambs and Se7en are grossly overstated. Longlegs isn’t in the same league as those masterpieces. It had some interesting ideas and elements, but the overall execution was lacking.
Nicolas Cage, playing the unhinged serial killer, did bring his signature flair to the role. He tried to incorporate his serial killer character with insanity and a sense of uniqueness, but even his performance couldn’t elevate the film. This definitely wasn’t his most compelling role.
Directed by Oz Perkins, Longlegs follows Maika Monroe’s character, Lee Harker, a gifted new FBI agent assigned to an unsolved serial killer case. The story promised a complex narrative, unearthing evidence of the occult and a personal connection between Harker and the killer.
It was a race against time to stop the murderer before another innocent family fell victim. However, the film’s slow pace and lack of a climactic payoff left much to be desired.
While this movie didn’t do it for me, it might still be worth a shot for die-hard horror fans. Maybe you’ll appreciate it a little more than I did.
For me, though, Longlegs was a disappointment, failing to deliver on its promises and falling short of the high bar set by its predecessors in the genre.
