Dir. Oz Perkins | Now in Theaters | Rating: 3/5

My affinity for The Silence of the Lambs gives me quite a soft spot for crime horror and police procedural. This should’ve set me up for a good time with Longlegs. Emphasis on should’ve. Though Maika Monroe and Nic Cage knock this out of the park, the storytelling and writing of this ultimately fall short. 

Let’s start off with the positives. Oz Perkins definitely knows how to shoot a movie. Longlegs is stunning in its composition, framing, and use of color. From an active perspective, this might be my favorite performance from Maika Monroe. Lee Harker is an intriguing and well written horror heroine. It’s clear how much this film is inspired by The Silence of the Lambs franchise. Lee’s character is an obvious riff off of both leading agents from Thomas Harris’s books, Clarice Starling and Will Graham. Nic Cage delivers yet another hilariously unnerving horror icon as Longlegs, following his work as the Janitor in Willy’s Wonderland. 

The conversation around queerphobia shown in the character of Longlegs is intriguing, even if I see it as a bit of a stretch. Oz Perkins is the son of the famously closeted horror icon Anthony Perkins of Psycho. There is discourse that Longlegs and Oz’s other works include bits of his own journey grappling with how his father’s tumultuous journey as a queer person in the public eye impacted his family. 

Longlegs fumbles immensely in its storytelling.  What is a police procedural for two thirds of the film suddenly becomes paranormal in the last act, wasting the audience’s time completely with the prior narratives. The tropes used to explain the murders are trite and overused. Though this may be paying homage to other crime horror greats, the paranormal subplot that is revealed lacks originality and wit. The story feels unfinished, almost as if they couldn’t actually solve the crime while they were writing it, so they just blamed it on the supernatural. 

Without spoiling much more, I have to say Longlegs was a let down for me. The Silence of the Lambs is a hard act to follow and this film ultimately does not hold its own. I guess this is worth one watch, but not the cost of the movie ticket. 

Know Before You Watch: Features blood, death, gun violence.