Review Roundup: Here’s What Everyone Is Saying About ‘Longlegs’

Longlegs, starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe, will debut in theaters on Friday, July 12. (NEON)

The Basics

Where To Watch: In Theaters (Friday, July 12)

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, Alicia Witt, Kiernan Shipka

Synopsis: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Trailer

Critics’ Chatter

“[Director Oz] Perkins understands that jump scares are but one of the pleasures of a successful horror movie (same goes for shotgun-toting figures creeping just out of focus in the background). Destabilizing audience expectations and relieving tension with unforeseen bursts of absurdity are every bit as important — both tactics he employs with expert precision. It’s a shame, then, that all these ingredients are in service of such an inadequate plot. Of course the authorities are stumped by these occult killings, since the explanation is supernatural rather than psychological. What doesn’t make sense is why they have such a hard time solving the case. Or why Longlegs exits the movie so early (but not before submitting to an unforgettable interrogation). Just don’t be surprised to see him resurface in your dreams.”

-Peter Debruge, Variety | Read The Full Review Here

“[Director Oz] Perkins has traveled down sinister roads before, in his 2015 feature debut The Blackcoat’s Daughter, in his more uneven follow-up, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and in his 2020 contribution to the subgenre of gruesomely reimagined fairy tales, Gretel & Hansel. 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 his most fully realized and relentlessly effective film to date.”

-David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter | Read The Full Review Here

“That slight empty feeling, though, only sets in after Longlegs concludes. Perkins deploys Monroe like a precision tool to amplify the creeping dread within his sparsely populated frames. Her frequently inscrutable expressions serve a dual purpose, standing in for the audience while hinting at suppressed sensations ready to spill over at any moment. Monroe, like Perkins, delivers work that’s consistently riveting but only sporadically revelatory.”

-Marshall Shaffer, SLANT Magazine | Read The Full Review Here

Timeline Talk

 

 

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