Plot: What’s it about?
On occasion my wife and I go through my perpetual “to be reviewed” pile of discs and, on an even more rare occasion, we find one that we both say “Ooooh, yeah. Let’s watch that!” And so it was that we both looked at Longlegs, the latest effort from director Osgood Perkins (son of acclaimed actor, Anthony of Psycho fame). I’d not realized that Perkins directed this, but did instantly recall his work from a film I found genuinely creepy – Gretel & Hansel. Ok, I was officially intrigued. As the opening credits rolled, I was excited to see Maika Monroe, who’s been in some rather interesting films in her short career, notably It Follows (another one that scared the hell out of me) and Watcher, Blair Underwood who I hadn’t seen in a while and Nicholas Cage. Say what you will about Cage, but he is talented and his films of late have been mesmerizing to say the least. Couple that with a film that has shades of Zodiac, The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en – count me in.
Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is about as introverted as one can get. But she’s got an affinity being able to solve puzzles and puts things together. She’s an FBI agent under the guidance of her boss, Carter (Blair Underwood). They’ve been put on a case involving a serial killer who murders entire families, yet leaves no forensic evidence behind. It’s as if he wasn’t even there to actually do the killing. Harker begins to put together the clues (in a Zodiac-style), including a cipher that may or may not point to the next murder. We get a glimpse of Lee’s life, including her strained relationship with her mother, Ruth (Alicia Witt) but that takes somewhat of a backseat when we finally meet “Longlegs” (Nicholas Cage).
To say much more would mean to risk a spoiler or two and I don’t want to do that. Films like these don’t need spoilers. Of note, I was trying to figure out the timeframe that this took place in. My guess was the mid-90’s since we see former President Bill Clinton’s picture on the wall in a few scenes. Add to that the absence of cell phones or anything “high tech.” It’s a minor footnote, but that’s the way my mind works. Perhaps the scariest thing about films like this is that we know there are people out there like this. That’s what’s so unnerving (to me, at least). Just looking at the character of Longlegs or seeing some of the brutal murders that are committed made my skin crawl. And when a film can do that, it’s worth checking out.
Video: How’s it look?
Unlike Gretel and Hansel, this one is a little more straightforward. It does have multiple aspect ratios, but they’re so few and far between I’m just listing this as 2.39:1. For those that are curious, though, on occasion we get a window boxes “16mm” effect that eventually widens out to fill the majority of the screen. Having said that, this is a bleak movie. It was filmed in Vancouver (masquerading as Oregon) and we get cloudy skies – lots of them. The interiors are dull and glam and while there aren’t a lot of nighttime scones, they don’t suffer at all. Detail is, of course, top notch and that may or may not be a good thing when you see the character Nicholas Cage plays. It checks all the boxes, to be sure, but this isn’t a bright and cheery film that’ll brighten the mood!
Audio: How’s it sound?
This isn’t a soundtrack that’s going to shake the room and/or wake the neighbors. It’s dull and muted relying mostly on naturalistic sounds. Vocals are the main draw here and it helps to heighten the mood. I found I wasn’t distracted by the score or many annoying surround effects. In some films they work while here I think they’d detract from the film. That being said, the vocals are strong, lacking any distortion. I’m sure they could have gone on with a Dolby Atmos track, but the included DTS HD Master Audio mix more than serves its purpose.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio commentary – Osgood Perkins who both wrote and directed the film offers up a pretty good commentary track. He’s not the loon you might think he is and is actually quite articulate, giving some good rationale for some of the scenes, the way they were shot and so on. It’s well worth a listen.
- Interviews – Four of the film’s stars sit down and discuss their characters. Notably absent is, naturally, Nicholas Cage.
- Maika Monroe
- Osgood Perkins
- Blair Underwood
- Alicia Witt
- Featurettes – These “blink-and-you-miss-them” features run for a total of about two minutes. Uh…enjoy?
- The Clues
- The Evidence
- Dirty + Sweet
- Theatrical Trailer
- Teaser Trailer
The Bottom Line
This is one that stayed with me. It’s eerie. It’s not exactly scary (at least to me, then again I’m desensitized), but the pacing, the “slow burn” and all the other elements make it one that you’ll remember. The film, on the surface, looks good and sounds adequate while the supplements are a bit lacking. Still, this is one that should be seen, if not added to your collection.
