Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel) locates horror in unholy irrationality, and Longlegs is a serial killer thriller filtered through a nightmarish mélange of personal and cinematic memories. Dreamily recalling The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Zodiac, Seven, and Psycho—the last of which starred Perkins’ father Anthony—this saga of Satanic secrets and mommy dearests pulsates, from its chilling opening to its deviant finale, with nasty, misshapen malevolence.
Firmly establishing the writer/director as a genre craftsman with few equals, it’s a thriller that grows fouler and scarier with each step toward damnation, as well as providing an unforgettable showcase for Nicolas Cage as a zealous maniac unlike any other.
(Warning: Some spoilers ahead.)
