Neon released a creepy teaser for Oz Perkins’ “Longlegs,” which I’ve heard positive things about. The film stars Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage. Production on the film wrapped in March 2023. Here’s the synopsis:
Lee Harker, a talented new FBI agent, has been assigned to an unsolved case of a serial killer. As the investigation becomes more complicated and occult evidence is uncovered, Harker realizes a personal link to the ruthless killer and must act quickly to prevent another family murder.
“Longlegs” is being described as a “horror-thriller.” It currently has no release date, but it’s definitely coming out in 2024. The film test screened last fall, and reactions seemed to be split into two camps: love and hate. Here’s what a reader thought of the film:
It was good. Acquired taste and all especially with the slow burn style, but it’s very unsettling and deeply steeped in the satanic panic of the ‘70s serial killer horror. There’s lots of memorable horror imagery here that’s reminiscent, at times, of similar films like Se7en, Cure, Silence of the Lambs and Zodiac. Cage is so interesting here as the titular serial killer sporting a very disturbing, and true-to-life serial killer look, and the mix of that and his eccentric screen behavior really burrowed under my skin; it’s a performance that will work for some and others might be put off by it, but it is memorable, for sure. Perkins has perfect control over every aspect here that it feels so real and inspired. I almost thought it was based on a real life case. It’s very low on jump scares, but there are two, in particular, here that are so effective and utilize visual/audio tricks I hadn’t seen before, I lept out of my seat.
Perkins is best known for his 2015 indie debut “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and 2020’s “Gretel & Hansel.” This latest film actually screened at last year’s EFM market in Berlin, where a bidding war ensued for its rights — Neon finally prevailed.
Meanwhile, Cage has been on a roll these last five years. He’s now starred in four critically-acclaimed performances, “Mandy,” “Pig,” “Dream Scenario,” and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” Cage is undertaking these very unconventional choices and, as a reader told me, “leaning into a trajectory where he gets to play with the persona he’s built and deviating from it simultaneously”.
While James L. Brooks teased last year that "we'll soon be seeing" Jack Nicholson, 89, act again, and that he was "reading scripts," that idea has now been shut down by his close friend Michael Douglas, 82.