Summary Longlegs is a spellbinding horror thriller with Nicolas Cage stealing the show as the terrifying titular villain. Director Osgood Perkins discussed Cage's performance and approach to acting on the film, which he says didn't go so far as being 'method' but was isolated and focused. Maika Monroe and Oz Perkins share insights on filming Longlegs and how they were able to keep it light on set (hint: Perkins has a dark sense of humor).
MovieWeb spoke with filmmaker Osgood Perkins leading up to the release of his critically acclaimed new film Longlegs, a spellbinding horror thriller about the FBI's hunt for a cold-case serial killer after families keep turning up dead in the exact same fashion again and again -- and again. Leave it to the son of Anthony Perkins, the star of Alfred Hitchcock's arguably scariest movie (Psycho), to write and direct arguably the scariest movie of this year.Longlegs features a wondrous, commanding turn by Maika Monroe (It Follows) and a reliably solid supporting performance by Blair Underwood (Origin), but it is the iconic Nicolas Cage who inevitably steals the show as the titular villain who oozes terror with every move and nuance. Academy voters, take note!
"It's gratifying that we were able to sort of find a new mode for him," Perkins told MovieWeb. "He's not a method actor. He's a focused actor, and he's very, very finely tuned. And he knows what he wants to be doing -- he's not guessing at things by the time it gets to camera. He knows where his mark is. He knows he's Nicolas Cage, so like, he's damn good at all of it." Perkins added:
In between takes, he talks to me as Nicolas Cage. He doesn't talk to anybody else, but that's just a focus thing. That's not a method thing... That's just, he has a job to do, and he wants to do his job. And he's an extremely reasonable, extremely generous, really thorough guy.
Related Longlegs Review: Nothing Scarier Will Descend Upon Us This Year, and It's More Than Just Nic Cage
A never-better Maika Monroe and Kiernan Shipka heighten Osgood Perkins' stunning thriller to unheard-of satanic levels.
Watch Our Longlegs Interview with Osgood Perkins & Maika Monroe Below: Shooting Longlegs Wasn't as Terrifying: 'We Had a Blast' Longlegs R HorrorThriller 4.5/5
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
Release Date July 12, 2024 Director Oz Perkins Cast Nicolas Cage , Alicia Witt , Maika Monroe , Blair Underwood Runtime 1hr 41min Writers Oz Perkins Studio Automatik Entertainment, C2 Motion Picture Group, Neon Expand
Longlegs easily holds up as one of the year's best films, though its supremely dark nature left us wondering if the cast and crew were able to keep the mood light in between takes. This could've been a truly soul-sucking, draining production if not, considering the film's content. Monroe was paired with Perkins for our interview and couldn't stop chuckling at Perkins' infectious humor during our chat, effectively illustrating that it was perhaps no sweat for them to enjoy themselves while shooting this story tied to satanism, murder sprees, and more.
"I'm laughing in between takes constantly. It's just funny to me," Perkins joked to us, while Monroe tried very hard not to laugh. "And [Monroe's] character of Lee is just very, very, very funny to me. So it doesn't stay creepy for a while."
Monroe continued off Perkins, on a more serious note, "We had so much fun on this set. And I think that that's just that's how I work. That's why I love my job. I love being on set. Everyone, and especially on this movie... loves the script and wants to be making something great. So we had a blast."
From Neon, Longlegs will be released in theaters on Friday. You can watch the trailer below:
