Summary
What madeLonglegssuch a terrifying viewing experience for me was that it kept me fixated on the background of every shot in anticipation of a looming jump scare.Longlegshas been praised as the scariest movie of 2024 – it’s this year’s answer to last year’s big horror hit,Talk to Me– and it certainly lives up to that reputation. Nicolas Cage’s titular serial killer, who was hidden in all the trailers, doesn’t disappoint when he bursts onto the screen in the opening scene.
Longlegsdirector Osgood Perkins, the son ofPsycholegend Anthony Perkins, is a master of the horror genre. He maintains a taut sense of tension from the opening flashback to the climactic shootout, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire film. He entrenches a feeling that you don’t know what’s coming next, and anything could happen.Longlegsis a truly terrifying film, andPerkins’ shot composition goes a long way toward creating that uneasiness in the audience.
Focusing On The Background Of Longlegs Made It Scarier For Me
I kept waiting for a jump scare
From the lipstick-faced demon that appears behind Patrick Wilson inInsidiousto the tall entity that towers over the doorway inIt Follows, it’s become common for horror movies to hide their jump scares in the background. This tradition has trained horror audiences to keep their eye on the background in anticipation of something spooky jumping out at them. Perkins manipulates this expectation beautifully throughoutLonglegs. WhenMaika Monroe’s Lee Harkeris searching for a mysterious figure outside her home, the figure is seen entering her unguarded house in the background.
Perkins composed many of the shots inLonglegsknowing that audiences would be anticipating a background scare. After Lee returns to the house and searches for the intruder, she finds a package on her desk. While she’s inspecting the package, Perkins leaves a big space of the frame empty. Throughout that whole shot, I was just staring at the empty space in the background, waiting for the killer to pop out.Focusing on the background and trying to be on top of the jump scares makesLonglegsan even scarier experience, because you’re always on edge.
Longlegs Still Has Several Effective Jump Scares That Deliver
Osgood Perkins is a master of the jump scare
Whereas a lesser horror filmmaker would cram a jump scare into every single background shot, Perkins rarely takes advantage of the audience’s expectation of a jump scare. But that doesn’t mean every jump scare setup inLonglegsis a fake-out. From a gruesome axe murder to a decomposing corpse full of maggots to the goat-headed specter of Satan, the movie still has plenty of jump scares that catch you off-guard.
Longlegs
Cast
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.
