I will split this review up into a spoiler free section and a spoiler section. Both are labeled as such, so if you haven't seen the movie yet and plan to, please stop before the spoiler section.

SPOILER FREE:

Decided to see the midnight showing of Longlegs to give myself the best chance to love it. It's now been an hour since I left the theater and I'm listening to the score of the movie on repeat in the background while writing this review to help preserve the level of discomfort I've been feeling since the movie ended. I'll need to re-visit this review after I've collected all my thoughts, but I haven't felt this weird, lasting sense of discomfort and uneasiness from a movie since watching Hereditary.

The marketing for this movie was insanely good. The trailers and teasers didn't give much away, and their guerilla marketing was excellent. I think if you go into this movie with the expectation of it being one of the scariest movies ever to be made, you'll initially be disappointed as I was. However, my eyes were glued to the screen for the entire runtime.

After seeing the ad showing Maika Monroe's heart rate increasing dramatically after seeing Nick Cage in full makeup for the first time, I decided to check my apple watch to see mine. Throughout the entire runtime of the movie, it was steady between 58 bpm and 62 bpm. It wasn't until 12:20am -- after the movie had ended and I was walking out of the theater -- that it spiked to 101 bpm. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that, but it shows that the film had a lingering effect on me that I couldn't process while watching it.

This movie creates the perfect perilous atmosphere right from the opening. There's a constant feeling of dread, and an ominous cloud of the unknown encompasses every scene. The cinematography helps with this by using a variety of shots to build on that atmosphere. The violence is sudden and brutal, and for most of it you don't have time to prepare yourself.

Maika Monroe's character, FBI Agent Lee Harker, is sort of an enigma. She feels slightly stiff and out of sorts for the first half of the movie. It initially felt like mediocre acting, but as we learn more about her I think Monroe was fantastic. Regardless of that, her character has a few problems that had me questioning some of the broader decision making from the filmmakers.

Nick Cage is truly something else. He is unrecognizable as Longlegs, and he was given free reign to execute his over-the-top theatrics. Cage is legitimately unhinged and is a malevolent force that makes it constantly feel like the walls are closing in around you. The makeup they decided on for his character Longlegs is truly insane; inhuman, even.

Now onto the spoiler section.

SPOILERS:

There are a few issues that I have, some of which were resolved by processing it after. To start, I think the writing could've used some work. There was a lot more "telling" than "showing" and some characters felt unnatural because of that. Maika Monroe felt a little stiff in the first half of the movie, but once we learn that Lee Harker is sort of prophetic and has a history with Longlegs, it makes more sense. Something that can't be explained by that is the fact that there are several times when she runs into dangerous situations by herself and never calls for backup. Cell phones were widely popular in the 90s and an FBI agent would surely have that and a radio to call for backup. Agent Harker makes too many thoughtless decisions to be believable as an FBI agent. Maybe her decisions can be explained by her doll, but until I re-watch this movie I'm at a bit of a crossroads.

The twist completely caught me off-guard. Never in a million years would I have guessed that this would end up being a movie with supernatural elements. It fits the tone and I kinda like how the mechanics behind the dolls aren't fully explained. When Longlegs kills himself by repeatedly bashing his head into the table, I was honestly shocked. I thought for sure we'd get a Silence of the Lambs situation where Agent Harker would have to keep going back and forth with him to get more clues. Instead, the fucker just says "hail satan" and bashes his skull in. The practical gore is gruesome, and the shot of Longlegs' face without a nose is rad as hell.

Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker, Lee's mother, is also incredible. At first, I thought she was dealing with either early stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia, but there was something more evil beneath it all. Her facial expressions make her seem kind and terrifying at the same time. Blair Underwood as Agent Carter played the role of Harker’s boss beautifully. He’s caring for both her and his family and feels like a genuinely nice guy. That makes his “possession” in the end all the more horrifying. Also, shout out to Kiernan Shipka. Though she only has a small and limited role here, she does a great job and I'm glad that she's adding to her horror resume. Her monologue was delivered in such an eerie way, and you can see in her face that she’s no longer the innocent little girl that she once was.

The final act is beautifully crafted. The looming sense of dread just gets heavier and heavier as Agent Harker tries to solve the puzzle and save the day.

The camerawork is very disorienting at times. The entire first scene when they're going door-to-door is shot from below eye level with a wider lens that makes it a bit unsettling. I also really loved the foreboding shot of Agent Harker waking up in the basement where the camera flips upside down. It's such a perfect setup for the events that follow.

There's plenty more to talk about for this movie, but I'll need to spend some time collecting my thoughts before making and changes or additions to the review. I might end up watching it again just so I can tamper my expectations right from the start. Overall, they absolutely fucking nailed the atmosphere; it's perfect for this movie. Maika Monroe has definitely established herself as one of the many great young horror actresses in the industry and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for her.