A common trend for the past decade or two has been to proclaim at least one film every year as somehow the most terrifying ever made – it is a marketing tactic based around a small sample size, and done to stir interest and draw audiences into the cinema. Yet, very rarely do we find these films live up to such hype, primarily because we have grown desensitized to a lot of horror tropes, to the point where filmmakers are pushing themselves further than ever before, but still often yielding results that still usually tend to fall short, at least in the eyes of horror devotees. One director who has been consistent in his ability to stir a sense of unbridled terror is Osgood Perkins, who has been quietly working in independent horror for a few years, following in the footsteps of his father Anthony Perkins, who left an impressive legacy as one of the most iconic figures in the history of the genre. However, the younger Perkins has gone in his direction, and become a remarkable filmmaker in his own right, directing complex and unforgettable films that draw out qualities that are genuinely quite exciting, but also profoundly uncomfortable for several different reasons. His most recent directorial offering is Longlegs, which is also the latest entry into the aforementioned canon of annual films proclaimed as the most terrifying ever made. The difference here is that it might be true in this instance. The film tells the story of a young FBI agent tasked to track down a serial killer who goes by the name of Longlegs. She finds patterns that start as peculiar curiosities, but eventually flourish into unhinged and terrifying details that indicate there is something much deeper at play here, leading our protagonist down a horrifying path that will reveal a reality she is not prepared to encounter. Unfurnished but still distinct in both style and substance and driven by a genuine sense of unrequited terror, Longlegs is a horrifying and deeply unsettling work that once again indicates that Perkins is amongst the greatest contemporary filmmakers working in the genre, as well as one whose vision is beyond any description other than perverse, deranged and brilliant, all words that can be used to discuss this particular film, which is bound to be consolidated as one of the most effective in the history of the genre, for several different reasons.

The term “elevated horror” is far too frequently used to describe these artistically-driven, complex horror films that attempt to infuse bolder ideas into conventional premises. The term isn’t always appropriate, since it not only disparages more mainstream, traditional horror films (which undeniably have value, even if they aren’t entirely original) but also promotes a level of elitism in a genre that has rarely benefitted from such enormous divisions. Longlegs is one of the rare instances of a time when such a term can be used without it seeming like criticism against other horror films, primarily because it strives to touch on themes that we don’t often find in more conventional horror films and for good reason. Perkins is primarily a scholar of the genre, and he ensures that every film he makes serves dual purposes: it needs to pay tribute to both the original material (if it is an adaptation), as well as the history of the genre, but it also needs to be original, since audiences tend to be attracted to the promise of something more daring and unprecedented, which is why each of his four films to date are bespoke in their way, but bound together under his very distinct artistic vision. Something that he realizes (and which a few of his likeminded peers in the genre also demonstrate) is that jump scares and very obvious horror gimmicks, as enthralling as they may be, are not at all necessary, particularly because they result in a quick fright that lasts a moment or two, and this dissipates. His interest is in curating a feeling of dread that lingers long after the film has ended, and there are more interesting ways to evoke this feeling. Longlegs is a film driven almost exclusively by the atmosphere – there are a couple of moments of very brief jump scares, but they contribute to the overall feeling of despair that looms heavily over the film, almost acting as brief reprieves from the crawling sensation that begins to envelop us as the film progresses. Perkins is singularly disinterested in giving us the chance to feel even the vaguest sense of comfort – the film starts by evoking a high level of anxiety and fear, which is gradually amplified until we reach a conclusion so disquieting and harsh, that it borders on absurd – and the occasional darkly comedic interludes do very little to soften the blow, and often tend to only make the feeling of dread even more intense, making this a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling.

Undeniably, having a film like this be driven by mood is far worse than a more conventional horror film, since it gets under the viewer’s skin and forces us to be placed in a trance of sorts, where we are witness to some of the most hideous and deranged horror imaginable, which is by no means an exaggeration once we finally realize what this film is about, after which we’ve gone past the point of any return. There is some truly deranged, immoral films made under the banner of horror which are not even worth discussing, but as far as legitimate entries into the genre goes, there aren’t many directors willing to cross a certain boundary. What is so intriguing about Perkins is that he doesn’t promote himself as some enfant terrible of the genre, and he refuses to market his films as being demented as a tactic to draw audiences in. Instead, he focuses on stories that creep up on the viewer, encasing us in a sense of dread, after which he is able to introduce some concepts that would be nothing more than blatant attempts to stir discourse in the hands of just about any other filmmaker. Longlegs is a film that establishes a number of boundaries that it is more than willing to cross, albeit within reason. The subject matter of this film is centred around themes such as the occult, domestic violence and the murder of children, which are all concepts that would be dreadfully exploitative had they not been made by someone who didn’t see them as just an opportunity to cause controversy, but rather shocking concepts that he reworks into a genuinely brilliant examination of the borders we create for ourselves to preserve our sanity. This film doesn’t normalize any of its dark themes but rather indicates that this level of evil does exist within our world and that it is not only restricted to the realm of the fictional. The stark realism and essentially unfurnished directorial style (which consists of some of the most bleak and beautiful compositions in modern horror) creates a sense of authenticity, which is not always a pleasant aspect when it comes to horror, a genre most of us would prefer remains at a distance when it comes to its central ideas. Perkins renders the insidious and sinister very real throughout this film and creates a story that is beyond any logical description, proving its undeniable brilliance and outright terror.

When you have a director with a vision as deranged and unhinged as Perkins and a story that requires every performer to surrender to such ideas, it takes a very brave actor to agree to participate. A decade ago, Maika Monroe gave her breakthrough performance in It Follows, widely lauded as one of the finest works of horror produced during the current century. She’s worked consistently since but now returns to this kind of horror in the form of Longlegs, where she portrays the young agent called in for her intuition skills and ability to spot patterns, under the belief that she would be able to help them solve the case. The protagonist in such a film is usually a thankless role since it requires nothing more than reacting to the terror that surrounds the character – yet Monroe elevates the part beyond these limitations, and delivers a strong, earnest performance as this character, whose intelligence and dedication to solving this crime has a negative effect, particularly because she soon begins to realize it is far closer to her own life than she would like to imagine. However, the main attraction in this film is Nicolas Cage, who essentially helped shepherd the film to production, and who stars as the titular character. In a lengthy career in which he has taken on a range of unhinged and volatile characters, it is his performance as Longlegs that is perhaps his most unsettling. Hidden beneath layers of prosthetics that look simultaneously artificial and hyper-realistic, he is transformed into a literal monster, someone who is holding onto the last vestiges of humanity as he gradually surrenders to the darkness he has introduced into his own life, which was both the source of his livelihood and the ultimate reason for his downfall. He is beyond terrifying, and he disappears into the role more than he ever has before, convincing us that we are watching a truly malicious presence, rather than a recognizable actor. Few actors are willing to go to the lengths that Cage has shown himself to be more than enthused about, which is why his legacy as one of our greatest and most daring performers has already been consolidated into film history, this film simply being yet another entry into his late-career resurgence that has seen him tackle some of the most daring characters of his entire career.

As hyperbolic as it may sound, Perkins did not make only a terrifying film, but rather one that was outright evil from beginning to end. A film that can linger with the viewer so much that they are hesitant to return home is bound to be something remarkable, and it is the precise reason why it is easy to proclaim Longlegs as a masterpiece of modern horror. It proves that high-concept storytelling, as intriguing as it may be, is not essential – the simplest of premises can be extremely effective, granted they are executed well and there is some sense of consistency in the vision, which is something that Perkins has proven himself to be more than capable of on multiple occasions. The overarching premise is straightforward, and it’s the details in between that leave the most lingering impression and prove that this is a far more complex film than it seems in theory. Multiple layers of narrative are at play here, and the director explores several different themes that seem to be inconsequential at first, but eventually start to weave together into this harsh, unsettling portrait of the darkest recesses of the human soul, and how evil is not necessarily innate, but can also be learned, and that anyone can be a victim to the sinister forces that circle our psyche. The film does lean towards the supernatural on a few occasions, but in a manner that is much more ambigious than it would be in a more conventional horror, these elements only exist to add a sense of ambiguity to the film, particularly in how it blurs the usually well-defined boundary between fiction and reality. Dark, demented and truly deranged, but also utterly brilliant and truly unique in its vision, Longlegs is a staggering achievement, it would not be surprising in the least if this somehow managed to make its way into conversations around the greatest horror films of the contemporary era – it meets all the criteria, as well as being original and innovative in mostly unexpected ways. Perkins has made a few tremendous films over the past decade, so he is far from a neophyte, but this is likely to be his breakout, which is long overdue, and if this is the standard of horror from which he is working, his forthcoming works are bound to be just as strong, particularly if they adhere to the same artistic and philosophical principles that guided this film and made it such an enthralling and undeniably exceptional work of modern horror.