"Longlegs" features Nicolas Cage in one of his most unsettling roles to date, serving as a perfect example of what makes a horror villain memorable. The kind that makes you uneasy, not because of what he does, but because of his mere presence.
If you haven’t heard of it, "Longlegs" is one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2024, not only because it stars Nicolas Cage but also due to an incredible marketing campaign. The film, directed by Osgood Perkins, follows an FBI agent unraveling a series of clues to stop a serial killer known as Longlegs. It is beautifully shot; its cinematography is on point, as is the production design, pace, and soundtrack. But we’re here to talk about Longlegs, the character—the doll-making, intriguingly haunting villain. Without delving into spoilers, let's explore three techniques used by the director to ensure Cage's appearance in the movie is unforgettable.
OBSCURED PRESENCE
One of the film's most effective strategies was its marketing campaign. It didn’t reveal much, reminiscent of some internet horror mysteries or movies like "Skinamarink", and maintained a very eerie vibe throughout. This approach felt fresh in an era where trailers often feel formulaic.
Similarly, the way Cage's character was marketed enhanced the mystery and terror. Throughout the promotional campaign, Longlegs was not shown. We only knew it was portrayed by Cage, thanks to the credits, or we could hear him. Even in the final trailer, we couldn’t clearly see what he looked like. But one thing was certain: it instantly made you uncomfortable.
This technique carried over into the film, where Cage’s presence throughout the beginning of the movie is obscured, keeping viewers on edge… until we can finally clearly see him and wonder: what is that? Why? How? All while appreciating his performance. We must say, we were not disappointed. And that, for us, was the most difficult thing to achieve: to live up to the expectations you’ve built up for a character or movie.
“What you don't see is generally scarier than what you do see”, Steven Spielberg on Filming Jaws.
Avoiding showing your antagonist, monster or villain is a very successful technique, used in many many creature features, such as "Alien", "Jaws" and even "Jurassic Park". It’s also commonly used in investigation thriller movies, which "Longlegs" initially pretends and markets to be (and don’t get us wrong, we liked the movie, but it quickly strays away from that genre. Expecting an investigation, we felt a tiny bit let down, but that’s for another article).
For example, in "Se7en", you only get bits and glimpses of the killer, but you never know what he looks like until the very end. What you know is what he can do, making him a monster in the viewer's mind. The same happened when the antagonist of "8MM" (also with Nicolas Cage) was revealed. In those movies, they created a monster in your head, only to reveal someone, well... “normal”. Which is very true to real life—a neighbor-next-door, John Gacy-esque kind of vibe.
However, in Longlegs' case, he's anything but normal. He’s weird, strange and uncomfortable, making people long to see the movie.
THE UNCANNY APPEARANCE
Cage’s physical transformation for the role is a masterclass in utilizing the uncanny valley to evoke fear. Instead of relying on tropey elements for villains, such as facial scars, the creators went in another direction: plastic surgery—extensive, botched plastic surgery. Today, this feels particularly frightening. With the rise of the "Instagram-face" and celebrities looking drastically different from their younger selves, plastic surgery has reached new levels (if you don’t know what I mean, here’s a viral video on TikTok). For Longlegs, it only added depth to the character.
And that’s where it was successful, because villains often symbolize deeper societal fears, and Longlegs is no different. His altered face and bizarre behavior could represent anxieties about identity and the lengths to which people go to physically change themselves to make someone else like them.
“He’s gone through all these plastic surgery botch jobs to make himself look as pretty as he can for [spoiler]”, says special effects makeup artist Harlow MacFarlane.
Additionally, Cage’s character wears a white, pale makeup with kind of soft strawberry lips, giving him this ghostly near-to-death appearance (is he even alive?). The character is also dressed entirely in white, which is interesting because this shade is normally attributed to purity and sanctity—it's an eminently positive color. This creates a nice juxtaposition, making his presence all the more unsettling.
EERIE BEHAVIOR AND SPEECH
A villain's behavior and speech can often be more horrifying than their actions. In "Longlegs", these elements play a crucial role in creating the character. As with any other Cage movie, you go to see what he has to offer. Is it crazed Cage? Depressed Cage? But no, he’s something else entirely—something we have never seen him do before, and he does it beautifully (yes, we’ve liked him since the '90s!). It turns out this character is personal to Cage, as he drew from childhood memories of his mother, who lived with schizophrenia and severe depression, according to CBR.
“She would talk in terms that were kind of poetry. I didn't know how else to describe it. I tried to put that in the Longlegs character because he's really a tragic entity,” said Cage.
Cage also explained to Entertainment Weekly that he sees Longlegs "as neither male nor female". He was influenced by the hermaphrodite character in Fellini's Juliet and the Spirits, emulating their "bizarre vocal shrieks and whatnot". With these inspirations, Cage created a character with mannerisms that are both erratic and deliberate, creating a sense of unpredictability. For us, he’s like a Willy Wonka from Hell (as if Wonka wasn’t scary enough already) mixed with The Joker, with his nice suit and almost whimsy appearance.
In conclusion, Longlegs (the character) is a testament to the multifaceted nature of creating a scary villain. By combining an uncanny appearance, unsettling behavior and the strategic decision to obscure his presence, the character becomes a haunting figure that lingers in the minds of the audience long after the movie ends.