Based on the insanely great critical response and bigger than expected turnout at the box office, it’s fairly safe to assume that many of you fine Fango readers out there have already seen director Oz Perkins’ Longlegs, or have plans to do so in the near future. The film leaves viewers with much to discuss, from an all-timer Nicolas Cage performance to that wild ending. But there are also quite a few hidden details we’ll be picking apart for years to come. As one example, Perkins hid the Devil in 15 different shots in the film. NEON has now released a new trailer highlighting just a few of those appearances you might have missed.
The teaser is admittedly brief but, much like the rest of the marketing for Longlegs, incredibly effective. It doesn’t spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it yet, but it adds another layer for those who have. It’s easy to see how viewers might have missed some of these appearances of the Devil in the background of these shots, as the main action on screen is often what is pulling focus. But the whole idea that evil is – quite literally – always lurking in the background even when we can’t see it is impactfully chilling.
Maika Monroe (It Follows) stars alongside Cage in Longlegs. In the film, “In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.” The cast also includes the likes of Blair Underwood (Bad Hair), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Carmel Amit (Ghost Wars) and Alicia Witt (Urban Legend).
“I haven’t really done a horror film like this. To take elements of different films, which Oz is very open about. Silence of the Lambs, of course, and a number of films. He wanted to bring certain elements of that and put it all together to create something original,” Witt recently told Fango about Perkins’ vision for Longlegs.
NEON has found itself at the center of a runaway success here. The movie has already become the distributor’s second-biggest film ever at the box office, trailing only Parasite, which it will pass in the coming days/weeks. That’s great news for both the studio and Perkins, as they’ve already announced a February 2025 release date for his Stephen King adaptation The Monkey. One imagines they’ll seek to parlay this movie’s success into that venture as well.
Longlegs is in theaters now. For more, be sure to check out our interview with Oz Perkins and Maika Monroe all about the film.
