One of the reasons NEON is going about promoting “Longlegs” in such a coy fashion may be because, despite the presence of Cage and Monroe (along with co-stars Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt), there isn’t a “star name” behind the camera to help promote it; Perkins has yet to become buzzed about in a similar fashion as, say, Ari Aster or Robert Eggers. Hopefully, “Longlegs” will change all that because Perkins deserves to become a household name several times over.
For one thing, he’s literally Hollywood royalty, being the son of actor Anthony Perkins (yes, Norman Bates himself). For another, he’s an actor himself, appearing in the likes of “Legally Blonde,” “Secretary,” and even Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” Most of all, his films thus far have been remarkably consistent from an auteurist point of view: “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” “I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in the House,” and “Gretel & Hansel” all sport the same eerie occult trappings and devilishly somnambulant pacing that “Longlegs” seems to employ.
Perhaps the appearance of Cage will boost Perkins’ visibility to the place it deserves to be. Once considered the type of actor who would do literally anything for money, Cage has enjoyed a renaissance of his own since 2018’s “Mandy,” re-establishing himself as a performer interested in exploring the limits of genre while taking on challenging roles in films like “Pig” and “Dream Scenario.” On Monroe’s part, she’s already well-known to horror fans, lending her talents to cult-favorite flicks like “It Follows,” “The Guest” and “Watcher.”
It’s probably a little early and a little hyperbolic to call “Longlegs” the horror event of the year, but all these pieces do seem to add up. Speaking of pieces, NEON has doubled down on extending the film’s mystery with the use of title cards written in code (puzzles that the internet has already salivated over while translating). One of those translated, occult-looking messages reads simply “JULY.” Be ready.
“Longlegs” opens in theaters July 12, 2024.
