What Longlegs Looks Like In Real Life

"Longlegs" is a movie with some serious horror pedigree, thanks to its connection to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" via writer and director Osgood Perkins, the son of "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins. Apart from that, what we knew of "Longlegs" before it premiered was pretty sparse. However, its official trailer weaved together images of an occult serial killer mystery that seems to occupy the same head space as "Silence of the Lambs," not least because of its main character — Maika Monroe's young FBI agent Lee Harker, who's investigating the Longlegs case. 

The film premiered on July 12, so audiences can finally see for themselves whether it has legs, and indeed, if said legs are long. Looper's review on "Longlegs" found the movie overhyped and hard to take seriously, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the pale, menacing Longlegs himself cuts a memorably strange figure. In fact, the character's facial prosthetics and eerie behavior may be enough to make you forget that a famous and extremely recognizable actor is playing the character.

Yes, the man delivering the intense performance behind Longlegs' heavy prosthetics and makeup is none other than Nicolas Cage, whose Saturn Films also co-produced "Longlegs." Cage famously makes eccentric but extremely intentional choices with his roles, from playing two versions of himself in "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" to portraying the titular superhero in "Ghost Rider." He's also been known to explore the horror genre with a similarly wide net, and has appeared in projects that range from the notorious 2006 lemon "Wicker Man" to 2018's critical darling "Mandy." 

The titular character in "Longlegs" could be seen as the ultimate Nicolas Cage role. It combines the actor's affinity for horror with his characteristic intensity and his occasional penchant for altering his appearance as a role requires, which we've seen on full display in "Pig," "Renfield," and "Dream Scenario." Even if horror thrillers aren't your jam, "Longlegs" is well worth checking out if you enjoy Cage's work and want to witness him deliver on all fronts of his craft.