I Sent Six Non-Horror Friends to See ‘Longlegs’ (For Science)
I deliberately delayed seeing Longlegs until it was widely available in theaters. Whenever possible, I love the communal experience of seeing a terrifying movie with the people closest to me. That walk back to the car where everyone is unpacking what they thought is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It’s not often, however, that a horror movie can break through the genre zeitgeist to become something of a mainstream phenomenon. Longlegs did, however, grossing $22.4 million during its opening weekend, the best ever for distributor Neon and the biggest opening for an original 2024 horror movie. In an era of Too Much Stuff, that’s no small feat.
A lot of that credit must be given to Longlegs’ sensational marketing. From cryptic teasers to a conspicuous effort to conceal Nicolas Cages’ face, Longlegs kept everyone guessing what the hell it was even about until release. It helps, of course, that Longlegs additionally managed to deliver the goods. The hype is real. Sure, not everyone will think so, but for my money, Longlegs is unequivocally the scariest movie I’ve seen in years.
Tickets: Purchased
With that in mind, I was incredulous when my younger sister asked me to snag tickets for her and some friends to see it. She’s not strictly speaking horror averse (she was really excited for this year’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, a point of contention in our relationship). But she rarely, if ever, goes to the actual theater. We did see Late Night With the Devil together this year, but prior to that, I can’t remember the last horror movie she saw theatrically.
Part of that is likely to do with her partner and friends, none of whom are big horror fans. But they all wanted to go. And I thought that was neat. So, I used them as guinea pigs. With my reward points (seriously, whatever your local theater chain is, please sign up for their rewards program), I bought six tickets for them to all see Longlegs with the caveat that, after it ended, I wanted to know what they all thought.
Not to belabor the same point, but for as popular as horror movies are (horror isn’t back, it never left), they still regularly struggle to break through. They’re phenomena for genre fans, but the efficacy of any given horror release often remains ephemeral in the public’s collective consciousness. Longlegs is remarkable for a lot of reasons, including its ability to captivate audiences, even horror-averse ones. Everyone is talking about it and everyone wants to see it.
What’s The Longlegs Verdict?
Luckily, my sister and her friends liked it. Even loved it. My sister remarked, “Longlegs left me very unsettled. It’s bone-chilling,” later adding, “definitely the best horror movie of the summer.” With that, I’ll forgive her fervor for The Strangers.
Another friend of hers shared, “I felt clutched by the uneasiness of Agent Harker’s world within the first five minutes. From the first scene, I was immediately unsettled by the thought of Longlegs and the movie did an amazing job at keeping me surrounded by uncomfortable mystery yet still on the edge of my seat up until the very end.” I am raising a generation of burgeoning critics and I am unstoppable! No, but seriously, Longlegs’ greatest strength is maintaining enduring tension within the constraints of a standard police procedural.
What About The Jump Scares?
The most horror-averse of the bunch had me preempted with a jump scare report. She really doesn’t like jump scares. I told her there were none, but I guess I was wrong because she yelled at me for lying to her. The opening scene—destined to be a classic—and a particular photograph discovery really rattled her. Longlegs left her with “an eerie feeling,” and she would love to see a sequel.
Another friend phrased things pretty succinctly. “Movie was a fucking fever dream with Nicolas Cage jump scares.” I mean, yes. It is those things.
It’s not often a horror movie can generate that kind of cross-appeal, though it’s a strong sign for not only the genre, but theatrical screenings in general. People want to be scared. They want to talk about what scared them. And now, I want to send my sister and her friends to every upcoming horror movie this year. For science (or something).
What do you think of Longlegs? Were you surprised by anyone in your life wanting to see it? Share your own stories with me on Twitter @Chadiscollins, and if you need recommendations of what to watch next, I’ve got you covered.
Categorized:News
