Summary

• Longlegs is garnering high praise as the best horror film of the year, with reviewers describing it as genuinely terrifying and disturbing.
• The film's innovative marketing campaign, using cryptic teasers, has generated significant buzz and anticipation among horror enthusiasts.
• Director Oz Perkins, known for his work on The Blackcoat's Daughter, has crafted a mesmerizing and violently evil thriller with Longlegs that lingers long after it's over, per early reactions.

Early reviews for Neon's horror thriller Longlegs are overwhelmingly positive, as reviewers suggest it could be the best horror film of the year. Due to Neon's innovative marketing campaign, the Nicolas Cage-led movie has attracted much attention in its pre-release stage. The indie studio began releasing cryptic and chilling teasers for the film in January but initially kept it secret which movie the clips were for due to listing the movie's name in code made up of occult symbols.

Early reviewers took to Twitter to share their reactions to Longlegs, with many gushing over what they describe as a genuinely terrifying film. Dread Central's Mary Beth McAndrew classified the movie as a "contemporary Silence of the Lambs" while confirming it's the "real deal" in horror.

Bill Bria from SlashFilm suggested the film could be the "best horror film of '24" while praising Cage's and Maika Monroe's performances.

SlashFilm and Bloody Disgusting's Matt Donato described Longlegs as "violently evil" and the kind of horror film one doesn't shake easily.

Nightmarish Conjurings founder Shannon McGrew heralded Alicia Witt as the show-stealer while marveling at the movie's "unsettling and disturbing" nature.

Fangoria's Dolores Quintana also hailed the film as one of the best of '24 and praised director Oz Perkins's work.

Collider's Perri Nemiroff confirmed that the teasers sell the film well and revealed she'd never seen anything quite like Longlegs.

All reviews gave unanimous praise to the film for its directing, performances, and appealing horror elements.

Could Longlegs Be the Best Horror Film of the Year?

Calling Longlegs the best horror film of the year is a bold claim, as 2024 has been and will continue to be a big year for horror. So far, Immaculate and The First Omen have garnered high praise for tackling women's reproductive rights in chilling religious horror stories. Abigail secured high Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences alike for its fun and unique spin on the typical vampire horror story. Late Night with the Devil has also been labeled one of the year's best horror films, while another Cage horror movie, Arcadian, has also done well.

Meanwhile, there are also a number of horror films on the 2024 horizon with high potential. Longlegs is just one of two horror films Neon is gearing up to release, as it also has Cuckoo arriving on August 9. The Hunter Schafer-led film also enjoyed its world premiere recently and has received relatively positive reviews for its chaotic and mind-boggling story. While The Strangers: Chapter 1, A Quiet Place: Day One, Watchers, and Trap haven't had any reactions surface yet, these upcoming films still could prove to be surprise horror hits.

Needless to say, Longlegs has quite a bit of competition in the horror realm. However, considering the number of strong horror films already released this year, the label of best horror film of 2024 so far isn't easy to dismiss. Additionally, Perkins has garnered attention in the horror genre before with his horror debut, The Blackcoat's Daughter, which many felt went unfairly under the radar. If Longlegs is as chilling and dark as its cryptic teasers painted it to be, it is very possible that the reviews aren't exaggerating their praise for the new horror movie.

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