Why We Need to be Careful with Films Like ‘Longlegs’

For horror fans, this July has delivered more than record-setting temperatures and belated Pride month parties. The widely anticipated release of Longlegs, the so-called “scariest movie of the decade,” has given audiences the chance to scratch an itch that hasn’t been satiated since Hereditary. Unfortunately, the Saltburn-ification* of Oz Perkins’ new film has left everyone feeling underwhelmed. Not only does modern take on The Silence of the Lambs fail to deliver a follow-you-home type of horror, but it poses a real threat to the queer and trans communities.

Much of the attention surrounding Longlegs was centered around the promise of a groundbreaking performance from Nicholas Cage who, with Longlegs, steps into the horror genre once again for the first time following Mandy (no, Renfield doesn’t count). The film’s trailers and promotional materials cleverly avoided spoiling Cage’s new look and voice, foreshadowing a grand surprise in store for theatergoers.

Yet, it was this grand reveal that left me (and other queer viewers) feeling oh-so disappointed.

It isn’t until late in the film, around the 50-minute mark, that the titular serial killer is revealed to be a long-haired, makeup-wearing, androgynous devil worshipper. Cage’s transformation leaves him unrecognizable beneath a layer of white face paint, dark lipstick, and dramatic facial prosthetics, conjuring images of “Botched” surgery patients.

This resemblance is intentional, says the film’s makeup department. It was a blend of plastic surgery and glam rock-inspired aesthetics that created Longlegs’ androgynous appearance, an aspect that both Perkins and Cage felt was essential to the character.

Unfortunately, this choice should not come as a surprise to queer movie buffs. Since at least the 1960s, horror filmmakers have exploited non-normative gender identities to create discomfort amongst mainstream audiences.

This trend should be familiar to Longlegs director Oz Perkins, whose father, Anthony Perkins, starred as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The infamous twist at the end of Psycho marked one of the first times that mainstream cinema manipulated gender expression to manufacture fear. This would happen again, more explicitly, in films like The Silence of the Lambs, Dressed to Kill, and Sleepaway Camp, to name a few. The release and audience reception of each would solidify an ideological connection between violent, psychopathic behavior and gender non-conforming bodies.

This connection is not insignificant, just as the representations of characters like Buffalo Bill and Frank-N-Furter are not benign. Because transgender and gender non-conforming communities are granted so little screen time, every minute counts. And, when major news sources continue to paint pictures of dangerous and predatory trans people, these minutes are critical.

This is precisely why audiences need films like Longlegs to do better.

The film itself is not inherently homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise problematic. But, in 2024, that’s simply not enough.

Longlegs’ androgynous, transfeminine appearance becomes indistinguishable from his terrifying, violent psychopathy. This not only makes for a scary movie, but, in reflecting and perpetuating images of dangerous trans folks, fosters a scary future for the queer community.

Creating a transphobic film might not have been Perkins’ intention. In fact, given his relationship to the queer community, I would argue that it was certainly not his plan. The character of Longlegs is, however, at home in a transphobic society. When media representations of queer and trans characters are so scarce, intentional and positive portrayals become essential. Until trans representation is all-encompassing, there is no room to bend the binary for evil characters like Longlegs.

In the meantime, there are fantastic films being created by queer and trans artists that need your support. Check out Denver Film’s CinemaQ Film Festival happening on August 8-11, stream Jane Schoebnrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, and see National Anthem in theaters now.

*“Saltburn-ification” refers to the process of talking about, praising, and referencing a film to the point where its reputation supersedes the quality of the film itself, as with Emerald Fennel’s Saltburn (2023).

Photo courtesy of Neon Rated, LLC