Nicolas Cage's new movie called "the best horror of 2024" in glowing first reactions

Nicolas Cage in Longlegs
(Image credit: Neon)

The first reactions to Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe's "nightmarish" new horror movie Longlegs are in – and it's being likened it to The Silence of the Lambs and Sinister. 

It's also being called the "best horror of 2024", which Neon will undoubtedly slap on all the posters. As they should...

Taking to Twitter recently, Collider's Perri Nemiroff said: "Already quite confident calling LONGLEGS my favorite Oz Perkins film. Those teasers sell it well. The mystery/unsolved serial killer case is wildly fascinating and HUGELY unnerving. No spoilers, of course, but where things land? I've never seen anything quite like it. I tend to get over-obsessed with story details, so was left with some questions … but, as twisted as the scenario is, I kinda love that I can't stop thinking about it?"

"Longlegs builds tension and does not let up, with a an eerie use of colors to enhance dread. Maika Monroe gives a pained performance while Nicholas Cage's maniacal acting cranks up the unrelenting discomfort," said DarkSkyLady.

"Longlegs was unlike anything I could have predicted. It's unsettling and disturbing, never giving the audience a reprieve. Maika Monroe and Nic Cage give standout performances, but Alicia Witt steals the show," tweeted Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew. "Osgood Perkins never misses, and I can promise y'all aren't ready." 

Slash Film's Bill Bria wrote: "I was so lucky to see Longlegs, and no exaggeration: it could be the best horror film of '24. Oz Perkins can really get under my skin; this is his masterpiece. Monroe gives a fabulously unique lead performance, and Cage? NIGHTMARISH. Maybe the scariest 1st 10 mins, ever."

Check out a couple more reactions below...

Written and directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat's Daughter), Longlegs follows FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe), as she's tasked with reopening an unsolved serial killer case. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she discovers links to the occult, and a disturbingly personal connection to the murderer. Will she be able to find, and stop them, before they strike again?

After Longlegs releases, Perkins is set to start working on Keeper, an upcoming genre flick starring Rossif Sutherland and She-Hulk's Tatiana Maslany. According to Deadline, it'll follow "a couple as they escape for a romantic anniversary weekend at a secluded cabin." But things take a turn when Malcolm (Sutherland) suddenly returns to the city, and his partner Liz (Maslany) finds herself at the mercy of an chilling evil that's harboring the cabin's horrifying secrets.

Longlegs arrives in US theaters on July 12. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.