Revealing the Horror: Terrific Transformation of Longlegs and Backstory of Villain
Nicolas Cage's most recent horror film, Longlegs, has enthralled viewers with its horrific concept and terrible villain. Director Oz Perkins has revealed the secrets behind Nicolas Cage's horrific metamorphosis and the horrific villain, Longlegs, background.
Longlegs: A Ghostly Change
Perkins approached creating the villain, Longlegs, from a different angle, using makeup to suggest the character's unsettling past instead of depending just on graphic images. This approach leaves the audience to fill in the voids with their own imagination, so generating an uncomfortable air of mystery about the character. Perkins says the imperfections of plastic surgery inspired the makeup, trying to present Longlegs as someone who has been "busted by shitty plastic surgery."
Inspired by Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue," the subdued makeup lends still another level of mystery. Perkins notes that this white makeup produces a paradox of visibility and invisibility, so hiding the character both visibly and invisibly. This duality accentuates the terrible aura of Longlegs and increases the anxiety.
Perkins notes that the intention was to produce a villain who was both horrific and realistic. Longlegs is a person who has been corrupted, a regular person who was "probably doing something else in his life before the devil tapped him on his shoulder and said, 'It's time, you're now my secretary.'" He is not just a monster. The sad background of the character gives him even more terrifying complexity.
Longlegs was who?
Perkins tells us Longlegs, Ruth, the mother of Lee Harker, was first an average person. He might have been a straightforward accountant, attorney, or teacher before the Devil started controlling him. His change into a murder-suicide catalyst is so startling and disturbing because of this normalcy.
The Horrors of Relatability
Perkins creates a really terrible effect by purposefully straying from horror to realism. Though obviously a villain, Longlegs has some human relatability. This helps him to avoid being a caricature so that his actions will have more effect on the viewers. His sad ending, in which he kills himself to advance the Devil's agenda, emphasizes the degree of his corruption and the terrible character of his slavery.
A Road for Future Horror?
With its gripping villain and eerie plot, Longlegs opens doors for next projects. The way the movie ends begs issues about the possibility of others being corrupted and Lee Harker perhaps meeting the same end. The film's eerie atmosphere and provocative ideas guarantee Longlegs will stay with viewers thinking about the nature of evil and the subtle power of manipulation.
