Why is Nicolas Cage's Villain in "Longlegs" called "Longlegs"?
Director Oz Perkins is ready to reveal why Nicolas Cage's sinister character in Longlegs has such an unusual name. Alert for spoilers! Should you not yet have seen the film, you might wish to turn back now.
Starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, Longlegs tracks Maika Monroe's FBI agent Lee Harker as she looks at several unusual murder-suicides. Harker begins exploring a satanic plot that has tormented her family from childhood. The film opened on July 12 and already doubled its budget. Excellent reviews for Longlegs most likely contributed to its box office success.
Nicolas Cage's "Longlegs" is a big deal in the film, yet his name is not explained. Perkins spoke on the name, or lack thereof, in an interview with Collider. Although the name seems to have great significance in the narrative, Perkins thought "sounded good," thus it's really just a word.
He said these:
"I'm not sure if it makes sense or not. It has little significance. I enjoy words; this is a decent one. Sounds interesting. Though it sounds sort of frightening, it also sounds rather exciting. It sounds unassuming. For me, it sounds like the 1970s. Something Robert Plant might have sung in a Zeppelin song sounds like. It possesses an old pin-up quality. It calls for a specific period, I suppose, and there's an awkwardness to it that he has, that the character has sort of an uneasy clumsiness to him. I'm not sure; it simply feels nice.
Longlegs' title is utterly meaningless.
One major concept linked with the name "Longlegs" is bugs. Longlegs—that is, insects and spiders—like the well-known Daddy Longlegs spider abound here. Having a villain called after a spider is a great concept since spiders are known to cause panic in people. Although Cage's villain has nothing to do with spiders, just hearing the name will frighten people and inspire desire to see him on TV. One wonders whether he would resemble a spider.
The eerie name made it intriguing even though Longlegs' strange and terrifying ending revealed that Cage's character lacked spider-like appearance. The story's themes had nothing bearing on the title. Partially in order to demonstrate his relationship to Harker, who met him when she was a small child, the character simply identifies as Longlegs. Perkins wanted something eerie, thus the name is just meant to be unsettling. This is a memorable name that conjures frightening ideas.
Still, there are ways to give the title an impression of relevance for the narrative. Longlegs traps Harker's mother in his web; the entire narrative revolves on the villain creating a web of murders to accomplish a sinister, secret objective. Though the metaphor makes sense, his name does not fully explain. Perkins simply wanted a name that would evoke classic horror films and make people afraid. Perkins wanted precisely the name "Longlegs".
Osgood Perkins penned and directed the horror thriller Longlegs. Investigating a serial killer cold case for FBI agent Lee Harker reveals a lot of eerie findings and the occult. Once the hints point to Harker's past, it becomes a race against time to stop still another murder.
