February 9, 2025

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Longlegs Director Osgood Perkins On Creating 2024’s ‘Most Terrifying Horror Film’

Maika Monroe as Agent Lee Harker in Longlegs wearing a white blouse and grey trousers standing in front of a wall of paper covered in occult symbols

Picture credit: NEON

Longlegs director Osgood Perkins never set out to make the ‘scariest film of 2024', with critics dubbing the ‘pure evil', ‘disgusting', and an all-round ‘freak fest' following early screenings. Starring Nicolas Cage as the titular serial killer, the film follows FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she's assigned to a case where a killer is targeting families across a 20-year crime spree. As she delves deeper into the case uncovering its occult origins, an all-too-familiar link between Agent Harker and the killer becomes apparent dragging her further into Longlegs' warped world.

‘It's nice that people seem to be having a good time,' Perkins told FILMHOUNDS in a new . ‘I think it's assumed that my intention was to make people feel upset or scared, brutalized, nauseous, horrified, or evil or something like that. It's not where I'm coming from. That's not my intention.

‘My intention is to make something that's a good time,' he continued. ‘And I think that people are having a good time. Ultimately, I think all of these reviews are equal to “it's a good time.” It's weird to have it put to me, “Did you try to really fuck people up?” And my answer is “No, I really didn't”.'

Ahead of Longlegs' release on July 12, FILMHOUNDS spoke to Perkins about his reactions to the film's gigantic hype, working with Hollywood icon Nicolas Cage, and the sinister, nightmarish atmosphere that permeates this future classic.

Watch our video interview here:

Longlegs will be released in UK cinemas on July 12.