Steve Newall: Flicks.co.nz editor on new horror thriller Longlegs

Supernatural horror film Longlegs is already being touted as the scariest film of 2024,

Set in 1990's-era America, a rookie FBI agent has been tasked with tracking down an elusive suspect - the Longlegs Killer.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains whether or not this is worth a watch for horror fans.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks, EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Entertainment Time. Now we're joined by Steve Neill, editor at
Flex dot co dot m ZEG.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Good morning, Good morning, little touch of t Rex there
which infuses the creepiest and most successful horror of twenty
twenty four, Long Legs, which is in cinemas now.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
It has done brilliantly it did. It had a better
opening weekend than Fly to the Moon, starring two of
the biggest stars, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
I think the time's right for a horror like this.
So Long Legs is built on the it's built on
the chassis of Silence of the Lambs. It's a story
about a young female FBI agent tracking a serial killer
and kind of look and feel it's very very similar
to that film, and by design, although the director Osgar
Perkins acknowledges if he's if he'd just made if you

(01:16):
just remade Silence of the Lambs, he would have been
put in movie jail. It's used to tell a story
of satanic themes, of horror elements that are much more
sort of supernaturally focused than a thriller would be. But
aside from what it is, I guess the reason it
has resonated so well is it's had a great marketing

(01:37):
campaign and a big part of that was withholding any
images or appearances of its star. Nicholas Cage plays the
titular long legs in this film, So.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Was that designed to be that you went and then
you were surprised he was in it, Like a lot
of people will go and would have been surprised.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
He's all over his creditor poster. But we've only seen
the true star of the film, Michaeh Monroe, somewhat something
of a scream queen. She emerged with The Great Indie
Horror It follows a while back, and is gearing up
for a sequel to that film soon. But yeah, but
they withheld Cage's appearance for a reason, and in one

(02:16):
of the great kind of horror marketing moves. I love
a good kind of cheesy horror marketing campaign. There was
a clip sent out of Michael Monroe's first encounter with
Nicholas Cage while he was in his while he was
in character and in costume. They only have one scene
together in this film, it's sort of one of those
films where the hero and the villain are kind of

(02:38):
kept apart for a long part of the running time.
But the clip they used as the marketing purported to
have a heartbeat tracker on her and measured her pulse
as she went in and encountered him for the first time. Like, clearly,
there's something up the film sleeve. You know, it's not
gonna You're not gonna be a genius to figure out
there's something about the way he looks and sounds special.

(02:59):
But what we get in in this horror is a
place for Nicholas Cage to go really ott in a
way that I guess we'll sort of come to expect
from him in films now, But it kind of works here,
and it's all the scarier for it because you're kind
of faced with the character. Who if someone could behave
like that in a very kind of realistically grounded film,

(03:19):
what are they capable of and what's the film capable of?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Horror marketing can be really clever, and I can remember
the Bleair Witch Project. You're probably too young, but you know,
marketing that is as is it real? Is it not?
As it found? Footage is it not, and they had
a media screening and a little old cinema up a
very long driveway, maybe an Avondale somewhere in Auckland. And
when we came out, we were all a bit freaked out,

(03:43):
still not sure what we'd seen. And as we were
leaving down the driveway there were all these rustles in
the bushes and things like that. I actually can't remember
to this day whether it was prane or not, but
there was just a whole group of reviewers and media
people just screaming, just running down this driveway, just absolutely
freaked out, like they just did such a good.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Job of it.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
It was brilliant, still one of the best. Ah, you're
not thinking you're not going to join me on that
one on Blue Witch. Yeah, even.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
Even as a ticket byer, you know, we weren't sure
what we were watching. Yeah, yeah, great fake out. Interesting
to see the cast of that film recently kind of going, hey,
why haven't you looked after us. We're so critical to
the success of this film. We didn't just acted that.
We kind of made your movie. Carve us off a bit.
It's made tons of money, a.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Lot of money. Can we renegotiate our deal? Hey? There
is a new Ancient Roman spectacle on Talley.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, this is those about it. This is a starring
Sir Anthony Hopkins. It's directed by disaster movie maestro Roland Emerick,
so to kind of give you a sense of this
kind of scale that they're playing with. Set in ancient
Rome at the time of the construction of the Flavian
Amphitheater aka the Coliseum, So it's sort of a time

(04:59):
where they are transitioning from chariot racing to also having
a bit more gladiatorial spectacle to distract the masses. This
is interesting kind of swords and sandals show to sit
alongside your games of your Games of Thrones or whatever,
and that it's is sort of a bit more concerned
with well, not like everyday people, but but not sort

(05:20):
of at the top tier of power so much. And
it's introduced in a way that kind of feels like
it's starting to watch a casino type film where we
get a kind of narration from this guy walking walking
into work. He's a bookie, and it kind of feels
like this is ancient Rome portrayed as Vegas for a
seconds that kind of sets but of the time, but

(05:40):
it's it's pretty it's pretty much in the in the
traditional game of thrones. Lots of sex position and intrigue
and violence and togas. So you know what, you know
what you're getting in.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
For there and where is that?

Speaker 3 (05:54):
That's on Prime video on.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Prime Video, Thank you so much, Steve. So the horror
movie you've got the legs for it is called Long
Legs the cinemas.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
Now go see this with a crowd. It plays so well.
It really creeps me out. The combination of thriller and
kind of satanic panic in this film and its performances. Yeah,
really really slow building. Dread this film.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
And if the Tigers and Sandals is your thing, the
drama is called Those About to Die and you can
catch that on Prime Thanks so much, Steve. It is
What are We on twenty seven to eleven News Talks
ITB For

Speaker 1 (06:25):
More from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen live
to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday, or
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