Summary
Audiences have been chilled to the bone byLonglegs, a horror film with 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.Longlegshas broken the record for distributor Neon byquickly becoming their highest-grossing film, beating Oscar Best Picture winnerParasite. Grossing $73 million on a $10 million budget, Oz Perkins' film features an unrecognizable Nicolas Cage as the eponymous serial killer in a brash performance that sears into the brain.
The real star ofLonglegsis rising horror icon Maika Monroe.Monroe has made a name for herself in the horror genrewith her amazing performance inIt Follows. InLonglegs,she portrays protagonist Lee Harker, a troubled FBI Agent. However, this isn’t the first time Monroe has chased down an elusive killer.
2014
95%
92%
2018
61%
27%
2019
84%
2022
88%
70%
2024
85%
10 Unmistakable Similarities Between Longlegs & The Silence of the Lambs
From FBI agents to grotesque gifts, Longlegs unveils jaw-dropping similarities to the cult classic The Silence of the Lambs throughout its runtime.
After Longlegs, Watch Maika Monroe’s 2022 Horror Movie Watcher
Monroe Was Hunted By A Serial Killer In Watcher Before Becoming The Hunter In Longlegs
Since starring inIt Follows, Maika Monroe has taken the horror genre by storm, cementing herself asa modern scream queenin films such asThe GuestandSignificant Other. In 2022, Monroe starred inWatcher, a psychological thriller that features the best aspects ofLonglegsin both atmosphere and performance. Monroe portrays Julia, an American woman who moves to Bucharest with her partner Francis, played by Karl Glusman.Julia quickly notices a figure always watching her from a neighboring window, while the city is plagued by a serial killer, known as The Spider.
Maika Monroe is set to return to horror again in the sequel toIt Follows, titledThey Follow.
LikeLonglegs,Watchermanages to drum up the scares without the usage of jump scares or blood. There is a constant sense of dread permeating through the film, as every dark space could be hiding the Spider from view.Monroe plays the lead role differently from Lee Harker, as Julia is not trained or equipped to deal with this kind of threat. Instead of fighting, Julia is constantly looking over her shoulder as she finds herself pursued by her shadowy neighbor across the city. It’s a slow build-up of tension that features some of Monroe’s best work in the genre.
Watcher
Cast
Watcher is a psychological thriller following Julia, a young actress who becomes increasingly paranoid after moving to a new city with her husband. As a serial killer terrorizes the area, Julia is unsettled by a shadowy figure watching her from a neighboring building. Released on August 03, 2025.
Watcher Deserves a Resurgence In Popularity After Longlegs' Record-Breaking Success
Watcher Went Relatively Unnoticed As It Wasn’t Widely Released In Theaters
Watcherdiffers fromLonglegsin their villains’ performances. Cage takes the opportunity to play Longlegs as elaborately and eccentrically as he can, disguising himself under heaps of garish makeup and prosthetics. Notable character actor Burn Gorman plays The Spider, instead creating an equally terrifying character in the opposite manner.Gorman is quiet and restrained, with every word he speaks piercing the eerie silence that infects the film. He’s a very ordinary-looking man, reinforcing Julia’s fear that he could be waiting around any corner. It’s a brilliant performance from Gorman that matches the sinister world crafted by director Chloe Okuno.
Watcherreceived a positive critical reception, earning a high 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.The New York Timesdescribed it as “one of this century’s most arresting tales of female anxiety,” and it was nominated for Best U.S. Picture at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and Best Independent Film at the 46th Saturn Awards. However,Watcherdid not have the same success at the box office, only grossing $3.2 million against a budget of $5 million. With the excitement thatLonglegshas brought to the genre, Maika Monroe fans should revisit this under-appreciated genre gem that matchesLonglegsfor scares and serial killer thrills.
Longlegs
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
