The upcoming filmLonglegsby director Osgood Perkins is already garnering a lot of buzz, thanks in part to the seemingly gruesome appearance of starNicolas Cage, which has been kept under wraps thus far. To further increase the hype,Neon has released a new videowhich shows Cage’s co-star,Maika Monroe, reacting to his character for the first time in a chilling bit of promotional material.
Opening with the proclamation,“The first time Maika Monroe saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs was in the following scene,”the video then cuts to a production slate hiding Cage’s appearance. It then touts that what the viewer is about to hearis Monroe’s actual heartbeat. In the pulse-pounding scene, we hear her heart rate speed up as her character of FBI agent Lee Harkergazes upon the Satanic serial killer for the first time, withNeonstating that while Monroe’s resting heart rate is usually 76 bpm,it got up to an astounding 170 bpmwhile staring at Cage. Check out the video below.
Maika Monroe Jokes That Longlegs Isn’t Scary
No stranger to the horror genre,Maika Monroe first rose to prominencethanks to her starring role in the 2014 horror flickIt Follows, and from there she’d go on to star in a number of dramatic pieces includingHot Summer Nights(2017),After Everything(2018), andI’m Not Here(2017), whilealso keeping one foot in the genrewith roles inVillains(2019), and the 2022 moviesWatchers, andSignificant Other.
WithLonglegsbeing hyped up as one of the scariest films audiences have seen in years,including by MovieWeb’s own Will Sayre, the film byOsgood Perkinsalready has an aura about it before its release to the public. However, ina recent interview with MovieWeb, Maika Monroejoked thatLonglegsisn’t scary at all, and that she had a lot of“fun”during the filming process.
“It’sreally unfortunately not scary, or maybe fortunately, actually. I think it’s fortunately.We had so much fun on this set, and I think that that’s just how I work. I love my job, I love being on set, everyone – and especially on this movie – is there becausethey love this script and want to be making something great.”
Longlegs' Director Made an A24 Horror Masterpiece Nobody Saw
With hype growing for the upcoming release of Longlegs, horror fans should check out this debut film from director Oz Perkins.
For co-star Blair Underwood, who MovieWeb alsogot the chance to catch up with recently, he says it’s both Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroethat anchor the movie, while at the same time heaping praise on Cage’s serial killer character, which he says is“unforgettable.”
“Reallyit’s Maika Monroe who acts as the anchor of the film, but those two together, and that character, you know. Somebody said once that every film is as good or as bad as its villain, and of course Longlegs is the villain, and if the villain doesn’t work, sometimes the film doesn’t work. In this one,what Nicolas Cage created in this villain is unforgettable.”
With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes thus far thanks to early previews,Longlegsis shaping up to be the sleeper hit of the summer, with some already calling it“one of the most unsettling films in years.”For his part, Nicolas Cage has gone on record saying that once people get to feast their eyes on his character,“your life is not going to be the same.”
Longlegsmakes its theatrical debut on July 26, 2025, and you can check out the trailer below.
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.
