Here’s the actual reason Longlegs looks so terrifying that was never mentioned in the film

Longlegs is terrifying, and there’s a reason director Osgood Perkins has kept the reveal of how Nicolas Cage looks playing the titular serial killer out of all the trailers. Even in the film, we don’t get a full look at the chilling visage of Cage as Longlegs until the film has built up the terror of it for a while – and the genius marketing team released the real life heartbeat increase Maika Monroe had when she went in to film her first scene with Cage in character as Longlegs. It lives up to the hype, but Longlegs never reveals the backstory behind the weird look of the character. The press notes however do explain why Longlegs looks so weird and the makeup artist details what Perkins was going for.

When we see Longlegs, he is a man with a white face and extremely botched plastic surgery. He has a glam rock aesthetic that’s tinged with horror, and when watching the film we learn he’s a dedicated satanist who fears nothing and every action he’s done has been in tribute to Satan so he will be rewarded in the next existence. But this botched surgery look of desperate beauty attempts was very intentional.

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Special makeup effects artist Harlowe Macfarlane has explained the creation of Longlegs face and what it all means, saying that the entire aesthetic of big hair and plastic surgery comes from a life dedicated to being forever young and manic devotion. Macfarlane explains “From the beginning, Oz [Perkins] always had this glam rock vibe in his head. His jam is really that he’s trying to make himself beautiful for the Devil. He’s in love with the Devil, and he’s trying to impress the Devil, so he’s gone through all these plastic surgery botch jobs to make himself look as pretty as he can for the Devil. Every thing he does is for this evil force that he’s trying to impress.”

Maika Monroe also explained the power of seeing the transformation of Nicolas Cage weird looks as Longlegs for the first time, and why it was so terrifying and raised her heart so much. In the film’s press notes, Maika explains “On horror sets, so many people ask if it’s scary or is it spooky. And it really isn’t! You see all the gags. You see the fake blood.

“But for the first time, I was really able to experience this genuine feeling of being very uncomfortable and nervous and scared and fearful of opening that door, of what I was going to see. […] Oz didn’t let me see any photos or anything. I knew [Cage] was sitting in the hair and makeup chair for several hours, but I had no idea! It was a pretty surreal experience that I will definitely never forget.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Longlegs director has explained how a famous real life murder inspired the film’s doll twist

• Longlegs director has debunked a wild theory about the film’s sinister name

• Longlegs is terrifying, but it’s even scarier when you learn the bleak ending’s true meaning