Longlegs director teases an "unrecognizable" Nicolas Cage as a demonic serial killer in new horror movie

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Exclusive: Director Osgood Perkins talks Nicolas Cage's Zodiac-esque serial killer

Nicolas Cage in Longlegs
(Image credit: Neon)

Longlegs director Osgood Perkins says Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable in the upcoming horror thriller – and we're ready for the non-stop nightmares.

"We derived the voice of the character, the look of the character, the attitude. What references is Nic going to use in terms of people in his life or other actors? He’s very upfront that he pulls from other people a lot. So which other person is he going to do?" Osgood Perkins tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features The Boys season 4 on the cover. "By the time he gets to the set he’s unrecognizable. He doesn’t sound like himself, he doesn’t walk like himself. So you have this element, like wind or fire, but it’s Nicolas Cage as your character."

From what we've seen so far in the unnerving trailers and cryptic marketing... we agree. Cage's killer appears on-camera for just a moment in the newest trailer, and a distorted sound plays the second he raises his hands above his head. We later hear him speak directly to Maika Monroe's Lee Harker, but not before seeing him lurk about inside Lee's house.

The film follows Lee, a talented new FBI agent who is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case. As the investigation becomes more complicated and occult evidence is uncovered, Lee realizes a personal link to the ruthless killer and must act quickly to prevent another familicide. The cast includes Alicia Witt, Blair Underwood, Lisa Chandler, Erin Boyes, Dakota Daulby, and Vanessa Walsh.

"So it’s Silence Of The Lambs but it’s also kind of Zodiac, it’s sort of Seven. There’s kind of a pattern, a cipher, the sort of things you recognize," Perkins says of the film, providing some context for the mysteriously (and cleverly) marketed movie.  "I’ll say the word Manson early on in the movie, do you know what I mean? You make it fair. But then you do your truth on the other side."

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Longlegs is set to hit US theaters on July 12. A UK release date is TBC. The above is just a snippet from our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features The Boys season 4 on the cover and is available from Wednesday, June 12. Check out what you should look for on newsstands below... 

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Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.