Long legs has not yet been released in theaters—July 12th is the big day-but creative and scary marketing alone is sufficient for give a person nightmares. Neon’s latest trick in their big book of scare tactics is to release an audio recording depicting Maika Monroe’s actual heartbeat from the first time she saw Nicolas Cage in character as the titular serial killer.
Of course, it’s a big moment, as Monroe’s FBI agent character is finally able to confront his long-sought prey, and probably some of the palpitations are due to the pressure the actor felt at the thought of committing to such a tense and pivotal scene opposite an Oscar winner. But one must also assume that part of it is because he is terribly off-putting. Watch the video here, which pastes a black frame over Cage’s face to avoid spoilers.
The first time Maika Monroe saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs, her heart rate hit 170 bpm.
LONGLEGS is released in theaters on Friday: https://t.co/3tgjmFAPLc pic.twitter.com/DaweYaDgxM
— ↃL⊥\Ↄ—\ᘰ (@LonglegsFilm) July 8, 2024
As writer-director Osgood Perkins explains in an interview with io9he actually had no influence on Long legs” marketing campaign, though he was very pleased with how it captured the eerie spirit of his film. He also spoke about the fact that Monroe and Cage actually only share one scene together – the scene you see excerpted above – in a sequence that maximizes the contrast not only between their characters, but also their acting styles. She’s more reserved and inward; he’s fine, he’s Nic Cage“I was aware that I had two very opposing energies, which were counterbalancing each other,” Perkins said. “Luckily, I was able to separate them narratively… and then when they connect, it’s a very charged moment. And so their opposing charges work even better.”
Apparently, Monroe had a very physical reaction to Cage’s appearance. And if an experienced actor was so shocked by him, imagine what the movie audience will feel! You can push the limits of your own circulatory system, and perhaps even your ability to not pee your pants in terror, when you find yourself in a movie theater. Long legs arrives this Friday, July 12.
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