Fans Are Loving the Cryptic First Trailer for New NEON Horror “Longlegs”

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Billie Melissa | Last updated 2/5/24

A cryptic trailer offering more questions than answers has been uploaded to YouTube by indie distributor NEON.

With the title "You've got the teeth of the hydra upon you", the one-minute 24-second look at their new film Longlegs sees Maika Monroe as FBI Agent Lee Harker, who has been assigned to an unsolved serial killer case.

The ominous opening image of a young girl watching a car from a window is followed by imagery that echoes the film's dark themes.

With compositions of the occult coursing through, the mysterious vignettes take us to multiple locations, mixing up aspect ratios and never painting the full picture of what to expect.

Fans are thrilled by the first teaser.

the perfect teaser trailer doesn’t exi- https://t.co/CfAlSgMYJm
— JAMIE ARENA (@jamiekarena) February 3, 2024

A trailer that did not disappoint. https://t.co/RBTrgpoRey
— Ethan (@EthanInglis5) February 2, 2024

One time for the people in the back.

MARKET MOVIES AND TRAILERS MORE LIKE THIS. ESPECIALLY HORROR.

Cause the way this has been marketed? Instantly shot up my “must watch” list even beyond the casting and premise. https://t.co/oWXycra1M7
— “Soak Daddy” Richy Sparxxx (@doomslang_) February 2, 2024

Don’t need to know what this is about i’m already seated https://t.co/OkkboxT0Xy
— trish (@jasminesblues) February 3, 2024

My favorite thing about this trailer is that you quite literally have zero idea what’s going on or what the movie is even about this going to be like experiencing Barbarian for the first time all over again! https://t.co/5y3PHLDbA8
— Gian Michael (@gianyybbyy) February 3, 2024

Writer Kyle Buchanan also shared the trailer with a section of an interview he did with Nicolas Cage where the two spoke about Longlegs.

Nicolas Cage had interesting things to say about this movie (and the character he plays) when I interviewed him a while back https://t.co/2cEKXqpaiD pic.twitter.com/Fzw1hzptpC
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) February 2, 2024

Cage said, "I play, I almost call him like a possessed Gepetto".

If the trailer didn't leave you with enough questions, Cage's description of his character is set to have you scratching your head until the film hits theaters.

"He makes these dolls, and the dolls infiltrate families and get the families to do terrible things. It's a horror film. And he was, I think, telling a story, in some ways, about his mother, and I played Longlegs as a very androgynous character, and I'm channeling my mom." Cage said.

So, if you weren't already completely lost about what Longlegs would hold, Cage's curious answer certainly won't remedy that.

Longlegs will creep into theaters on July 12, 2024.

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: