Longlegs director Osgood Perkins finally disclosed the true meaning behind the film's puzzling title. The film, starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe, is perhaps the most anticipated horror movie of the year so far, and it has already broken a box office record for Neon, grossing $22.6 million on it's domestic debut.

The movie follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who, using her semi-psychic intuition, pursues the infamous satanic serial killer Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). As she comes closer to catching the killer after uncovering a few significant clues, she realizes that the killer has had a profound impact on her since childhood.

Longlegs has undoubtedly been one of Nicolas Cage's most memorable roles, but fans were perplexed as to how the director, Oz Perkins, came up with such a peculiar moniker. In an interview with Collider, the filmmaker outlined the inspiration behind the film's enigmatic title. He stated,

I don't know if it has a meaning or not. It doesn't have meaning. I like words, and it's a good word. It sounds good. It sounds sort of scary but also sort of fun. It sounds pure. It sounds like the '70s to me. It sounds like something that maybe Robert Plant would have sung in a Zeppelin song. It has an old pin-up quality to it. It invokes a certain time, I suppose, and there's an awkwardness to it that he has, that the character has sort of an uneasy clumsiness to him. I don't know; it just feels good.

In the end, it turns out that the director's fascination with eerie names is what motivated the film's title. Surprisingly, the name perfectly corresponds with Nicolas Cage's character, who can be quite menacing even when he isn't trying, as seen by his clumsy demeanor. On the other hand, it is up to the audience to build their own narrative about why Longlegs is such a disturbing name for a horror character (and film).

Longlegs Is Doing Exceptionally Well at the Box Office

Given the film's growing popularity since its theatrical debut, it's no surprise that it broke a record in Thursday previews. However, the occult horror thriller made an estimated $22.6 million in 2510 theaters over three days since its world premiere on July 12, 2024. On the other hand, much-anticipated films like Fly Me to the Moon are stalling at $10 million and are struggling to move forward despite garnering positive reviews.

It has been a long while since a movie has been marketed the way Neon have teased Longlegs. Keeping its biggest star out of sight, showing just snippets of the story, and ensuring that everyone was talking about it by the time it hit theaters, the film surpassed all expectations over its opening weekend. While the film has not quite landed with audiences in the same way as critics, the film has been able to creep out audiences with its unnerving atmosphere, which persists from beginning to end.

Longlegs is now playing in theaters.