Neon marketing executive Christian Parks reflects on the unique promotion ofLonglegsthat led to its surprise box office success, sharing that it had an interesting connection withJaws(1975). Directed by Osgood Perkins, the horror-thriller follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she tracks an elusive serial killer played by Nicolas Cage. Marketing for the movie didn’t fully show Cage’s character, building anticipation for the film and hyping the actor’s drastic transformation. The tactic worked andLonglegsbecame a major box office hitafter hitting theaters in July.
In a recent interview withTHR, Parkes reflects on the massively successfulLonglegsmarketing campaign and, crucially, the decision to leave Cage out of it. The executive reveals thatnot showing Cage was a move inspired by Steven Spielberg’sJaws, which memorably makes the shark an even scarier villain by showing it very sparingly on-screen:
“[Neon boss Tom Quinn] has said, time and time again, that one of the reasons Jaws is the greatest film ever, one of the reasons it works so well is because you don’t see the shark. So we thought, let’s not show the shark. Let’s not show Cage. Let’s hold him back.”
The marketing campaign as a whole almost played out in a very traditional manner, Parkes reveals, including a more revealing trailer. Parkes called it “the kind of trailer you would expect if you took a very conventional, linear marketing approach.“After a strong reaction to very cryptic early ads, however, the entire campaign shiftedto one that leaned heavily into mystery and, specifically, Cage’s transformed appearance:
“The feedback from online and social was: ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but I love this. I don’t want to see anything else from this film. I’m already sold.”
This change in strategy meant touching base with Cage and revealing that he wouldn’t actually be appearing in any of the film’s marketing materials. Parkes reveals that Cage himself had a suitably funny reaction when he was pitched the idea:
“Nick started, saying‘am I right to believe that you’re going to withhold my magnificent grotesqueness until later in the campaign?”‘you’re able to see him saying it, right? And I said: ‘Actually, Nick, we don’t want to show you at all.’ He rocked back in his chair and smiled. And just like that, we knew we were good.”
What Longlegs’ Marketing Campaign Meant For The Movie
Box Office & Mixed Audience Response Explained
Longlegscryptic marketing was ultimately able to make Perkins' horror-thriller into one of the year’s biggest success stories. The film, whichcost less than $10 million to produce and then less than $10 million to market, made $22.5 million in its opening weekend, opening behindDespicable Me 4, which was in its second weekend.Longlegsreviewswere generally positive from critics, and the film went on to earn an impressive $109 million worldwide.
All 10 Known Times Longlegs Hides The Devil In The Background
In the horror film Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins hides the devil in over 15 background frames, proving that the devil truly is in the details.
The marketing, however, did seemingly work against the film somewhat in terms of actual audience response. ThoughLonglegs’Rotten Tomatoesscore from critics is a strong 86%, the audience score is a more mixed 61%. The CinemaScore was a similarly low C+.A common complaint echoed on social media is that the marketing oversold the film’s horror elementsandCage’s transformation into Longlegs, raising expectations to a level that was hard to meet.
Our Take On Longlegs Marketing Campaign
Osgood’s Film Is A Triumph
The goal of a movie’s marketing campaign is to get people to go see it, andLonglegscertainly succeeded in this respect. Though I don’t think the marketing misrepresented the end product,the movie does ultimately lean more toward being a horror-thriller than a pure horror movie, and it’s not hard to see why some audiences were disappointed.
That being said, I found plenty to enjoy withLonglegs, and the movie shows thatCage remains one of the most entertaining and unpredictable movie stars working today. Furthermore, the movie further cements Monroe as an indie horror darling after the stellarIt Follows(2014), and it paints a bright future for Osgood’s next movie, an adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Monkey. AfterLonglegs, Neon and other studios may be more willing to get creative with movie marketing, which would be a welcome change in an era where trailers seem to reveal most of the film.
Longlegs
Cast
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
