Which real-life true crime(s) is Longlegs based on?

If Longlegs is as creepy as its trailer, it may prove to be one of summer 2024’s creepiest movie offerings. According to Neon, “In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.”

Emphasis on the word “terrifying,” particularly when it comes to images in the trailer. Some of them are downright chilling! But also perplexing. Is that really Nicolas Cage as the villain? Whoa! I don’t think we’ve ever seen him look so scary. (If I’m mistaken, leave a comment.)

After watching the trailer for Longlegs, I instantly wondered what real-life true crime(s) and/or serial killers may have inspired it. Was it based on any?

The Hitchcock Connection

So far, neither Cage nor the movie’s writer/director Osgood “Oz” Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, The Blackcoat’s Daughter) has indicated if any real-life true crimes inspired Longlegs or inspired Cage’s character.

However, in a post about the movie, Showbiz Cheat Sheet referenced a 2020 Polygon article in which Osgood spoke about the movie’s inspiration. Apparently, it’s meant to be “a throwback to an old Hollywood icon,” one he has a connection with: Alfred Hitchcock. Oz Perkins is the son of Anthony Perkins, who starred as Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Oz Perkins would like to see a resurgence of the Hitchcockian thriller (ditto), which “had a moment in the ’90s, a brief resurgence, but it’s spent most of the past two decades in sh***** stature.” (Agreed.)

True Crimes That May Have Inspired Longlegs

However, as I watched the trailer for Longlegs, shades of The Shining, not Hitchcock, came to mind. So did real-life serial killers. Which, speaking of Psycho, it was inspired by one, Ed Gein. Maybe Osgood was influenced similarly but just hasn’t revealed it yet.

I couldn’t help but think of the Zodiac Killer, thanks to the symbols the fictional Longlegs leaves in the letters with his victims. Except the Zodiac Killer sent his letters to newspapers. So did Dennis Rader (“The BTK Killer”).

David Berkowitz (“The Son of Sam”) and Keith Jesperson (“The Happy Face Killer”) both did sort of a combo leave a letter at the crime scene/contact the papers sort of thing. In Berkowitz’s case, police found a letter at one of his crime scenes in which he proclaimed, “I am the Son of Sam.” Jersperson initially left a confession on a bathroom wall where he killed his first victim, along with a smiley face. But then when others were blamed for his crime, he sent letters to The Oregonian in a cry for attention.

Richard Ramirez (“The Night Stalker”) and the as-yet-unidentified killer(s) perhaps responsible for the Smiley Face Killings didn’t leave letters but did leave drawings. In Ramirez’s case, it was satanic pentagrams. Smiley face graffiti was found at the scenes of drowning victims. Specifically, college-aged men who left parties or bars inebriated. Some of the drownings were ruled accidental, but others appear to involve foul play.

I’m not sure if any of these inspired Longlegs, but if you’re a fan of movies like Silence of the Lambs, Seven, or Zodiac, this might be a movie right up your dark alley. It releases on July 12.

Check-In

Did any horror movie(s) and/or real-life serial killer(s) come to mind when you watched the Longlegs trailer?

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.