Gripping, intense, mysterious and relentless, “Longlegs” hits almost every must-have in a slow-burn horror film — emphasis on almost.

“Longlegs” came into the public eye through cryptic marketing, featuring Zodiac Killer-style symbols in a cypher message. The overall marketing of the film was mysterious and subtle, very much fitting the tone of the film and the primary antagonist serial killer, Longlegs.

Marketing for the movie itself was innovative and mysterious, which gathered a wide range of film fanatics and horror film aficionados alike. Billboards had cryptic messages and vague movie trailers that added to the allure of the movie. Although the marketing was very successful, it created a slight misconception that the story is about catching an elusive serial killer, which is not entirely the case.

Set in Oregon during the ’90s, the story centers on protagonist Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), an FBI agent assigned the task of reopening a cold serial killer case involving a disturbed individual named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) in hopes of uncovering more information surrounding these gruesome and mysterious deaths.

Throughout the movie, the viewer is provided clues to Longlegs’ hidden motives behind the serial killings, which through the revelation of clues and victims becomes much darker, disturbing and haunting.

“Longlegs” is scary but not in the traditional sense. The film evokes immense unease and provides a spine-chilling aura from start to finish. This feeling makes the greatest highlights of “Longlegs,” and it never lets up.

The opening of the movie grips the viewer and doesn’t let go, easily serving as one of the most intriguing first acts exhibited in recent cinema. The story is primarily a horror mystery, and the tone, setting and atmosphere within the first 30 minutes perfectly establish that.

The second act was also good, advancing the solution of the “Longlegs” mystery, showing Lee going to great lengths in order to catch the serial killer. This section of the film builds upon the looming mystery.

The third act, regrettably, isn’t nearly as good as the first or second, the reason being that the twist and remaining plot lay all the information on the audience, making them feel overwhelmed and leaving them scratching their heads.

For those who saw the twist coming, they are left with a long monologue describing what happened before the ending as well as what’s to come.

Although the end felt abrupt, it does not detract from the overall movie. Many aspects of this film outshine the next amazingly so.

The acting and makeup design in the movie were great. Monroe’s performance was excellent, showing a truly disturbed and obsessed FBI agent trying to find answers to the serial murders.

There are instances in the movie, however, in which Lee’s judgement doesn’t make sense. There are a few moments in the film when viewers will scratch their heads, asking why Lee didn’t let other agents know about Longlegs’ cryptic letters she discovers or why she didn’t close down an area as an active crime scene after she knew Longlegs was in that location.

Although those complaints primarily come from the writing, her portrayal of the character paired with these events makes Lee seem somewhat incompetent at her job, which may leave the viewer questioning if she is truly capable of catching Longlegs.

Cage’s performance of Longlegs was great as well, delivering an eerie and unhinged antagonist with just enough mystery to where viewers are unable to figure out his true motives until they come to light.

The F/X makeup for Longlegs makes Cage appear almost entirely unrecognizable, which allows him to completely immerse himself in the unpredictable nature of his character.

The cinematography of the film was nothing short of excellent. The composition of each shot established a palpable dread and a sense of unknowing of what’s to come around the very next corner.

There were many instances in the film that had a clear focus on doorways and windows, which were used to establish a keen sense of anticipation but also to hide some symbolism.

Plenty of instances occurred with Lee in unpredictable situations where she moved out of view from the camera, and instead of following Lee, the camera would hold a beat on the door for a few moments, leaving the viewer anticipating not only what could come through the door but also what could be happening to the protagonist.

Another highlight of the film was the soundtrack.

In many instances throughout the movie, the soundtrack becomes a character itself, orchestrating not only the thematic direction of the movie but also striking fear and curiosity in the viewer with each original song containing shrieking strings or droning ambience.

The sound design is equally incredible and serves as a vital vehicle to keep the atmosphere tense and dark. Slight knocks in the background, creaking floorboards and whispers quickly become a new source of fear in the movie. Each sound produced during a scene will undoubtedly have viewers asking themselves if it was just a background noise or if something malevolent is actually there.

Although these aspects of the film were brilliant, there is a glaring problem with the end.

“Longlegs” ended much more quickly than it should have. With the establishment of the film being a slow-burn horror mystery early on, a run time of an hour and 41 minutes simply isn’t enough.

It would have benefited the movie greatly to have at least another 30 minutes. This could have fleshed out the ending quite a bit more while also spacing out the clues, investigation scenes and the sudden ending.

Regardless of when the movie ends, “Longlegs” makes up for it in plenty of other instances, especially the dread struck into viewers within the first 15 minutes of the film.

“Longlegs” isn’t perfect, but it is well worth the watch. If you are looking for a serial killer mystery with incredibly dark, horrific undertones and a terrifying atmosphere, “Longlegs” nails it.

 Reach Christian Arndt at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.