'Longlegs' trivia and fun facts
References to a real killer
Many of the killer's encrypted messages have spelling and grammar mistakes on purpose to refer to the "Zodiac Killer," known for his coded messages with typos that made it even more difficult to decipher his message.
Descendants of the director
Writer/director Oz Perkins is descended from one of the greats of horror cinema, as he is the son of Anthony Perkins, an actor who was best known for playing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'.
Similarities with other films
The audience that was invited to preview the premiere of the film compared the images of 'Longlegs' with those of 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Cure', 'Zodiac' and 'Seven'.
Cage performance
Nicolas Cage's role as Longlegs has been applauded by the audience for being unpleasant and terrifying, managing to really get under the killer's skin.
Poem from the book 'Satan Says' by Sharon Olds
In one of the killer's encrypted messages, one of the "poems" from the book 'Satan Says' by Sharon Olds is mentioned. It tells how a girl gets locked in a box, to which Satan tells her that he can free her if she blasphemes against her family, but after obeying him, he still leaves her cornered in the box.
Tribute
Both director Oz Perkins and actor Nicolas Cage made the film as a tribute to their mothers.
Concealment of the main character
Director Oz Perkins did not want to show Nicolas Cage in either the promotional posters or the trailer (even though he plays the killer in question) so that viewers would feel the fear of discovering the character on the big screen.