It’s no exaggeration to say good horror is hard to come by these days. Though the definition of terrifying is entirely subjective, sometimes studio product can tend to be tired and predictable, being bogged down more by stale jump scares and lame ideas (see: evil pool water). But once in a while, indie studios like Neon will produce horror films that do what they’re supposed to: scare the crap out of you. Such is the case with Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs.

Now, I’ve been fortunate enough to see a couple of really solid, or even great, horror films this year. In particular Abigail will likely stay on my top 10 list this year (y’all don’t understand how much I love that movie!), and A Quiet Place: Day One was incredibly thrilling. But as good as those movies are (and in fact, in many ways they are genuinely better movies than this one), they actually didn’t disturb or haunt me the way Longlegs did.

Admittedly the less you know going into Longlegs, the better the experience is. Suffice it to say though, if I need to summarize it, I’ll do so in the simplest terms. Longlegs is about a young FBI agent, played by Maika Monroe, who is sent to hunt and track down a terrifying serial killer known as “The Longlegs Killer” (Nicolas Cage). Her search leads her to some incredibly unsettling truths that are tied to the occult in some extremely creepy ways.

There’s something about this movie that’s just extremely chilling. From Nicolas Cage’s unhinged performance, to the expert precision and execution of the slow-building tension from Perkins’ outstanding direction. The latter is perhaps the most incredible asset the film has going for it. I haven’t been as stressed out watching a movie in years, and that’s because every scene in this movie builds to more and more dread. And that’s a great compliment for a movie of this caliber. His slow moving camera pans, along side his creepy lighting sets a mood that makes you shudder and wince in your seat in anticipation of what may happen next, playing with all of your expectations, then shattering those expectations completely. And all of that is set up by a brilliant opening sequence that’s just so incredibly terrifying without revealing much at all.

But that’s where the movie gets its horror from. No jump scares. It’s just brilliantly executed mood and tension, combined with some seriously troubling subject matter, and a hefty amount of shock, and minimal horror imagery. All without making the scares predictable. That said, the sparing moments where the movie does indulge in horrifying imagery, it absolutely chills you to the bone, with haunting frames that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Now, if Perkins’ direction is the all-star of this movie, additional medals need to go to the incredible performances; particularly those of Monroe, Cage, and Alicia Witt, who plays Monroe’s mother. Granted, most reviews will likely single out Cage’s incredibly unsettling portrayal of The Longlegs Killer. His mannerisms, voice, bizarre behavior, and his nightmarish appearance all add up to one of the creepiest on-screen serial killers on film. When Cage is over-the-top in other films, it can be funny at times. But I assure you, for this movie, there’s nothing comical about his performance. It’s just purely unnerving.

That being said, for as much praise as Cage will be getting, for my money, on a performance level, this is Monroe’s show. She is hands down one of the most underrated actresses working today, and her skills (as wonderful and valuable as they are in the horror genre) deserve to transcend horror, and be featured across all genres, because she’s such an incredible performer. As Agent Lee Harker, Monroe showcases a tortured individual, who has walked through her fair share of trauma with scars that are incredibly deep. Yet Monroe is able to portray her as damaged and determined at the same time. She’s a hero through and through, and without saying much, there’s always something going on beneath her eyes and in her mind, whether it’s pain or competence, all through the subtle mannerisms and expressions of Monroe. It’s, perhaps, the greatest performance of her career so far.

I also want to give a giant shout out to Witt. While, again, this is one of those movies where the less you know the better, I’ll say her performance here is incredible. She plays Agent Harker’s mother, but I cannot go into too much detail about much else. That said, suffice it to say, what Witt’s able to do in the film is incredible. Take my word for it, she more than holds her own against the likes of Cage.

The other hugely successful elements of the movie that contribute so well to the foreboding atmosphere and tension are the cinematography from Andres Arochi and the terrific score by relatively unknown composer, Zilgi. How Arochi centers each shot and captures each frame with a filter of dull, morose hues fully immerses you into, let’s face it, situations you absolutely would be terrified to find yourself in. Following Monroe’s character in a voyeuristic way, almost stalking her from scene to scene, amplifies the sense of unpredictable danger that could occur at any moment. Combined with the sinister tones of Zilgi’s dark, dreadful melodies, everything feels like it’s in a constant state of impending doom.

Now, there is something though that I will say about Longlegs that may be controversial. And it’s my biggest complaint about the film. Perkins absolutely knocks it out of the park as a director. However, he actually needs a fair amount of work as a writer. It’s not that the dialogue within the film or the characters themselves are bad. Far from it. However, I do think elements of the story aren’t fully baked.

By the end of the movie, for as unsettled as I was walking out of the theater (the sign of a truly good horror movie), I also took home with me a lot of questions. And it’s due to a lot of confusion rooted in character motivations and rationale regarding things as simple as why Cage is known as “The Longlegs Killer.” As much as I don’t want to spoil the film, it’s a disappointment that we don’t really get answers to some of these basic questions, including, really, why he does what he does. I enjoyed the movie, and was thoroughly frightened, because it is a well crafted horror movie. It’s just kind of a sloppy “movie-movie” at the same time. The more I thought about the logistics, the less sense the movie made as time went on, and that’s one of the reasons why I think movies like Abigail and A Quiet Place: Day One are ultimately better as movies, even if they aren’t as good as *horror* movies. It’s a shame. Though it absolutely did not diminish my enjoyment of the movie and the experience, it certainly confused me while also leaving me shaken.

That being said, sometimes a movie isn’t meant to be Shakespeare. If it achieves the goal it sets out to, which in this case, is to leave you completely unnerved, disarmed, and ultimately creeped out, then I would consider it a success. It’s also carried by really strong performances that elevate the characters and this world they inhabit beyond what’s on the written page of a screenplay. When you take those characters and follow them through a series of brilliantly directed, slow burn sequences of intense dismay and dread, with a terrific score and cinematography, the result is truly something alarming, and a horror film that will likely be talked about for years. It’s not perfect. But it is a profoundly unsettling, deeply creepy film that will crawl and linger in your mind for days. Definitely the most disturbing and dark horror film this year.

Overall Score: B+

Longlegs hits theaters this Friday, July 12.