There are little clues here and there that hint at Longlegs personality — he’s obsessed with glam rock, for instance. These tidbits enable Cage to build a character that remains deliberately enigmatic. Beyond that, Cage seems to be having a lot of fun here, especially with how excessive the character can be. Longlegs is not a quiet guy. After his initial introduction, using a childish, sing-songy voice, the character is more prone to loud outbursts. He screams, he shrieks, he giggles. And yes, it’s a bit over-the-top.

But that’s part of the fun. There are a million different ways Cage could’ve played the character, but it’s worth noting that the actor is working exactly with what he’s given. “I don’t write scripts and be like, ‘Oh, it’s kind of going to be like this. We’ll figure it out later. Nic, just make it all up. I trust you,’” Perkins told Deadline. “Everything is written, so everything that Nicolas Cage says as Longlegs is written in the script when he gets it.” Perkins clearly didn’t want something subtle for this character. The director added: “And Nic is just as pro as it gets … He’s extremely intelligent and so quick. He doesn’t miss anything. And so, it’s like using a really sharp knife to cut something. You thank your good luck that you’ve got such an unbelievable collaborator, and you just start building the thing.” 

As a character, Longlegs is meant to disturb and confound. A big theme of the movie is that the main character, FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), can’t figure out how Longlegs is doing what he’s doing: inspiring fathers to kill their entire families before dying by suicide. The mystery of Longlegs and his ways is what makes the character scary to begin with. We may laugh at how Cage handles the role, but it’s uneasy laughter. I saw the film in a sold-out theater, and I could feel the discomfort in the room as Cage screamed “MOMMY!! DADDY!!!” at the top of his lungs while driving a car at full speed. 

Scary outbursts like this are abnormal, and that abnormality is part of what makes the performance so memorable. It’s also the type of performance only Cage can deliver — can you honestly picture anyone else in this role? As Roger Ebert put it, Cage is crawling out on a limb, sawing it off and remaining suspended in air. Still, I have no doubt some will see this as little more than another meme-worthy role from Cage; something to snicker at. But I think Cage knows exactly what he’s doing here. Like Nicolas Cage, Longlegs seems to love his job, and he’s having fun doing it.