The art of sound in horror: A deep dive into “Longlegs”
When it comes to horror films, the visual elements often take center stage. However, in Osgood Perkins’ latest thriller, “Longlegs,” the sound design plays an equally crucial role in creating an atmosphere of dread and suspense. The film, starring Maika Monroe as FBI agent Lee Harker and Nicolas Cage as the enigmatic killer known as Longlegs, uses sound in innovative ways to immerse the audience in its chilling narrative.
The rock ‘n’ roll vibe: A unique approach to sound design
Eugenio Battaglia, the sound designer and editor for “Longlegs,” was tasked with creating an audio landscape that would complement the film’s 70s rock ‘n’ roll vibe and its Satanic themes. Battaglia recalls his initial conversation with Perkins, where the director expressed his desire for the sound to feel like “rock ‘n’ roll.”
“Given the ’70s rock ‘n’ roll vibe he wanted and because of the Satanic aspect of the film, I thought it would be pretty neat to do some sort of subliminal message profile to the sound,” Battaglia explains. “[Os] wanted it to feel like something was being projected into our minds because that’s basically what’s happening to the main character.”
To achieve this, Battaglia employed a 360 ambisonic microphone, typically used in ASMR audio and video, to create a blend of hypnotic and horrific sounds. He even included subliminal messages, such as “Give us a good review on Rotten Tomatoes!” and reversed them, adding an eerie layer to the film’s audio.
Creating a character through sound
In “Longlegs,” sound becomes its own character, fluctuating in intensity to mirror the protagonist’s experiences. Battaglia aimed to keep the background noise low while amplifying other sounds, such as footsteps and ambient music, to heighten the sense of anticipation.
“I wanted to keep the backgrounds pretty low, but the rest of the sounds loud, so you could hear every footstep around her or the music that the neighbors are playing or things like that,” Battaglia says. “I feel like having that relaxing tone just kind of gives you a sense of anticipation of ‘Oh, something’s about to happen.’ Then we’d take it for a little bit too long, people drop their guard, and then you hit them with a high-pitched sound and it just completely catches you off guard.”
The heartbeat of the film
One of the most distinctive elements of the sound design in “Longlegs” is the heartbeat sound that recurs throughout the film. Battaglia recorded himself going up and down stairs and layered these sounds with heavy hits, reversing them to create a heartbeat effect that aligns with the film’s raw, rock record aesthetic.
“I just basically recorded myself going up and down stairs,” Battaglia says. “Then I just layered that with heavy hits, reversed it and did a bunch of stuff. I kind of wanted it to sound like a 70s raw, rock record, full of whispers and little experimental things.”
The power of whispers
Whispers play a significant role in the film’s sound design, adding to the sense of unease and subliminal messaging. In the opening scene, where Longlegs visits a young Lee, the sound starts off quiet, with only the sound of her footsteps and jacket. However, once Longlegs whispers his signature “cuckoo,” the atmosphere shifts dramatically.
“The score just gets so tremendously dreadful, and the visuals are so crazy,” Battaglia says. “There wasn’t much technique there other than kind of dropping everything and putting super quiet whispers, which also goes with the vibe of subliminal stuff. Thinking that you heard something just puts you in a vulnerable trance.”
The inhuman pitch
In several scenes, Longlegs’ voice takes on an almost inhuman quality, achieved through the use of an electric guitar. Battaglia explains that he pitched the guitar to match Nicolas Cage’s voice, creating a demonic, possessed sound.
“I thought it would be cool if he had this demonic help to get to a different level of pitch,” Battaglia says. “I basically just slapped a guitar in there and pitched it to the exact same pitches as [Nicolas Cage’s] voice. It was a super easy trick, but it doesn’t sound like a guitar at the end. It just sounds like him getting totally possessed.”
The climactic reveal
As the film progresses, Lee discovers that Longlegs had an accomplice all along: her own mother, Ruth, played by Alicia Witt. Ruth would dress up as a nun and deliver possessed dolls to families, who would then fall into a murderous trance. The dolls contained orbs infused with Satanic whispers from Longlegs.
In the climactic scene where Lee confronts her mother, Battaglia used sound to build tension, amplifying footsteps and creaks to heighten the sense of anxiety.
“I just put that heartbeat of me going up and down the stairs and whispers throughout that, to show that she was getting close to finding out where this thing was coming from,” Battaglia says. “I drew a lot of inspiration from ‘Lord of the Rings,’ because when the Eye of Sauron would call to someone, there was a lot of super cool whispery stuff that made it feel like there was a spell being put on you.”
A reflective closure
The sound design in “Longlegs” is a testament to the power of audio in storytelling. By creating a unique auditory experience, Battaglia and Perkins have crafted a film that not only terrifies but also immerses the audience in its world. As viewers, we are left to ponder the subtle ways in which sound can manipulate our emotions and perceptions, making us question what we hear and what we believe.