A first look at Nicolas Cage’s ‘Longlegs’ villain has fans scared

Nicolas Cage‘s appearance in Long legs terrified both costar Maika Monroe and fans.

“The first time Maika Monroe saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs was in the following scene,” reads a promo released via social media on Monday, July 8, read. The video was then cut to a clip of Cage, 60, with his face hidden behind a film marker.

“What you are about to hear is Maika’s actual heartbeat,” the video continued, as a racing heartbeat began playing in the background of the clip and Monroe, 31, took deep breaths in a dimmed hallway.

As someone on set shouted “action,” Monroe opened the door and slowly stepped through the threshold. She started to close the door behind her and stepped back as it closed.

Monroe walked forward and sat across from Cage, whose face was behind a black box.

“Maika’s resting heart rate is 76 beats per minute,” the text reads. “In this scene it reached 170 BPM.”

The clip also included a quote from Monroe, saying, “When I walked in and saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs for the first time, it was a visceral experience that I will never forget.”

A clip of Cage as Longlegs appeared on screen for a nanosecond, then the camera panned to Monroe, who jumped up from her chair in fear.

Following the teaser’s release, fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the video and Cage’s character.

“CHILLS,” one user wrote, while another added: “My heart also beats 170 beats per minute when I see Nicolas Cage.”

Directed by Oz Perkins, Long legs revolves around FBI agent (Monroe) pursuing a notorious serial killer, played by Cage. According to Monroe, Perkins wanted to keep her and Cage “completely separate” before filming so as not to spoil his appearance.

“No one showed me pictures of him,” Monroe said during an interview with IndieWire published on Tuesday, July 9. “Oz wanted it to be a complete surprise for that scene when we first interact. Imagine that. It was completely shocking and overwhelming. The first time I met him, the cameras were rolling and calling for action. I opened the door and there he was.”

Monroe called the moment they came face to face “absolutely insane.” She added: “As you know, he has completely transformed. There’s no trace of Nic in it, his voice, his mannerisms. He was very Methodical in this. So it was in character, and it’s a very disturbing character to say the least.

Long legs will be in cinemas from Friday 12 July.