Nicolas Cage’s Stunning Transformation in Horror Film ‘Longlegs’

Nicolas Cage stars in the horror movie Longlegs, portraying a satanic serial killer. Key special effects makeup artist Felix Fox, makeup artist Madelaine Hermans, and hairstylist Kristin Chaar spent 2½ hours each day transforming Cage for the role.

Fox noted that they developed four design concepts before deciding on a more extreme look. The final character design references Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera and transitions the character’s appearance from the 1970s to the 1990s. Cage has two looks: one for the ‘70s and another featuring beauty makeup with blue eyeshadow.

Musicians inspired the character’s design. Fox mentioned that writer and director Oz Perkins drew inspiration from Bob Dylan in the Rolling Thunder Revue and Marc Bolan from T. Rex. Geisha makeup rituals also influenced their design choices.

Chaar, who crafted the Longlegs wig with Vancouver wig maker Stacey Butterworth, also styled hair for Ruth Harker, played by Alicia Witt. Witt’s appearance aged her character for the 1990s scenes using a specially designed 24-inch wig. Chaar drew inspiration from Kitty from That 70’s Show for the ‘70s look.

Hermans applied aging makeup to Witt, aiming for a lifeless appearance, as if the character’s vitality has been drained by Longlegs. They used a lot of powder to achieve this effect.

For Lee Harker, played by Maika Monroe, Hermans used minimal makeup. Monroe’s strong natural appearance required little enhancement. The focus was on skincare with light coverage, allowing some darker tones under her eyes to show.

Longlegs is now available on VOD, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD from Neon.