Budget horror movie earns $22 million at the box office all by hiding its A-list star

A budget horror movie has impressed at the box office by raking in $22 million while hiding the A-lister at the center of it.

'Fantastic', 'unsettling', 'petrifying' - these are just some of the words used to describe the new horror movie from director Oz Perkins, which arrived in theaters on 12 July.

Maika Monroe plays an FBI agent in the movie. (Neon)

The cast includes the likes of Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt, but there's another big star in the movie - you might just struggle to spot them.

Monroe plays FBI agent Lee Harker in the movie as she pursues a serial killer by uncovering a series of occult clues.

She's determined to end his killing spree, but the challenge ahead of her isn't an easy one and results in a movie that's 'scary in ways horror hasn’t been scary in years', according to Twitter user Slasher Reviews.

Titled Longlegs, the movie's titular serial killer has shoulder length grey, straggly hair and a pale face, making the actor behind him completely unrecognizable.

It's this anonymity that has helped captivate viewers, with Witt admitting to the Metro that we 'need a new word to describe what he looks like'.

The actor in question is none other than Nicolas Cage, although Monroe stressed that at times it was easy to forget the actor was actually on set with them.

"Beyond the prosthetics, he transforms his voice, his mannerisms – everything," Monroe said. "[...] There was no part of Nic there. He wasn’t in the room."

Monroe added that she is ‘absolutely in awe’ of Cage’s performance in Longlegs, saying: "It was the most incredible thing to be sitting across from him in this particular role."

Meanwhile, Witt admitted she had 'no idea how scary' Cage's character was going to be.

Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable in the movie. (Neon)

She said: "It’s so twisted and certainly helped with my work because my interaction with him in the movie, all you have to do is look at him and you know that man’s not right – like, deeply not right."

Underwood expressed belief that Cage's performance is 'the primary reason people are unsettled' by the movie, and the fear from viewers is undeniable.

"No because #Longlegs has definitely been added to the list of horror icons , like I’m f**king petrified," one viewer wrote.

The intrigue of the movie has prompted fans to rush to the movie theaters, consequently earning Longlegs $22,600,000 (£17,404,260) at the box office during its opening weekend - the biggest original horror opening of 2024 so far.

Cage's eerie performance promises to be one that gets under your skin - you just have to be brave enough to make it to the theater in the first place.