10 Recent Movie Villains Who Became Instant Fan Favourites

10. Nicolas Cage As Dale Kobble/Longlegs - Longlegs

Longlegs was undoubtedly one of the best horror films of 2024, and that's saying something considering the calibre of opposition it faced. 

Although audiences and critics alike were torn as to whether the film was as scary as the marketing suggested, horror itself is subjective, so for many, Longlegs would have been downright horrifying, and for others, it would have been a terrific thriller. 

In whichever camp you reside in, one thing is for certain - and that is that Nicolas Cage delivered his best performance in years. There is no actor past or present like him.

For better or worse, his trademark acting approach is hypnotic, and it's no real surprise that Osgood Perkins chose Cage to play this particular character. 

Dale Kobble, better known as the titular Longlegs, is a glam-rock-obsessed and sadistic serial killer who has haunted the FBI for decades. He's elusive yet ever-present, especially in the case of Maika Monroe's Lee Harker, who is tasked with tracking him down.

Perkins conceals Cage's true identity under pale makeup, weathered wrinkles and a wiry wig, but Kobble's off-the-wall behaviour is classic Cage. There are mannerisms and motives familiar with real-life serial killers sprinkled in Kobble, and the film's obvious inspiration from Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs only works in its favour. 

Whether you loved or loathed it, you won't be forgetting Longlegs and Cage's performance anytime soon.