It’s arguably the scariest film in years if all the reviews are to be believed.

In fact, even before the critics started putting their views forward for public consumption, the Longlegs horror hype machine was firing on full cylinders.

Actress Maika Monroe’s heart rate apparently skyrocketed to 170 beats per minute when she caught her first glimpse of Nicholas Cage (more on him later) while shooting the film.

That story started doing the rounds weeks ago and it helped build anticipation ahead of the film’s release to near frenzy levels.

And even the critics bought into it.

Empire called it a ‘singular, sensory cinematic horror experience’ while the Guardian hailed it a ‘brooding horror thriller.’

And while it may have a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (as seems to be the measure of things these days) unfortunately, it gets a firm shoulder shrug followed by a loud ‘meh’ from Isle of Man Today - let me tell you why.

The movie centres on protagonist Lee Harker (Monroe), a seemingly psychically gifted FBI agent, as she attempts unravel the mystery behind a series of gruesome familial murder-suicides spanning decades.

All she has to go off is series of notes - written in cryptic code - signed with the name Longlegs.

For the next 90 minutes or so we follow our socially awkward Mystic Meg as she blazes a trail through the hinterland of 1990s Oregon attempting to track down this shadowy figure.

Trouble is, there has never been any physical evidence to link Longlegs to any of the crimes.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? And it is...to start with.

Clearly drawing inspiration from films like Silence of the Lambs and Zodiac as well as the real-life murders committed by the Manson cult, the film begins by taking viewers on a creepy car journey through the dark recesses of the human condition.

At some point however, the car breaks down and we’re forced to catch a lift on the spooky supernatural bus - and I for one did not plan on making this trip.

This is my problem with the film - and it might be very much one that is only applicable to me.

For a story very much grounded in reality at the start, it pivots (and pivots hard) to being a paranormal horror very quickly - and that’s when I lost interest.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of redeeming features to this film.

It’s beautifully shot, and the oppressive atmosphere and the use of religious iconography make for an unsettling watch.

It’s packed full of jump scares which are absolutely terrifying in parts thanks to the excellent sound system at the Broadway.

Nicholas Cage also puts in a worldie of a performance as the titular Longlegs, a chilling Mad Hatter-esque outcast who somehow still manages to make the blood run cold despite looking like Michael Jackson in Bo Selecta.

Alas, even that couldn’t sustain my interest and I was left feeling the same way I did when I discovered the Isle of Man didn’t have a Eurovision entry - confused and disappointed.

Is this the scariest film you’ll see?

I think the answer that question very much depends on what actually scares you.

Personally though, I wouldn’t believe the hype.

* Longlegs is now showing at the Broadway Cinema in Douglas