I enjoyed writer and director Ti West’s “X” when it came out in 2022. Later that same year, I ended up enjoying the prequel, “Pearl”, even more. While I would still say that “Pearl” is my favorite in what is currently a pretty solid horror trilogy, I would say that “MaXXXine” is a close second.
The movie reunites us with Maxine Minx, the sole survivor of “X” and currently a porn star in 1985’s Hollywood. However, she’s just landed her first legit movie role in a horror picture. Unfortunately, there is also a killer in the streets of Tinseltown and he seems to have his sights set on Maxine and is using a ruthless private investigator, John Labat (Kevin Bacon), to let her know that the killer knows the truth about her past.
The first thing I can say is that West knows how to capture both the era the film is set in and the tone of the horror subgenre he is trying to pay homage to. In “X”, West captured the gritty tone of films such as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” from the 19790s. In “Pearl”, he captured the silent age of Hollywood in 1918.
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| Mia Goth returns as Maxine Minx in 'MaXXXine'! |
In this movie, it sometimes feels like West shot this film in the ‘80s. There are videotaped moments and he successfully recreates the seedy underbelly of Hollywood. He also uses real world elements from the time in order to frame the slasher narrative such as the Night Stalker murders and the Satanic panic that gripped the world at the time. What is great is that the Satanic panic is sort of a villain of the piece beyond the actual villains Maxine must go up against.
The performances are not something to sneeze at as well. Goth is once again great as Maxine as she plays one of the more complex horror heroines that we’ve seen in quite some time. This is not the clean cut drug and sex free final girl that we usually get. In fact, she’s more of an antihero than a straight protagonist.
Bacon is another highlight as private eye Labat, a truly heinous character that also provides some of the film’s darkly humorous moments. He’s a genuine threat, but he also hasn’t been up against someone like Maxine before, either.
Another standout performance turns out to be Giancarlo Esposito as Teddy Knight, an agent for the adult film industry and actors lower on the totem pole. I will say that he’s not in the film too much, but when he is there, he becomes the MVP of the movie.
West initially announced that this movie would be the end of a trilogy. Since then, he’s reconsidered and said that he has ideas for a fourth film in this horror universe that he’s created. If that idea is as strong as the first three entries, then I’ll be the first to stand in line for a ticket!
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