“X” Review
A group of pornographic filmmakers become slasher victims in “X,” the latest horror film from production company A24.
While I’ve been enjoying the resurgence of horror franchises like “Halloween” and “Scream,” along with new series like “Happy Death Day” and “The Conjuring,” independent horror has been producing a lot of quality stories and the production studio A24 is at the center of it. Whenever an A24 film comes out, I get incredibly excited and they’ve wowed me with many great films including horror masterpieces like “The Lighthouse,” “Hereditary,” and “Midsommar.” Now, “X” has come to theaters and was a marvelous combination of fun and disturbing horror.
Set in 1979 Texas, a group of six people go to a Texas farm and rent a house from an elderly couple to make a pornographic film. When night falls, the six people find themselves at the mercy of the elderly couple who begin to kill them off one by one.
“X” does a creative job of paying homage to slasher classics, most notably “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” while reworking the clichés to better suit today. The film’s characters are well-written by adding a bit of dimension to age-old archetypes. Unlike older slasher films where you’re just waiting for the characters to die, here you want to spend some time with them.
Mia Goth’s performance as Maxine, the film’s protagonist, is very well-realized as she wants to use the film they’re making to become famous. However, those dreams are quickly dashed when her friends become the target of deranged killers. Instead of just jumping to the kills, the film takes its time to establish a creepy atmosphere as well as have some funny scenes.
The entire film is drenched in hilarious dark humor and the film feels like a fun exercise in the macabre. “X” never loses sight of what it is and it proves to be a shocking horror film. The entire film contains a disturbing subtext of how extreme religion can drive us to do things that are horrific and shocking. However, much like “Get Out,” you don’t have to understand the underlying message to enjoy this film.
Mia Goth’s portrayal of Maxine makes for an interesting horror protagonist and an excellent reworking of the “final girl” cliché.
“X” plays with expectations in a way that makes you afraid. There’s a great amount of suspense and you never feel safe until the end. Even though the characters are on a farm in the wide open spaces of Texas, there’s the feeling that they’re trapped which just adds to the frightening nature of the scenario.
The film spends a lot of time with the villains as well and, the more we learn about them, the more creepy the film becomes.
As far as horror film kills go, “X” gets pretty creative and some of them are morbidly funny. When some of these characters died, my theatrical companions and I were screaming and howling at the same time.
Ti West’s direction results in a great homage to exploitation horror and classic horror with beautiful photography by Eliot Rockett. Alongside the soundtrack, containing songs by Fleetwood Mac and Blue Oyster Cult, and a great score by Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe, this is a wonderful film in both story and theatrical quality.
“X” was a fantastic experience at the movies as well as a fun entry into great slasher films. West filmed a prequel centered on the film’s protagonist back-to-back with “X” and I am incredibly excited to see more of this wonderfully horrific world West has created.
