Slasher Saturday: X
Mia Goth sinks into her role in Ti West's X.
Ti West’s tribute to grindhouse-era cinema is a gritty good time.
What’s X About?
In 1979 Texas a film crew rents a rural boarding house in the wilds of the country, hoping to make a porn that will put them on the map. The crew is led by small-time hustler Wayne (Martin Henderson) and his girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth). Wayne recruits aspiring film student RJ (Owen Campbell) and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) to help him film, stripper Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Vietnam vet Jackson (Scott Mescudi, also known as Kid Cudi) to help realize his vision.
Everyone has different dreams about the film. Bobby-Lynne, Wayne, and Jackson have dreams of financial stability. RJ hopes the movie will show him as an undiscovered filmmaking genius. And Maxine? Maxine just wants to be famous. She doesn’t much care how that happens.
The older couple that rents them the boarding house doesn’t know what’s happening. Wayne wants to keep it that way. As they clandestinely shoot their illicit script, though, someone is watching.
Things start to go wrong. Things go missing. People go missing. Can the crew finish their shoot, or will their fame be cut short?
What Makes X Good?
The image of a bunch of young people cruising through rural Texas in the 70s immediately brings up images of another famous film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This isn’t a mistake. Director Ti West, who loves to evoke period feelings in his film, fills X with plenty of horror and 70s references. You might even notice Marion Crane’s car submerged in the swamp behind the farmhouse.
But evoking the feel of the 70s for West goes beyond flare pants and VW buses. The texture of the film, the soundtrack pops, the lens flare — all of it brings back the era of Deep Throat.
The killers, who prove that couples need a common interest for longevity, are brutal, as are the kills. West peppers the production with the type of grindhouse kills one would want in a midnight drive-in show. It’s this attention to detail that makes X such a fitting and fun tribute to the era.
Though the film is a brilliant tribute to the era, X isn’t content to just be a pretty parody. It’s a genuinely good slasher. There are likable characters, lots of gore, and a gonzo story that will have you talking as the credits roll. It’s also an example of just how fun Mia Goth can be when she’s allowed to let loose in a movie.
The film, which was filmed in New Zealand, also took advantage of COVID restrictions to expand its own lore. West wrote a prequel for the film, Pearl, during his two-week quarantine. He asked Goth, who plays a dual role in X, if she’d like to co-write Pearl and remain in New Zealand to shoot the prequel. This means that X and Pearl were able to premiere within weeks of each other and drum up excitement for MaXXXine, the final installment of this trilogy that is currently filming.
While X feels like a throwback to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Pearl is more a lurid tribute to early melodramatic talkies. Think Bette Davis in a slasher flick. If you’re a fan of X, check out Pearl to see what West and Goth can do when given some creative freedom.
Verdict
This gritty slasher absolutely kills it. Check it out.
X is rated R and available on Showtime.
