At this point in my life, I’ve seen so many horror films and series that nothing surprises me. There are so many horror films on the scene nowadays, and the twists they attempt to present can be boiled down to the basics of storytelling. They become predictable, which isn’t necessarily bad; it can be fun to postulate how the film will turn out before it ends. However, occasionally, I want a horror movie that subverts my expectations, providing me with an experience that is unlike any other and setting itself apart from the pack. This is precisely what Ti West looked to do with his horror trilogy X, also the name of the first film in this series.
Set firmly in the slasher subgenre of horror, X was released during the height of the pandemic, a massive gamble for films at the time. However, it worked, as the Mia Goth film received praise from critics and fans alike, cementing A24 as one of the best studios for horror. While X wasn’t anything like what I had anticipated, it was definitely a strong start to a top-notch horror trilogy. Read on for more about X…if you dare…
[Warning: Spoilers for X are below!]
The climb to stardom begins with some shady starts
Maxine (Goth) just wants to be a star; however, the bright lights of Hollywood are far away from rural Texas. So sometimes, to achieve your goals, you have to find a new and innovative way to do so, which for Maxine is starring in her boyfriend Wayne’s (Martin Henderson) porno. Yeah, you read that right, but it was in the closing years of the 1970s. What else did you expect?
So off she sets in a beat-up van full of equipment and people, such as burlesque dancer Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson (Scott Mescudi), both stars of the film alongside Maxine, as well as RJ (Owen Campbell), the director of the porno looking to create art, and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). Their destination? A farm in the middle of nowhere. A place haunted by the past of its owners, which will change the lives of these visitors forever.
While the owner, Howard (Stephen Ure) seems poised to wreak havoc on the film cast and crew, despite his disdain for what they are doing, it’s his decried wife Pearl, who is also played by Goth, who takes matters into her own hands. Wanting nothing more than to be a star, Pearl attempts to get in on the action, only to hunt them down when rejected. Can this group of aspiring artists make it out alive, or will Pearl reign supreme in her quest for glam and glory? You’ll have to check out this first entry in A24’s horror trilogy to find out.
X puts an exciting spin on the slasher horror film
I’ve seen so many slasher films in my life that they all seem to feel the same. There are only so many ways you can take an ax to a person before it all feels tired and done. However, X takes that genre and subverts it in a way I wasn’t expecting by adding a mystery element. By giving Mia Goth two roles to play: the heroine and the villain.
Not only does this give the actress so much room to showcase her talent, but it stops and makes the audience think. Why does Pearl look exactly like Maxine? Is there something supernatural going on? Are we stuck in a time loop of sorts? This connection is never explored because, ultimately, it isn’t important to the story, with the expectation of comparing stardom’s impact on people.
In a way, both characters are gazing into the looking glass. Pearl was once Maxine, which we’ll see in the sequel/prequel. She wanted nothing more than to be a star but never achieved her dreams. Pearl sees what could have been in a different time or life, and that prospect angers her. She’s been denied her dream her entire life, gatekept from it by others, and she becomes filled with rage and decides to take back her power.
For Maxine she sees what would be if she doesn’t do anything to get it. Coming from rural Texas, Maxine’s prospects of being a star are limited, especially without moving to Hollywood and starting over. Seeing Pearl and the struggles she’s gone through and the deterioration of her mental health, Maxine can reflect on what she doesn’t want out of life and has a new motivation to achieve that, which audiences see in the third film.
While they didn’t embrace a supernatural or sci-fi element, this reflection that both Maxine and Pearl face adds another layer to X, which isn’t typical for many slasher horror films. Instead, we learn so much about these characters and their motivations, which can be a lot to shove into a two-hour film, but X does it well. You can absolutely enjoy the slasher film for what it is and not have to look any deeper into it, but if you want layers to your horror, this film provides that in spades.
Mia Goth isn’t one to miss in X
I couldn’t imagine the difficulty of acting in a singular role in a film, let alone two, but somehow, Mia Goth excels at it. I’ll be honest: I didn’t even realize that she was playing Pearl, thanks to some incredible prosthetics and makeup that make her almost recognizable. However, she also has a distinct personality for both Pearl and Maxine, who are as different as they are similar. It takes some skill to explore both sides of that coin in the middle of a standard horror film, which is both a testament to the script and Goth’s acting abilities.
Was I expecting a horror film a league above the rest on the scene? No, which is probably why I didn’t watch it when it first debuted. In fact, I may not have even watched it if my friend hadn’t asked me to go with her to see Maxine. Instead, I got a stellar horror film that was much better than I thought it would be. X starts this trilogy off strong, solidifying my love for A24 and the impressive array of films.
X is currently available to stream.
Find out more, including how to purchase the movie, at the A24 site for X.
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