X (2022)To quote the poet Mary Howitt, "'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly". X (2022) is a horror movie about a group of six young people--three men, three women--whose starry-eyed aspirations of becoming stars begins with them shooting a porno movie at a secluded ranch on the sly. One of these young women, Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), is in a relationship with the "executive producer", Wayne Gilroy (Martin Henderson), who has probably filled her head with these desires, along with some cocaine to boot. But after the (ahem) sextet arrive at the farm--far removed from civilization--and get to work, things become increasingly weird with the elderly couple lurking in the main house. And what started out as mere roll in the hay becomes a hot-blooded slaughterfest just like that.
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Written and directed by homage-driven horror movie auteur, Ti West, X is a slasher flick that proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve, striving to strike a chord with viewers nostalgic for this particular brand of horror entertainment. Set in 1979, X employs various techniques to call back to horror classics of the era, from font choice that looks "retro" (but would have looked cutting edge at the time), to costume design and makeup. Certainly all of the aspiring actors and actresses look like they went shopping at the same vintage secondhand store, and that's a compliment here to this movie's costuming. Set in Texas--and presumably in a swampy part of it, given the presence of an alligator in the lake--the characters almost all have that iconic Texan "twang" to their dialogue, which adds to a lingering sense that these characters are being played a bit for comedy. This is especially true for the deliberately cliché, saucy Southern belle, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), or her studly "sometimes boyfriend" and co-star of "The Farmer's Daughters" rocking a healthy 'fro--with an all-too comedic adult film star stage name--Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi). Along for the ride and doing the behind-the-scenes work is self-styled "avant-garde" filmmaker, RJ Nichols (Owen Campbell), and his shy girlfriend, Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). As the sweaty production ensues, Lorraine becomes intrigued by the overt sexuality of the actors, and decides to come out of her shell and asks to "be in the movie", visibly upsetting her boyfriend. He tries to dissuade her on the basis that the story "can't change in the middle", to which she cites a favorite movie of his that does just that: Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. As stated, Ti West draws inspiration from classic horror genre entries, and Psycho stands at the top of this list, with others like Evil Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being superficially more obvious. The tone of X begins in a lighthearted way, and is even playful and funny at first. So when the midway point hits and goes from a black comedy to a bloody splatterfest, it is designed to shock and unnerve the audience, even if we all saw it coming by virtue of the genre itself.
The audience's enjoyment of X is driven by their appreciation for the style of film it seeks to emulate, and more importantly, its effect on that audience. Horror movies frequently blend the shocking with titillation, and X holds this conceit close in a lover's embrace. Even when Bobby-Lynne jokes with the crew and her co-star that it's "about time" that "we gave the people what they came to see", it should come as no surprise that this is followed by a cutaway to Bobby-Lynne and Jackson in flagrante delicto. X is not shy with its nudity or the accompanying moans and groans, but these are all very self-aware scenes. Despite the eroticism, they are more representative as genre hallmarks than something sleazy for its own sake. The film is coy with its backstory, and saves a little twist for the ending concerning Maxine's past. But even this is meant to subvert audience expectations in an era where spoilers abound. Case in point: one might think that by visiting IMDb or the like that there is some kind of relationship between Maxine or the cronish Pearl where none exists; both characters are simply played by Mia Goth. (That is to say, there is no apparent familial relationship, that is.) These are characters who are not designed to be anything else than ciphers for traditional slasher movie fare, and subsequently, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary". Some audiences accustomed to horror movies where the dumb young people have sex and get killed by some graphic display will be right at home with this solid genre entry. On the other hand, audiences expecting anything else will be left wanting.
Recommended for: Fans of a very specific style of slasher movie, replete with graphic sex and violence and a knowing wink at its audience that comes with it. As expected by the premise alone, X is definitely intended for mature audiences, and more especially for slasher fans in the first place.
The audience's enjoyment of X is driven by their appreciation for the style of film it seeks to emulate, and more importantly, its effect on that audience. Horror movies frequently blend the shocking with titillation, and X holds this conceit close in a lover's embrace. Even when Bobby-Lynne jokes with the crew and her co-star that it's "about time" that "we gave the people what they came to see", it should come as no surprise that this is followed by a cutaway to Bobby-Lynne and Jackson in flagrante delicto. X is not shy with its nudity or the accompanying moans and groans, but these are all very self-aware scenes. Despite the eroticism, they are more representative as genre hallmarks than something sleazy for its own sake. The film is coy with its backstory, and saves a little twist for the ending concerning Maxine's past. But even this is meant to subvert audience expectations in an era where spoilers abound. Case in point: one might think that by visiting IMDb or the like that there is some kind of relationship between Maxine or the cronish Pearl where none exists; both characters are simply played by Mia Goth. (That is to say, there is no apparent familial relationship, that is.) These are characters who are not designed to be anything else than ciphers for traditional slasher movie fare, and subsequently, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary". Some audiences accustomed to horror movies where the dumb young people have sex and get killed by some graphic display will be right at home with this solid genre entry. On the other hand, audiences expecting anything else will be left wanting.
Recommended for: Fans of a very specific style of slasher movie, replete with graphic sex and violence and a knowing wink at its audience that comes with it. As expected by the premise alone, X is definitely intended for mature audiences, and more especially for slasher fans in the first place.