X is MUST see Horror

It's hard to describe Ti West's X in just a sentence. It's part slasher, part psychological thriller, part...Boogie Nights?

When I've started to describe the film to some, the porn factor threw them off. However, it's part of the liberation of some of the characters of the film, and interwoven so perfectly within the scenes that it would be nothing without it's almost Debbie Does Dallas aspects.

X is the story of a small group of people in rural Texas, attempting to make the next big film in adult cinema, akin to Deep Throat or The Devil In Miss Jones. In the 70's, before we had VCRs and long before the internet, the only way to really watch adult films was at the adult cinema, and the crew needed to make something that would draw people in. The crew has rented a guest house off of an elderly couple, not telling them exactly what they would be shooting on their property. However, the landowner is never quite trusting of the group of people in his guest home, and his wife is someone quite suspicious all in her own.

Without spoiling the film (Trust me, you want to go into this one spoiler free), what is supposed to be a simple movie shoot, turns into a night of chaos and a blood bath some have praised as a homage to 70's horror classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a taste of 1960's Psycho.

The film crew includes Mia Goth as Maxine Minx AND Pearl, Brittany Snow as Bobby-Lynne, Jenna Ortega as Lorraine, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi as Jackson Hole, Martin Henderson as Wayne Gilroy, Owen Campbell as RJ & Stephen Ure as Howard the owner of the property. Mia Goth takes on duel roles of superstar hopeful Maxine and Pearl, Howard’s quiet but curious wife. Mia spent hours in the makeup chair to become the elderly Pearl, and watching her act amongst herself is honestly a great to witness. I honestly didn’t know she was Pearl until I looked up the cast midway through to see how played Howard. Her character dreams of the spotlight, and honestly Mia steals the spotlight in just about every scene she’s in, no matter if she’s Pearl or Maxine. Everyone lends to the film on their own way, and come together like a well woven tapestry. Jenna Ortega carves her own space as seemingly docile Lorraine, dubbed church mouse by the other members of the group. Jenna is already on her rise as a scream queen, starting off as a kid in the second Insidious and recently appearing in Scream 5, & Babysitter: Killer Queen. She’s also set to play the iconic Wednesday Addams for Netflix.

X could be compared to many other films, an homage to thee late seventies and a more lackadaisical lifestyle. A time with adult cinema was seen as exactly that, cinema, and more and more porn had a plot. It was a time when pornography was seen in a positive light in mainstream media, and in 1973 one of the highest grossing films of the year was The Devil In Miss Jones. X is a film about not just about sexual liberation, but liberation in general. Without spoiling too much, one of the characters is finding her freedom in a life after escaping a strict religious family. Another is finding a voice for herself and her body autonomy. X is not just a movie about sex and murder, it's a movie about self liberation in a time of chaos. It's knowing what you are worth, and Maxine Minx says it best with her iconic line and personal mantra, "I will not accept a life I don't deserve."

I hold X in high acclaim and have seen it three times now since it's release. I cannot get enough of it, and have yet another a24 horror film to add to my strange list of comfort films. I cannot recommend this movie enough, and am always excited to hear another person I know as seen it. I also recommend staying until the very end of the credits for a nice little treat and a taste of what else is to come from Ti West & Mia Goth. Do it for Pearl!