'X' Movie Review

Indie darling Ti West returns to horror with X, a movie about a group of pornographers in 1979 who rent a spare house on an old farmer's (Stephen Ure) property to shoot an adult film, unbeknownst to the farmer. There's Maxine (Mia Goth), the ambitious, aspiring star, Wayne (Martin Henderson), the producer and Maxine's lover, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), a sweet southern belle with a lust for life and a love of her craft, Jackson (Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi), the black stud and former soldier, RJ (Owen Campbell), a film student hired to direct who wants to make the film more sophisticated than your typical porno, and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), a shy girl who is not particularly comfortable with the work they're doing. While there is plenty of drama between the cast and crew, the farmer's wife (also played by Mia Goth in heavy old-age makeup) is both disgusted and jealous of their virility, having lived such a sexually repressed life, and she decides to take her rage and pain out on them.

Ti West has a pretty awesome filmography that includes The Innkeepers, The House of the Devil, segments in both V/H/S and The ABCs of Death, an exceptional western called In a Valley of Violence, and my personal favorite, a Jonestown-inspired found footage horror movie called The Sacrament. His style is very distinct. Most of his films start off fairly understated and dialogue-heavy, letting the suspense and intrigue build. The film's darker side will gradually begin to creep in, and when we get to the third act, it goes buck wild. He also really tends to wear his influences on his sleeve, littering his films with clever nods and homages to his inspirations. X is yet another indie horror victory for West, quite possibly on par with The Sacrament. This time around, West tips his hat to films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Psycho, The Evil Dead, Deep Throat, Farmer's Daughters, and more. It's a tribute to the sleazy and/or controversial, be it horror, pornography, etc. And it's a damn good one.

Like I said, Mia Goth plays both the main protagonist and antagonist, which serves to further cement the comparisons being made between the two. As Maxine, she's actually made up to resemble Linda Lovelace, the infamous star of Deep Throat, which was also a nice touch. The old age makeup looks great, despite the fact that there are moments where you can tell it's clearly makeup. But her performance shines through, nonetheless, so it doesn't hinder the character. Aside from Goth in her dual roles, this is very much an ensemble movie. This is definitely Brittany Snow's raunchiest role, but it comes off as very natural. Rapper Kid Cudi makes his horror debut here, having made a decent name for himself as an actor, and he's probably the most likeable character in the film. He seems the most like a genuinely nice person, as his character is very professional and respectful of his costars. It would have been very easy to make his character predatory or misogynistic, but instead, he's very laid back and considerate. Martin Henderson, clearly channeling Matthew McConaughey here, does a great job of being an asshole, especially towards Owen Campbell's character, RJ. Campbell also plays an asshole, but in a slightly different way. His character comes off as pretentious and hypocritical, but still somewhat sympathetic. He has a scene that's genuinely heartbreaking, especially since he had been such a dick about it in the previous scene. Jenna Ortega, who has already been in two other great horror films this year, Scream (2022) and Studio 666, plays his girlfriend Lorraine, and their relationship is somewhat troubled. One criticism I have is that I wish the film had better emphasized that the major plot point that wrecks their relationship was a matter of poor communication and trust. I feel like this was what West was going for, but it would be very easy to interpret it as simply being the result of RJ being a douche, with Lorraine being completely innocent in the situation. This has nothing to do with Ortega's performance, though. She's great. Stephen Ure is downright unsettling as the decrepit old farmer, and once again, his makeup looks great.

For a movie that's primarily just an homage to exploitation films, it's got some surprisingly heady themes. A big one is the fear of your life passing you by, wishing you had done more or taken more chances. This is exemplified by the words and deeds of our elderly antagonists, Howard and Pearl. Both of them are clearly somewhat jealous of the others' youth and liberal sexuality. This also leads into another major theme: repression. Howard and Pearl rather obviously grew up narrow minded and sexually repressed, as is made all the more evident by the fire-and-brimstone preacher constantly playing on their TV. The movie isn't necessarily saying that overindulgence is the way to go, either, as the cast and crew of the film have their own demons, but it clearly takes aim at the toxic environments that lead to pent-up sexual frustration and bottled-up emotions. It's a cautionary tale about being trapped, and I really liked that.

Ti West's X is a salacious and disturbing flick, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Its solid ensemble cast do an excellent job, and with West at the helm, they are able to infuse surprising depth into an otherwise proudly raunchy film. It won't be for everyone's tastes, but for those who enjoy unabashed excess, it's sure to entertain.

RATING: 4.5/5