X review
A24’s Lastest thriller X is a 70s aesthetic wet dream. Image courtesy of A24.
Written & Directed by: Ti West
Rating: 🏆 most excellent
The year is 1979, and a misfit group from Houston is dreaming of a glamorous life. Thanks to new technology you can now watch videos in the privacy of your own home. Capitalizing on this new market the group sets out to film a porno. The executive producer Wayne (Martin Henderson) has secured a cheap filming location in rural Texas and drives the group out to the boarding house to get to work.
Every member of the small cast shines in X. Image courtesy of A24.
The film’s talent is set to include his girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), her topless bar co-worker Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), and Bobby-Lynne’s ex-marine sometimes boyfriend Jackson (Kid Cudi). The film will be directed by aspiring indie filmmaker RJ (Owen Campbell) who is determined to make more than cheap smut, and his prudish girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega).
But when the group arrives on location, they are immediately freaked out by their shotgun-wielding elderly hosts. Clearly off-put by the group’s immodest clothing and filming equipment, they are shown to their accommodations and are warned not to disturb the host’s wife. Unwilling to waste any time, the group gets to work on their porno. But what ensues can only be described as a bloodbath with an unlikely serial killer.
X is a 70s wet dream. The costuming will have you pinteresting a 70s style board ASAP. The cinematography is designed to feel old school with blurry imagery, and lots of shots are framed to look like you are watching the movie on an old box TV. This attention to detail is a genius way to quickly establish the time period.
Every member of the small cast delivers strong performances with great onscreen chemistry, sexual and otherwise. Mia Goth stands out as the protagonist in this ensemble cast, and is captivating as a young woman determined to leave small-town life behind in the pursuit of fame. She also plays Pearl, the host’s senile wife, and she commands every scene Pearl is in. She’s haunting and creepy, but also disturbingly demands your empathy.
At its core, X is a classic slasher. It’s quickly paced with a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. It’s packed with gory action and lots of sex, but there is still ample time to breathe and build suspense. The film flips the script on several horror tropes and without risking giving away the plot, I will say that this is not just a movie where naked women are mutilated but never given a backstory. Every character is developed, every stereotype is subverted, and the result is a delightful horror flick that is sure to become a classic.
Be sure to watch until the very end because there is a post-credits scene that you won’t want to miss!
Review written by Zianna Weston
