X (2022) A24/Horror RT: 106 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence and gore, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, language) Director: Ti West Screenplay: Ti West Music: Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe Cinematography: Eliot Rockett Release date: March 18, 2022 (US) Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi (as Scott Mescudi), Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, James Gaylyn, Simon Prast, Geoffrey Dolan.
Rating: *** ½
Marvel changed cinema in a major way. Thanks to them, many of us feel obligated to sit through the entire end credits roll of practically every movie just in case there’s a post-credits scene. I do it myself. I shudder to think how much time I’ve wasted waiting around for something that doesn’t happen. This is the case a lot of the time. Other times, it pays to stay. This is the case with X, a new horror film from writer-director Ti West (The House of the Devil). Now I’m not one for putting the cart before the horse, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do. The movie’s biggest weakness is the lack of development afforded the antagonists. There’s more story to tell here. A post-credits scene addresses this issue with a promise to follow up on it.*
Elevated horror has its merits, but I miss the days when filmmakers had little else on their minds than blood, guts and high body counts. Young audiences today will never know a time when directors weren’t afraid to get down and dirty. They weren’t trying to make some grand statement about society’s ills. Horror was much simpler then. It was just supposed to be a fun ride soaked in gore and punctuated by a few well-timed “BOO!” scenes, more sleaze than art. That’s what West appears to have in mind with X, a gleefully nasty little throwback to the rural horrors of the 70s, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in particular. In fact, it’s eerily similar to the 1974 Tobe Hooper classic only instead of a family of cannibals, the youngsters are terrorized by a weird elderly couple.
The year is 1979. Strip club owner/wannabe adult film impresario Wayne (Henderson, The Ring) wants in on the booming home video market. He has it in mind to shoot a porno film starring his girlfriend Maxine Minx (Goth, A Cure for Wellness) at an old farmhouse in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. The crew also consists of buxom stripper Bobby Lynne (Snow, Pitch Perfect 1-3), male lead Jackson (rapper Kid Cudi), art-minded director RJ (Campbell, The Miseducation of Cameron Post) and his shy girlfriend Lorraine (Ortega, Scream 5) along for the ride as sound person.
Things start to go south from the moment they get there. The property owner, a cranky old guy named Howard (Ure, Ash vs. Evil Dead), doesn’t extend the warmest of welcomes. He pulls a gun on Wayne when he knocks at his door. He’s even less thrilled to discover his lessor isn’t alone. The old coot takes Wayne’s money, but makes it clear he doesn’t like any of them. He’d also appreciate it if they’d stay away from his wife, a crazy old lady named Pearl. Pearl has other ideas. She’s intrigued by their youth, beauty and sexual freedom. She’s especially drawn to Maxine. The girl awakens something in her, something she can’t convince her husband to satisfy because of his bad heart.
The title X means pretty much what you think it does. The audience gets to play voyeur as the gang shoots scenes for “The Farmer’s Daughters”. If you’ve ever seen a porno movie from the 70s, you’ll appreciate how accurate X is in this area. West seems to have an understanding of the process of making such a movie and depicts it accordingly. He gives us the whole picture- i.e. bad acting, worse dialogue, non-simulated sex and the not-too-bright characters typically involved in such ventures. In other words, it’s Porn 101.
Wayne just wants to be a big shot. Maxine, always stoned on coke and a dead ringer for Linda Lovelace, utters self-affirmations to herself as she walks around on autopilot. Jackson, dressed in a funky powder-blue leisure suit, takes pride in his “performance” opposite Bobby Lynne. She responds by bragging about how great she is at feigning sexual pleasure. RJ, acting the part of serious-minded auteur, truly believes he’s making art. Lorraine, who’s been looking on in disapproval all day, surprises everybody when she asks if she can be in it. RJ is against it because it means changing the direction of the plot midway through and that’s simply not done. “What about Psycho?”, asks Lorraine. RJ tells her it’s different because it’s horror and that’s not the kind of movie they’re making. What none of them realize is they’re about to be part of a horror scenario.
So yeah, the crazy old couple starts killing off their tenants. We get a few good bloody kills. They’re topped off with a nifty twist or two. In short, X is a lot of demented fun. It’s like a cross between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Boogie Nights with a dash of Eaten Alive thrown in for good measure. For whatever reason, there’s an alligator in the lake on the old couple’s property. Yes, somebody becomes gator chow. In addition, West pays a little bit of homage to Quentin Tarantino with shots of the actresses’ bare feet (Goth’s tootsies get a couple of close-ups).
As for the acting in X, it’s solid. Everybody appears to be on the joke. Goth is especially good as the leading lady of the piece. Ortega is also good as the prude whose decision to taste forbidden fruit leads to the expected consequences for the genre. SPOILER ALERT! She forfeits her eligibility for final girl status. Oh, you may have noticed I didn’t say who plays Pearl. That’s deliberate. You’ll have to see X to find out more.
As much as I like X, I find myself going back and forth about it in my mind. It’s a great tribute to the kinds of horror movies I grew up with. A good-sized portion of my misspent teen years was spent perusing the horror section at video stores. X is a lot like those movies. However, I can’t help thinking it might be a little more of an exercise in style. It comes across as self-conscious at times. You can see how much West loves the genre. He includes elements familiar to the die-hards- e.g. a visit to a gas station, skinny-dipping, plenty of naked boobs and characters doing the exact things they shouldn’t. There’s also a TV preacher in the background talking of sin and hellfire at several points. This love, however, can also be a liability. That’s not entirely the case here. X has enough in its favor to excuse any tendencies towards total self-gratification. It has plentiful gore that doesn’t appear to be CGI. That’s always a point in a scary movie’s favor. I like X a lot. I look forward to West expanding on the story in the future.
*= A prequel, currently in the post-production phase, was secretly shot back-to-back with X. No word on a projected release date.
