MaXXXine (2024)

“MaXXXine” stars Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.  Released on July 5, 2024, the film has Maxine Minx confronting a serial killer in 1980s Hollywood.

The film was written and directed by Ti West, who also directed films such as “The Roost”, “The House of the Devil”, and “The Sacrament”.  It is the third installment in West’s “X” film series.  They say Hollywood can be an absolute killer, especially when people attempt to make it big in the movie business.  Well, that phrase takes a more literal approach when an actual murderer seeks to spoil the fame from being on the big screen.  Ti West’s “X” was an unexpected horror hit everyone didn’t see coming.  What seemed like another generic horror film turned out to be a surprisingly refreshing take on the psycho-biddy subgenre that explored its commentary on beauty, aging, and self-worth in the adult film industry.  More importantly, it became one of the movies responsible for pushing Mia Goth to stardom, particularly as one of this generation’s scream queens.  Its success resulted in “X” spawning into a trilogy that continued with its prequel, “Pearl,” which explored the antagonist’s unhinged path of being a film star.  This year, West seeks to conclude this low-budget horror trilogy with a direct sequel that continues the protagonist’s journey to fame amid the bloodshed.  Does its presence shine brightly enough to conclude this trek on a bloody yet satisfying note?  Let’s travel to Hollywood and find out.   

The story continues after the events of “X”.  Maxine Minx (Goth) has recently survived a horrific massacre in Texas that took the life of her friends.  Six years later, Maxine resides in Los Angeles as she continues to pursue her career as a famous actress in the adult film industry.  Her quest has her landing a massive role in the modern horror sequel, The Puritan II, directed by filmmaker Elizabeth Bender (Debicki).  However, Maxine’s dream of seeing her name in lights is threatened once again by a mysterious serial killer known as the Night Stalker, who goes around the city murdering young women.  With the Night Stalker going after Maxine, she must survive the satanic killer’s murderous rampage, forcing her to revisit her past.  

As mentioned, “X” was one of the horror movies that surpassed my lowest expectations regarding the genre.  It plays off like any other "cabin in the woods" movie, but the approach of its film industry commentary helped it elevate those tropes along with its talented cast and effective frights.  I was also surprisingly impressed with its prequel, “Pearl”, which was bolstered by one of Mia Goth’s finest performances as the titular psychopath.  So, there’s no doubt that I was ecstatic to see West’s latest chapter, which was initially planned to cap off the trilogy.  However, that was before the filmmaker announced he was developing the fourth installment.  So far, this film hasn’t been reaching the same heights as its predecessors in terms of critical reception, which was already challenging to begin with.  Regardless, its film industry aspect and slasher vibes got me curious enough to see how this specific blood-soaked journey concludes.

The previous installments stood out from other horror films due to their strong cinematic influences. Each film is set in a specific era, reflecting the societal impact of different aspects of cinema and filmmaking. This includes the influence of the horror genre and the adult film industry.  “X” showcased the rise of independent and adult filmmaking in the late 1970s amid its contemporary take on the psycho-biddy subgenre.  “Pearl” reflected the rise of classic Hollywood film productions during the titular villain’s psychological obsession with fame.  In “MaXXXine”, the 1980s setting explores the rise of home video, rentals, and video stores while implementing elements from the slasher horror genre and the infamous Hollywood murders.  However, it also doesn’t shy away from the adult stuff, similar to “X”.  For anyone familiar with the film industry, the “X” trilogy consists of three unique yet enthrallingly unsettling love letters to cinema throughout the years, both big and small, and “MaXXXine” is no exception.  It’s another well-crafted and engaging chapter in West’s unique cinematic trilogy, but I can also understand the mixed reception “MaXXXine” is getting.  

While “X” and “Pearl” met people’s expectations of being frightening and gory, both movies rely more on their character-driven themes of pursuing fame than spewing gross-out gore and exploitations.  “MaXXXine” pulls off this similar feat, focusing more on Maxine’s confrontation with her mysterious past than a masked killer conducting twisted kills.  Ti West is admittedly a solid filmmaker who’s no stranger to combining unsettling imagery with horror aspects and storytelling, which is one of the reasons why I enjoyed “X” and “Pearl”.  His vision in “MaXXXine” undoubtedly further proves West’s expertise and love for cinema, especially in his direction and editing.  The aesthetics in its production design were sublime, and its examination of Hollywood’s exploitation of women affecting society and religion was well-utilized for its plot and characters.  However, the real showstopper is how Ti West utilized the editing and technical expertise to recreate the cinematography’s old-fashioned allure from the 80s.  Since the movie centers on the rise of VHS, it’s unsurprising that West and cinematographer Eliot Rockett made specific scenes resemble something out of a video cassette tape.  Man, I’m feeling old just talking about it.

Regarding its technical aspects, “MaXXXine” emphasizes the strengths of West’s previous “X” installments, with just the right amount of tinsel and Hollywood magic to stand out from the predecessors’ tone.  However, when it comes to the script, the movie didn’t match the impact it was hoping for in the horror aspect.  As mentioned, most of the movie focuses on Maxine’s quest to break out of the adult film world amid the Night Stalker scenario.  While the Night Stalker is involved, the kills he performed were either tame or occurred off-screen.  There were a couple of acts outside the Night Stalker’s rampage that were pretty gruesome, including one conducted by Maxine.  Plus, the practical effects emphasized the grossness of its gore.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t hide the fact that its narrative can be misleading or disappointing for those expecting the same amount of shock and horror as the previous installments amid its character-driven structure.  Therefore, “MaXXXine” works well as a standalone film that refreshes most of its generic slasher tropes in favor of a horror drama of an actress’s rise to fame. 

Mia Goth continues to do exceptionally well in her own quest for fame, with “X” and “Pearl” being her career breakthroughs.  Goth is the trilogy’s backbone in portraying a likable protagonist and a terrifying horror villain, two distinct characters seeking to gain cinematic recognition through different methods.  Unsurprisingly, Goth managed to maintain that alluring essence through her portrayal of Maxine.  Maxine exudes a remarkable blend of strength and determination that sets her apart from the traditional "final girls" trope. However, she also reveals a captivating vulnerability that adds depth to her character.  Mia Goth effectively established these traits as her character did in the movie’s first act.  Elizabeth Debicki and Giancarlo Esposito were also terrific in their roles as Elizabeth Bender and Teddy Knight, Maxine’s agent, respectively.  Kevin Bacon offered another enjoyable performance following his appearance in the latest “Beverly Hills Cop” follow-up.  Bacon plays John Labat, a private investigator seeking to expose Maxine.

Overall, “MaXXXine” is a well-defined movie star that properly continues Ti West’s love letter to cinema and its horror sub-genres.  With a stylish flair and tinsel-like presentation, the film overcomes some of its horrific shortcomings to provide an engaging and suitably crafted outlook of 80s Hollywood and its societal influences.  The hit-and-miss screenplay and tame violence make “MaXXXine” the weakest in the trilogy.  However, everything else, mainly Mia Goth’s captivating performance and West’s direction, is enough to push the film to cinematic stardom.

B-