HorroRated archive entry

MaXXXine

HorroRated verdict
Highly Recommended
2020sSlasherPsychologicalDark ComedySerial Killer
Directed by
Ti West
Written by
Ti West
Produced by
Ti West, Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, Harrison Kreiss, Mia Goth

Why it’s HorroRated

MaXXXine closes out Ti West's trilogy with a stylish, genre-blending detour into slasher and giallo territory, trading the isolated farmhouse dread of X and Pearl for a neon-soaked Hollywood satire on ambition and exploitation. Mia Goth continues to be the most compelling reason to watch, giving Maxine a hardened, self-possessed edge distinct from both Pearl and her earlier X performance. The film's Reagan-era Los Angeles setting and its commentary on the Video Nasty moral panic give it real thematic texture, even when the plot mechanics feel looser than the previous two entries. It doesn't reach the emotional heights of Pearl or the tight craft of X, but as a stylish conclusion to one of horror's more ambitious recent trilogies, it earns its place. A satisfying, if slightly uneven, finale.

Synopsis

Six years after surviving Pearl's rampage, Maxine Minx is building an adult film career in Los Angeles and pursuing a role in a legitimate horror sequel when a killer begins targeting people connected to her past. A private investigator digs into her history as the murders escalate, forcing Maxine to confront exactly what she left behind on that Texas farm. Ti West closes his X trilogy with a shift toward slasher and giallo influences, using the 1980s moral panic around adult film and horror media as its cultural backdrop.

Filed under

Quick facts

Release date
July 5, 2024
Runtime
1 hour 43 mins
Country
United States of America
Language
English
Content rating
R
Entry type
Movie

Tags

MaXXXine trailer