X Review: Ti West's Gory, Layered Slasher Flick Subverts Expectations
Writer-director Ti West’s X is a horror movie that draws on the influences of 1970s slasher flicks while simultaneously exploring sex at different ages and perspectives. The result is a well-paced, slow-burn horror film that is confident in driving forward its momentum before going all out in its finale. There are elements of the narrative that could have been deepened, but X works on so many levels that it’s easy to dismiss them. Smart, well-paced, intentional, and fraught with fascinating themes and character arcs, X is a worthwhile slasher film that is aided by a great cast.
Set in 1979, the film opens with a couple of police officers arriving on the scene of an old farm in Texas. They are disgusted by what they see and it’s clear that viewers are in for quite a ride before the film backtracks to 24 hours earlier to reveal exactly what happened. Burlesque owner Wayne (Martin Henderson) has his sights on making adult films and recruits girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), an aspiring actress who wants to make it big in Hollywood, to star in the porn film The Farmer’s Daughter. Joining them on this filmmaking journey are Maxine's co-stars Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), Jackson (Kid Cudi), the director RJ (Owen Campbell) — who doesn’t want to make a porno, but a great film — and Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), RJ’s girlfriend who is quiet and seemingly disapproving. They start filming not long after arriving at a farm home Wayne rented from Howard (Stephen Ure) and his wife Pearl, a creepy couple living in the farm's main home who lurk in the shadows.
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X is perhaps most interesting when exploring Pearl, her reactions to porn and sex in general, and the deep yearning
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