X is a 2022 slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi. The film’s plot is set in 1979 and follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple’s rural Texas property, but find themselves threatened by an unlikely killer.
There is nothing too ground-breaking about the premise that X features but director Ti West manages to keep the audience engaged throughout. Certainly, West draws strongly from the classic horror movies of the 1970s viz. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho and The Shining. In addition, X recalls the porn movies of the past as well, just about when the industry would be reshaped by video cassette players.
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Not only that but for at least half the movie, X builds up a sense of foreboding even as the small cast and crew of the porn movie go about their business. The elderly couple – who own the farm where producer Wayne Gilroy has rented – definitely come across as creepy. However, when the killing begins, the source of murderous mayhem might surprise.
Mia Goth’s protagonist Max is a rebel, using her participation in a porn movie as a means of liberation from the moral constraints in her life. Unfortunately, once the elderly couple discover exactly what the group is doing, then everything goes out of control. Unlike many modern day slasher movies, there is nothing in X that defies logic too much and that is a credit to West’s writing skills.
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The other intriguing fact about X is, of course, its budget of a million dollars! Amazing. And the fact that the movie has grossed almost 15 times that amount at the box office guarantees that a sizeable profit will be made. No surprise then, that a prequel – Pearl – has already been released and a sequel – MaXXXine – is currently in the works. Highly recommended.
Watch X on Amazon.
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