‘X’ is a slasher film that follows a group of actors who set out to produce an adult film. They arrive on a remote farm in Texas and begin making their film, keeping it secret from their reclusive and elderly hosts. Their journey is tracked over the course of a day as they settle in and soon discover the hosts to be an unwelcome presence and find themselves having to fight for their survival.
‘X’ opens by tracking Maxine, as she gets ready to set off with her producer boyfriend Wayne, and fellow actors Jackson and Bobby-Lynne to make an adult film, hoping to make bank as the demand for adult home entertainment begins to grow in the late 70’s. Accompanying the group is the director RJ and sound operator Lorraine, with RJ hoping to develop something beyond just a dirty movie and Lorraine expressing her skepticism towards the project.
As the group arrive on the remote farm, they are immediately met with antipathy from their host Howard, as the old man expresses his aversion towards the group arriving on the farm, but is dismissed as Wayne pays him extra. The group settle in and begin making their film. In the meantime Maxine wanders the farm and is observed by Pearl – Howard’s wife. Pearl later catches Maxine in her house and the two sit down for lemonade, with Pearl later making uninvited advances towards Maxine. The young girl flees and joins the rest of the group in time for her scene with Jackson. In the evening the group sit down and discuss their progress with Lorraine being turned around and now wanting to participate in the film, much to RJ’s dismay.
Unable to reconcile Lorraine’s decision to film a scene in the movie, RJ tries to flee in the night, only to be stopped in the road by Pearl who proceeds to harass him. AS he pulls away, the old woman stabs the director and gleefully repeatedly impales the young man. Lorraine wanders out to look for him, meets with Wayne and the two set out to look for RJ. Lorraine is met by Howard who traps her in the basement of his house. As Wayne explores the nearby barn, he is impaled by a pitchfork and killed as Pearl makes her way towards the guest house. Meanwhile, Howard comes across Jackson and the two set off to look for Pearl, with Howard eventually shooting Jackson out near by the lake. At the same time, Pearl finds her way to Maxine’s room, disrobes, lays down next to her and molests her as she sleeps. On waking, Maxine screams and runs off, alerting Bobby-Lynne, who follows Pearl out to the lake, only to be pushed in and demolished by the alligator living there.
Trying to make her escape, Maxine realises she has to go to the main house to look for the keys to the van, and she comes across and frees Lorraine, who blames her and the others for what has happened to the due to the production of the film. As Lorraine tries to run, she is shot down by Howard, and together with Pearl the two try to move her only for Lorraine to frighten Howard as she struggles for breath, causing him to have a heart attack. Pearl then asks Maxine to help her, only for Maxine to get in the van and back up over Pearls head before she drives off.
Without wanting to diminish the full impact and depth of ‘X’, at its core the film is a slasher. The set up is simple and effective, providing almost lampoon versions of real people to fit the mould of a story told a million times before. What sets ‘X’ apart is the gradual yet consistent expressions of genuine though and emotion, as the characters drop personal opinions as the day goes on and the story unfolds before us. Each character manages to establish themselves as a real and opinionated person, clearly establishing their motives and their way of thinking.
At the centre of the film is Maxine, a young exotic dancer who is confident in pursuing what she wants, participating in the making of the film and maintaining that making the adult film is separate when it comes to physical and emotional intimacy, divorcing it from immorality as a form of entertainment. By and large, Bobby-Lynne, Jackson and Wayne are of a similar opinion, with Wayne skewing more towards the business side of things as he hopes to cash in on the, at the time still novel project.
The movie leans heavily into the slasher aspect, and manages to provide effective scares in the decades old genre, by providing well executed moments of tension that are broken up by shocking scares in moments that the audience may not expect. Without becoming overly annoying or dragging it’s feet, ‘X’ hosts a slew of scares that no viewer can be entirely ready for and thus cements its place at the top of the list for horror films so far this year.
The horror element of the film isn’t restricted to the cat-and-mouse moments however, as Pearl takes the unassuming people out one by one. ‘X’ also explores Pearl’s obsession with her lost youth as she latches on to Maxine and attempts to take in as much as she can of her. Through extended and unbroken shots of Pearl, as she speaks with Howard or as she leers at Maxine, it is evident that she holds an unhealthy fixation and regret of her lost youth. Through coaxing Howard into sleeping with her, Pearl grasps at straws as she attempts to feel something and is ultimately literally shot down in her final confrontation with Maxine, as the two exchange opinions about the fleeting nature of youth.
Besides the discussion that the film opens up about youth, it does not shy away from providing scares via exposing Pearl, just as she is. The unbroken shots of her as she exposes herself and especially the sex scene with Howard could be considered one of the most horrifying moments of the film due to its cringe factor alone.
The film boasts an excellent cast comprised of Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Scott Mescudi, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell and Stephen Ure, all of whom work well together, but the notable stand-out is Goth. She portrays both Maxine and Pearl, both standing at the opposite ends of the spectrum, where Maxine is carefree, open and daring ,whilst Pearl seems to have been beaten down by life, making her quiet, introverted and full of regret. Seemingly without any trouble, Goth pulls off both characters masterfully, allowing the audience to see the impressive range the young actor can deliver.
‘X’ is a gory and visceral slasher that has at its core a simple set-up, but is by no means predictable. It would be easy to create a project that would just take advantage of the strides in practical make-up and effects that have evolved since the inception of the genre, and deliver a truly horrific and upsetting feature. The creator of the film, Ti West seems to have taken a different path and devoted more time in creating and showcasing characters who are flawed and go beyond one-dimensional caricatures, as they are opinionated and represent real individuals. By choosing to combine the carnage with a very real fear, that of growing older, the creator of the film has created a memorable and impactful feature that is well worth anyone’s time.
Score: 4/4
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