Ti West, heard of him from Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever or not, has firmly made his way onto the slasher scene. Releasing a trilogy in just over two years is a spectacle of its own, the first two released within six months much more, but West's collection of stories, X, Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story, and MaXXXine, is carrying Halloween costumes and trending Tiktok audios galore, the true tellings of cult film status in this day and age.
Bringing some up-and-coming scream queens such as Jenna Ortega and Mia Goth, or the iconic faces of Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon, the X trilogy has sunk its bloody canines into the realm of cinema. Here are some thoughts:
X (2022)
An old lady doing the Joker dance and Kid Cudi doing pushups in the corner are my two extremes of loving this film the way I did. What follows is everything in between:
When one of the first lines of dialogue was "You oughta get a look at this," I thought Oh! brother! Great start, nice cliches, maintains potential for a classic or just another film in the mass of horror flicks. Until it became anything BUT just like the others.
It's beautiful to look at, gritty but also dreamy. The first kill is strange yet unforgettably addicting to watch. Many nuances to the classic slashers, but so incredibly original. The choice overhead shots: breathtaking..literally. I couldn't find a stable breathing pattern during many points of this watch. The editing gets its own paragraph. Especially those occasional alternating smash cuts are never anticipated, and beautifully unsettling.
Speaking of haunting beauty, this score. The vocals, they creep up and come back to you. The sound editing in general is off the chain. You don't wanna hear the brushing of thin old lady hair, but it adds to the overall visceral nature of the film.
In the words of ole RJ, "it is possible to make a good dirty movie." 35mm makes my heart go brrrrr. Bring ON THAT XCU! DON'T FEAR THE REAPER! Watch, but also beware.
Pearl (2022)
Twas the night before MaXXXine, I saw one of the most beautiful opening frames I'll ever see on a screen. That's home right there. Also big Nope house vibes. If a film could encapsulate the RGB color model, look to Pearl!
London's brightest scream queen returned in the same year of her trilogy debut in X to give us a killer origin story of THE old hag. Howard...are you that down bad or just plain brainwashed? I mean, I endorse the woman's right to micro-dosing morphine and going to see the follies, but bro! She talks to the alligator, and her NAME IS THEDA!
This pumps the brakes a bit too early in the third act, but the momentum from the beginning, and a continued lifetime performance from mia goth, and you end on a...beaming note.
Coming from the high stakes, minute-to-minute action of X, my expectations were a bit jumpier than what I got in return. A more subtle degradation of character, its own horror arc, sure, but the caliber just came across as a bit too tame for me. It still has the grit, gore, and sex of Ti West's iconography, but this story just didn't fit the mold of potential that it could.
Her final monologue feels like a sock to the gut of any person just wanting to get out. Very pandemic aware, for that context at least, but also the cruel desire to not be where you're from anymore. Ti continues a refreshing set of stories for the freaks of all kinds. Let's see how he puts this in the ground, open or closed casket!
MaXXXine (2024)
I've come to regret one of my few true crime deep dives was my Night Stalker era. I thought he looked like Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, sue me.
Anyways! After every Pepsi brand soda commercial possible, I was stunningly called back to the world of Maxine Minx, our former protagonist of X, continuing to run from her past until YOU GUESSED IT?! Kevin Bacon gets involved. That guy knows everyone! Come to think of it, Kevin Bacon playing a private investigator is one of the best nods to that man's legacy. It should definitely become his satirical typecast.
Halsey, although I wish to be whisked away in a Christmas light taxi, maybe not in the way you did. Ti brought back the big guns of axed body parts and bloody, sexy fun on all cylinders. Until! The script gets a bit flimsy and you're not sure which big bang they want to end on. An 80's-setting vibe privilege can set up a film's aesthetic with hot buzz, but it doesn't overshadow a lack of other technical aspects.
SHE'S A KILLER, NOT A VILLAIN!
SHE'S A KILLER, NOT A VILLAIN!
SHE'S A KILLER, NOT A VILLAIN!
I thank Ti and Mia for bringing us this lovely set of stories, paving a route for horror with the big guys while paying homage to a beloved genre of the slasher. Do YOU have the X factor?
Some more parting words. Ti wrote, directed, AND edited all three of these installments, which brings upon a few degrees of respect and anger. When directing a project, you have a vision, yes, and you wish to manipulate every detail that YOU want the audience to see. I haven't been in film school for long enough to hold an ounce of authority to earn a rightful scorn towards Mr. West, but I know that it's worth mentioning that having somebody else look at your work is important and needed. I dare say the unfortunate degradation of storytelling (in MY eyes) within this franchise comes from him knowing what worked in the first installment, then getting a little slaphappy and thinking all he makes is gold. Editors can make or break a story, and with the same hand writing the script, giving all the orders, and putting everything INTO order, the blame diminishes to yours truly. Something to think about.
I'll end on a fun Easter Egg moment within this XCU. Theda Bara is known as one of cinema's first sex symbols, a legacy Maxine makes for herself in X. The franchise first pays a less subtle homage to Bara in Pearl, which the titular lonely girl on her family's farm names the alligator in their pond after the infamous femme fatale. If you watch, it makes more sense than you think. Finally, Maxine stubs out her 1980's ciggy on the Walk of Fame star of none other than Theda Bara in MaXXXine. It's fun! Historical! Those moments when you DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the TV cuz you get it! You got the reference!
Some more personal pieces to come soon. June was great, and July can be even greater. Cheers,
MO
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