Ti West's final installment in the X trilogy is an '80s-soaked spectacular with nods to classic Hollywood and horror films with absolutely immaculate vibes, but something about the third act just falls flat. (No spoilers)
It's around 97 °F here in steamy Atlanta, Georgia, and as a horror and Halloween enthusiast, I'd been looking for a new entry in my slasher summer series. Maxxxine, the third installment in writer/producer/director Ti West's X trilogy and yet another Mia Goth vehicle, hits the spot.
Slasher summer is a vibe/aesthetic that seeks to encapsulate the hot, sweaty, horror nostalgia of '80s scary movies and TV. Think Stranger Things, rewatches of Friday the 13th, and retro clothes you'd find in the 1983 classic Sleepaway Camp.
Maxxxine fits the bill on so many accounts, and I knew it from the minute I saw the first trailer a few months back. But, as a caveat —and I don't recommend you do this— I saw Maxxxine first last week without having seen any of the other movies in the trilogy. I was suitable impressed though, so I then watched Pearl and then, finally, X. (This is right up my alley; I saw Infinity War after only having seen like 4 Marvel movies).
But seeing all of the X movies out of order gives me an interesting vantage point to analyze them, and I do think they work well together. Being introduced to Maxine as a tough survivor on the precipice of success (albeit with an intense and nearly sadistic propensity for violence) before having followed her through the physical and emotional trauma of the Texas Porn Star Massacre gives you a new appreciation for the baggage that we all carry hidden deep inside.
Maxxxine finds our heroine about to star in her first major non-porn feature film, a horror sequel directed by a classy auteur played by Elizabeth Debicki, who aims to mentor the young porn star. As shooting begins, Maxine's friends are being murdered by an unknown figure, masked and leather-gloved in a nod to old giallo films.
The year is 1985, and the Los Angeles vibes that West manages to evoke on camera are absolutely stellar. He always hires good music supervisors, but this film truly outdoes itself with gems that capture the mood, ranging from Judas Priest to New Order. Gritty and nostalgic shots of the Strip, the Hollywood hills, and classic videotape rental stores dot the background. Most scenes are punctuated with late-night TV news updates about the ongoing Nightstalker murders and the killer behind them. There is so, so much cocaine.
We're kept in the dark about the killer until the very end, but his go-between is a Louisiana private investigator played by Kevin Bacon in a comedic role straight out of Coen Brothers central casting.
There's a lot you could write about this movie, from a wide selection of themes: nostalgia, repression, paranoia, history, and Hollywood. I'll keep this review short, but lots of undergrads in coming years will write many a paper on this trilogy, Maxxxine especially.
Hollywood and the desire for stardom, in particular, is probably the most prominent theme, and one that runs through all of these movies. Pearl wanted to be a dancer in the Follies in 1918 and had a pet alligator named Theda (after Theda Bara, the silent film star). Maxine, as a struggling actress reaching for respectability, stubs out a cigarette with her shoe on Theda Bara's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Maxine evades her pursuers on various lots throughout Hollywood studios, at times even taking refuge in the Psycho house overlooking the famed Bates Motel set. Hollywood loves nothing more than homages to itself and show business.
By the end of the movie, we get a reveal of who the killer is, but something about it just falls flat. It's got a tie-in to the other movies, though honestly it would have been better if maybe it didn't.
The problem, I think, is that the movie spends so much time focusing on character performances and overall (killer) vibes that I think it just didn't have energy left over to stick the landing.
It's still a fun watch. I find Ti West's movies compulsively watchable and never boring. If you like the other movies, you're probably going to enjoy the hell out of Maxxxine even if you're less than blown away by the finale. There are some gore scenes that I am still thinking (and shuddering) about, that had the entire audience slack-jawed. But that's show biz, baby.
The Math
Baseline Score: 8/10.
Bonuses: Elizabeth Debicki steals the scene in every shot she's in; it's a love letter to Hollywood, which Hollywood loves; the classic horror Easter eggs are fun to catch
POSTED BY: Haley Zapal is a lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, growing corn and giving them pun names like Timothee Chalamaize, and thinking about fried chicken.
