X

 

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, “X” is director Ti West's brand new film, his first in six years. Personally I am a huge fan of West's slow burn horror films, particularly “The House of the Devil”, so when I learned he had made a new feature, it went straight to my most anticipated list of 2022. Thankfully (and somewhat surprisingly) “X” made it onto cinema screens here in Australia earlier in the year, which is where I saw the film, but sadly the screening was poorly attended with only myself and a few other patrons in the cinema. However I am happy to say that the poor attendance is not indicative of the quality of “X” as a film, as it is another very well made and disturbing horror picture that fits comfortably within Ti West's filmography.

The imdb describes “X” like so: “Set in 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast and crew find themselves fighting for their lives”.

Typical of the previous horror films directed by West, “X” has a long and slowly paced set-up where we meet all of the characters, as well as get to know their characteristics and start to care for them before the horror elements kick in. The first hour of “X” is predominately filled with fun and frivolity as a group of friends set out to make a really good dirty movie. Thankfully West has filled the film with a bunch of enjoyable characters who have great rapport with one another, so it is no chore being in their company for the entirety of the film. Getting us to really care for each of these characters is one of West's strengths and paramount so the impact of the film's final half an hour hits that much stronger when they are all in trouble.

Whilst a large chunk of this opening hour consists of the group making their porno, I would never call “X” a sleazy film. West handles the adult material maturely and with the respect the subject deserves, while never skimping on either the sex or nudity. This is a film for adults, no doubt, but it is not a vehicle for some sleazy T and A, although both do feature heavily. There is almost a naivety amongst the group during the making of their porno, as this is before the over-saturation of the market, thanks to the advent of the video-cassette, when adult films actually did have some artistic merit to them. That said, it is also very funny as the dialogue they shoot is filled with all the usual innuendo-filled cliches you would expect to find in a porn film made in the 70's.

The cast of “X” has been put together perfectly, both in looking the part and of the period, and in the chemistry they have together as a group. It is a surprisingly very well acted film with Brittany Snow shedding her good girl persona from the “Pitch Perfect” franchise to become the sexy and sultry Bobby-Lynne, while Scott Mescudi impresses as Jackson, her on and off-screen partner and ex-Vietnam vet. The big surprise of the cast is Jenna Ortega, in her most adult role to date, playing the shy sound recordist of the porn film, who finds herself more turned on and drawn into the making of the film than she initially expected. She is excellent, as usual, but really, this is Mia Goth's film! She is an absolute superstar in “X”, not least because she does double duty here, playing two completely different roles, both with extreme gusto. Firstly, she plays Maxine, a girl who believes she is destined for stardom and who is obsessed with becoming a star, convinced that this porn film is the first step towards that success. Goth infuses her with so much energy, grit and determination, with Maxine coming across like a female Dirk Diggler. The other role Goth plays is of the elderly and dangerous woman, Pearl, who is the owner of the ranch house that the group are renting. Pearl is such an interesting character and one that gives “X” a layer of sadness to it, as she is someone pining for her lost youth and beauty, while being melancholic over the fact that old age has robbed her and her husband of their sexuality. When Pearl comes across Maxine, she sees something in the young girl that reminds her of herself at a similar age, and this is when Pearl becomes dangerous and “X” starts to get really creepy. In fact I would define “X” as a whole as more of a creepy experience rather than a scary one. To be honest, I am not really sure why West chose Mia Goth to play Pearl too, but she is heart-breakingly (and terrifyingly) good in the role, but with the fact that Pearl predominately interacts with Goth's other character Maxine, it seems like it would have been that much harder to shoot, but it all works out very well.

I keep saying how “X” is “unexpectedly” good in a number of areas, which is rather unfair, but I mean in terms of what people may be expecting from the type of film it is: a 1970's set grindhouse slasher film. “X” is an extremely well made film that gets its 1970's production and costume design on point, whilst also aping the visual style of those gritty 70's grindhouse films I love so much. It has that dirty “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” feel about it, which is an impressive feat as “X” was shot in New Zealand. I also think Ti West's direction is very sharp resulting in his best film since “The House of the Devil”. I think the aspect of the film that I was most impressed by though was the editing, particularly a number of excellent and clever scene transitions. Ti West edits his own films (although this time he had help from David Kashevaroff) and he is quite playful in his approach using swipes, match-cuts, split-screen and numerous other period-specific techniques. Right from the very impressive opening shot, I knew West was on top of his game with “X”. He gives the appearance that he is shooting in the 1.33 square ratio, focusing on Pearl's farmhouse, before the camera moves forward which opens the image wider, revealing to the viewer that we are actually inside the barn, and what initially looked like a movie frame, was actually the doors of the barn itself; very clever. West and his cinematographer Eliot Rockett have created a beautiful, yet grungy looking film in “X”, which is filled with fantastic shot selections and shot designs, whilst never looking too perfect. The colours have that 1970's washed out feel to them, and the image quality feels rough. It definitely feels of the era, but comes across as being from the more high-end of the grindhouse film market.

In regards to the horror of “X”, just as how West didn't hold back with the sexual nature of the film early on, he likewise isn't afraid to spray the red stuff around in the final half an hour too. It takes awhile to get there, but once the horror kicks in, “X” becomes a total bloodbath which doesn't let up until the credits roll. I was super impressed by the quick changing of tones in the film, as the first instance of violence happens so quick and is so brutal that it is as if West is alerting the audience that fun time is over, and this is what you are getting from now until the end. From this moment, the fun immediately stops, and the terror begins. Thankfully the majority of the gore is done practically and I got amusement out of how each death scene was somewhat prophesized by dialogue spoken earlier in the film. An example of this is when one character states “their eyes are going to pop out of their damn skulls when they see this” in reference to the adult film they are shooting – this character then dies via a pitchfork through the eyes. The deaths occur via all manner of gruesomeness such as knife slashings, shotgun wounds, alligator attacks, graphic hand trauma, car trampling and it is all glorious stuff.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with “X” and thought it was great to have Ti West handling another horror film again. The man is certainly a talent in the genre and it had been too long since his previous horror movie (2013's “The Sacrament”). It is an incredibly well made film that has been well cast and acted by everyone, but Mia Goth steals the show here! She is outstanding and has created TWO iconic characters in “X” with both the star-driven Maxine, and particularly the elderly and demented Pearl. Some people may struggle with the “long” set-up before the horror, but I thought it added to the film immensely.

3.5 Stars.