X (2022) review

16. X (2022)

Directed by: Ti West

Produced by: Ti West, Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, Harrison Kreiss

Screenplay by: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, Scott Mescudi

This might be the most confusing “X-Men” prequel I’ve ever heard of; the whole mutant storyline was totally dropped, talk about superhero fatigue. No actually, this send-up to exploitation films came out in 2022 under the easy-to-remember title “X,” itself a reference to the X rating used by the MPAA from 1968 to 1990. Directed by Ti West—who helmed the criminally underrated “The House of the Devil”—it’s about a group who travels to a farm in Texas, using a rented guesthouse to make a pornographic film, only to find themselves unwitting victims of the strange elderly couple that own the property. Upon first glance, this might seem trashy and unbecoming, but there’s a purpose to the overall crudity; it’s a movie with plenty of intelligence and creativity, which helps conceal its reliance on cliches.

Taking place in 1979, we meet our main character Maxine (Mia Goth), an aspiring adult film star traveling to make a movie called “The Farmer’s Daughters” with her producer boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson), fellow burlesque dancer Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Marine Corps veteran Jackson (Scott Mescudi), both of whom are also acting in the picture, director RJ (Owen Campbell), and his sound operator girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), who is initially skeptical of the subject matter. They’re renting the house for filming from couple Howard (Stephen Ure) and Pearl (Goth); however, the former immediately shows hostility, while the latter frequently watches the group from a distance as they loiter around the area. As the two of them become aware of the nature of their film, the situation turns violently bizarre, as in Maxine’s ambition to become a star, she may instead become a headline.

Whether you’re a horror fan or not, you may or may not get into the overtly sexual nature of the film; but like I said, the story does complement it. Believe it or not, the X rating didn’t always mean what we think it means; it used to just indicate the rating for a movie not submitted for approval from the MPAA, and it applied to mainstream films like “Midnight Cowboy” and “A Clockwork Orange.” It wasn’t until the pornographic industry exploited that standard by giving their movies an X rating, to the point that it pretty much became associated with it; so movies that would’ve been X back in the day had to be censored to receive an R rating, lest theaters refuse to show them. The attitude of the main characters reflects that, as they speak in very exploratory and free-loving terms; I actually would’ve preferred if the story was set a little earlier in the decade, as I think it would fit more with the hippie culture, but it’s still an appropriate backdrop that’s still somewhat timely today, creating a contrast between them and the more stringent couple that sees any premarital vice as sin punishable by biblical means.

Mia Goth has become one of those actors with a very distinguished face, and she really makes it work to her advantage as Maxine, showing plenty of conviction in the eyes, and portraying the kind of big-eyed, naïve innocence of someone who’s just now able to live how she wants and steadfastly refuses to settle for anything less. Goth actually pulls double duty; she also plays Pearl, just covered in prosthetics that took reportedly up to six hours to apply. It might sound like an odd choice, but again there’s a purpose to it, personifying the movie’s theme of aging, youth and nostalgia, specifically how one generation views another, and what toxic types of feelings can come from it. Aside from her, Brittany Snow plays a convincing carefree Bobby-Lynne, Martin Henderson gives Wayne more nuance than you’d think from a pornographic film producer, and Jenna Ortega’s Lorraine gets some of the film’s more inexplicable moments; pop quiz, if some creepy old guy you don’t know asked you to go down to his basement to grab a flash light, would you do it? If your answer is “Yes,” congratulations; you’re a moron.

The techniques and craft are impressive, and there are some clever methods of suspense, like the setup with Maxine swimming in the lake with an alligator; however, I do think the pace of the film is pretty slow, the editing and sound design are a little rough, and there are elements in the story that are predictable or not necessarily relevant. But at the same time, there is a refreshing audacity to this movie that I imagine would give it a passionate core audience. What’s one of Randy’s rules in “Scream?” You can’t have sex in a horror movie or you’ll die; well, we had “It Follows” back in 2015 that turned that role on its head, and now “X” also provides an interesting subversion. I don’t think this is as scary as “It Follows,” but it has genuine insight into its environment, evocative of classics like “Psycho” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” in more ways than you’d think. For a film that could’ve just been exploitative eye candy, there’s something really fulfilling on the inside as well.

My rating: 8/10