It’s 1979 and you’re in rural Texas shooting an adult film. You rent out a guesthouse on the farm of an elderly, possibly senile, couple, and you hide from them what you’re really there to do. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually, if you’re the film team in X, the latest from Ti West, his first horror film since 2013’s The Sacrament.
The team in question is producer Wayne (Martin Henderson), performer and Wayne’s girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), other performers Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson (Scott Mescudi), director RJ (Owen Campbell), and boom mic operator and RJ’s girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). And while young, sexually active (professional or otherwise) characters wandering unknowingly into danger isn’t exactly breaking new ground in the horror movie landscape, West has a certain flair and creative style that makes X feel fresh and new.
The crew for The Farmer’s Daughter (the adult film within the film) should have turned around as soon as they arrived at the farmhouse. Wayne is greeted with the business end of a shotgun by owner Howard (Stephen Ure), before reminding him they were there to rent the guesthouse. But one of the first rules of being a character in a horror movie is to ignore obvious signs of danger. So they stay. And they sneak around, filming the porno in secret, hiding it from Howard and his wife Pearl (also Mia Goth, who pulls double duty and is completely unrecognizable).
It’s only a matter of time before things start going wrong – very, very wrong – for the group. But one of the key things that makes X work so well is that timing. You could almost say X is two different stories combined into one (heck, the movie almost says as much itself). The real gore doesn’t happen until later than most will expect it to. And it’s a master class in building tension. You know the mayhem and gore are coming, and every minute that passes without any just increases the uneasiness and tension for the audience. And in a huge surprise to me, that is furthered by the use of what is usually one of my least favorite film making choices: opening with a scene some time into the movie before cutting back to some time earlier.
In this case, though, it actually ended up being incredibly effective. X opens with police officers arriving at a crime scene. We see them go into the basement of the house where they react to…something. And that’s it. It then cuts to 24 hours earlier. I almost always hate this choice. Almost always. But like with most things, there are exceptions. We don’t see main characters and we don’t see any of eventual carnage. But what really brings it home for me is the 24 hour timeframe.
That gives a definitive timeline for the events to take place. You can keep track – to a point – how much time passes in the story. You know the killings and violence and gore are coming. West will tease it, but nothing happens. He’ll tease it again, and nothing happens. Eventually you’ll realize how much time has passed with still none of the advertised gruesomeness. It had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. And you know what? The first kill still came as a surprise. But then once it gets going, it just doesn’t stop, and it’s awesome.
I mentioned X makes note of the fact that it feels like two distinct stories, and that’s another way West puts a unique spin on it. At one point, Lorraine says she wants to do a scene in the movie, but RJ complains, saying they can’t just change the story halfway through. It’s a clear signal to the audience to get ready. And it’s not the only instance of X being self-referential like this. And I loved it. I can see where this might not hit for everyone, it could come off as “too cute.” But I can’t recall another movie so obviously referencing itself like this, that I was all in.
The editing is also insanely creative. The “Landslide” scene, for example. That’s all I’ll say. But again, just one example of West finding ways to further set his movie apart from the typical horror or slasher flick. Sure, there are some of the usual tropes still present, ie characters making inexplicably and entirely preventable poor decisions. In one scene, someone goes outside in the middle of the night in nothing but his underwear. Doesn’t even bother to put shoes on. But there is so much that is unique, or at the very least feels unique, that X ultimately doesn’t feel like any horror movie I’ve seen before.
But even with all that, no horror movie can fully succeed without effective kills. And this is where I was a little trepidatious. Howard and Pearl are old. Like, really, really old. How are they going to get the upper hand on this group of young people? Obviously I won’t spoil that, but it works, and it works really well. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and that’s a concern of yours, you can safely leave that one behind. On a side note, the ultimate motivations are hysterical. I don’t think they were meant to be funny, but they were to me, and it honestly made it that much better in my eyes.
But those kills, man oh man do they rule. They’re creative (there’s that word again), well thought out, and even, yes, fun. And that holds true for all of X. It’s an absolute riot. X is far from a full-on horror-comedy, but there are some legitimately hilarious moments. It’s a wonderful mix of levity and seriousness.
And that brings us to the cast. Goth is terrific in her dual roles. Henderson plays the sleazy but likable Wayne to perfection. And I love the direction West went with this character. If you think of slimeball, low-budget porn producer, you might think of a literal greaseball, slicked back hair and all, a real disgusting guy inside and out. But Wayne is handsome and charming. Ortega is killing this year. First she’s one of the leads in Scream, maybe my favorite movie so far from 2022. Then she has The Fallout, a truly phenomenal movie that I can’t recommend enough. And now this. She’s only 19 and is already giving us all this? I simply cannot wait to see where her career goes.
Mescudi (Kid Cudi, for those who may not know) is fine, though his character is probably the least interesting. I like what he does with what he’s given, but unfortunately it’s not much. Campbell’s RJ is kind of in the same boat, though he gets slightly more development. He plays off stereotypes of a few different kinds of characters/people, and it’s a fun little role. Then there’s Brittany Snow’s Bobby-Lynne. Part of the idea of the character is that she’s someone who everyone easily falls in love with. And if you don’t, then you must not have a pulse.
Snow’s probably having the most fun with her role than anyone else, and she’s just an absolute delight. She has that peppy enthusiasm – for life, for sex, for everything – that stands in stark contrast to the much darker themes at play. If one actor is going to be singled out here, it’s likely going to be Goth. And while that’s certainly deserved, Snow easily gives my favorite performance.
X works on all levels. It works as a horror, it works as a drama. Not all the character beats quite work, though they do for the most part. And if you’re looking for something with a deeper meaning, or at least something that’s a little clearer on its intended messaging, this misses the mark there, but only just. But whatever way you slice it, X is an expertly crafted film and a damn fun time. You can’t really ask for much more than that.
P.S.
Stick around through the end of the credits
Score: 94/100
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