Film Review: X (2022): A Terrifically Acted Scarefest from A24 and Filmmaker Ti West

X Review

X (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Ti West and starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, James Gaylyn, Simon Prast, Geoff Dolan and Matthew J. Saville.

Director Ti West’s X is one of the best horror films of recent years and has all the markings of a movie destined to become a midnight movie classic. Great horror pictures have not been in low supply the past few years. Midsommar, We Need to Do Something and Hatching instantly come to mind as the best of the best of recent horror gems, but X has something unique about it which is the way it re-creates the time period in which it is set through music, genre throwbacks and cinematography. The year in which the movie takes place is 1979 and it’s a time when pornographic movies were thought to be the next big thing. Set in Texas, the location of the film obviously recalls the 1970’s film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but X has an agenda of its own which goes way beyond the basic slasher movie.

This film begins as the authorities have discovered a bloodbath at a home in rural Texas. We don’t know what exactly happened there, but a film camera is left behind with footage that could help shed light on what, exactly, was going on. We go back to how the story began. A group of young “performers” and “filmmakers” gather at a house in the middle of nowhere. One of the men in the bunch, Wayne (Martin Henderson), pays an old man named Howard (Stephen Ure) for use of the living space adjacent to the main house. This elderly guy has a wife hiding somewhere in the house too and neither one of these two old-timers is going to be all too happy to discover the type of “movie” these young folks are shooting.

A young actress named Maxine (Mia Goth) is the true star of X in more ways than one. Goth plays a dual role in the picture but to give away her second part in the film would be completely immoral as discovering her part in the action is all the fun. Goth is an actress with a lot of personality which is revealed by her distinct mannerisms and Goth does a fantastic job emulating the essence of her character in the picture. Watch a scene where she goes for a swim and just barely escapes an alligator attack. Well, she doesn’t even see the alligator but keep it in mind as it will come back later on.

Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) is the actress who is the true female “star” of the porno being shot within X and the film doesn’t spare close ups of her face as the hunky Jackson (Kid Cudi) is having sex with her. When one of the young ladies behind the scenes of the pornographic work in progress, Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), wants to get in on the action and have sex for the camera herself, her boyfriend RJ (Owen Campbell) won’t hear of it. When RJ goes outside to take off, the movie gets really intense and violent, and the plot takes the audience on a ride that won’t soon be forgotten. The key for our heroes to escape this nightmare is to get away from Howard and his kooky old, sex-crazed wife. These two aging characters are definitely off their rockers.

One of the more surprising scenes in X comes when a couple of key characters sing Stevie Nicks’ song from the time period, Landslide. That sequence in the picture is so different than the rest of the film and, initially, seems out of place here but still helps define the characters and is actually quite welcome in between all the violence and sex the movie displays throughout. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about the violence and the sex but a small break in the interim was definitely appreciated.

X‘s biggest surprise comes in its portrayal of the two vicious, demented old people who are living in the main home where the movie takes place. To give more details surrounding why their actions are surprising would ruin the shocking impact some key scenes make towards the end, but these sequences are jaw droppingly good.

Stay tuned after the credits too because X has one more trick up its sleeve after the names roll at the end. You can probably read what happens online in spoiler forums, but I think it makes more sense to discover the added bonus for yourself after actually seeing the movie.

The women in X are certainly more memorable than the men. Though Kid Cudi has a very distinct presence in the movie, Goth, Ortega and Snow are the film’s most valuable players. Goth is a movie-star who plays her part(s) surprisingly well adding enough depth to her main role to want to see her make it out alive. Ortega’s character’s innocence is terrifically embodied by the actress and Snow is the quintessential porn star. Snow was made for this role.

X is nothing short of true filmmaking brilliance. Ti West has created a very enjoyable horror film that has plenty of gore, to be sure, but, also, has a surprisingly tender center to it. West eventually outdoes himself by keeping the action moving at a fast clip, leaving its audience rooting for both the “good” and “bad” characters throughout. Which side will you take? X ultimately leaves us understanding the killers’ side but rooting for the young folks. X is a work of horrific art that you won’t soon forget.

Rating: 9.5/10

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