In 2022, Ti West and Mia Goth collaborated to give us X, a movie that attempted to change the attitude to sex that many, previous, slasher movies had upheld in the past and in turn delivered possibly the greatest stalk and slash movie of its type in over 20 years. Soon after, the dynamic duo delivered Pearl, a glossy, rose-tinted prequel that showed us that X’s bitter old antagonist was just as psychologically ambitious – not to mention unfeasibly dangerous – back when she was a young, wide-eyed woman.
Well, completing what is possibly the most intriguing trilogy of recent times is MaXXXine, the final entry in West and Goth’s epic saga that brings matters into the drug-fueled, sleazoid glitz of the 80s with style to spare. If X gave us the 70s porn industry seen through the dry and dusty lens of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Pearl saw its lead’s spectacular 1912 breakdown through the day glow prism of The Wizard Of Oz, then MaXXXine’s time of huge shoulder pads and VHS is perfectly cast in the mold of a sleazy Brian De Palma thriller.
It’s time to run through Maxine’s final scene…
Six years after she survived the violent rampage that befell the small crew of an independent porn movie, Maxine Minx still has gargantuan aspirations to become famous, and after nabbing a role in a low budget horror film named The Puritan II, it seems like the star-in-waiting is finally ready to leave the world of skin flicks behind and forge her path to the top. Still, even for a woman as battle-hardened as Maxine, Los Angeles in the year of 1985 is no fucking joke, essentially with the kill crazy killer dubbed the Night Stalker still running around.
However, when some of these vicious kills start hitting closer to home than Maxine would like, she’s starts feeling decidedly uneasy – but even as she gamely ploughs on with her big break under the watchful eye of of her stern but passionate director, Elizabeth Bender, the arrival of a videotape that contains explicit, pornographic footage shot at that fateful farmhouse in Texas throws her for a loop.
Adding her worries is the presence of John Lebat, an unfeasibly skeevy private investigator, who seems to be the drawling mouthpiece of the mystery man that has looked the young woman in their sights. But with presence of mutilated bodies and suspicious police clashing with her desperate desire to make it big, Maxine needs to bury her past along with whomever is stalking her if she is ever going to achieve her goal.
It’s always been said that Hollywood is a killer town where only the most cutthroat of people can possibly hope to thrive, but when this becomes horrifically literal, Maxine is going to gave to extend her claws to survive.
But then – Maxine’s emerged from massacres before….
So, I’m a little disappointed to report that despite being the final instalment of Ti West’s X trilogy, MaXXXine isn’t quite the big blowout we were all hoping for. It’s a shame, because much like he did with the previous two instalments, West shows he has a near unparalleled talent for nailing the period aesthetics as his view of the 1980s is as alive and tangible as his takes on 1912 and 1979 were. Spinning and weaving actual events into his tale (Richard Ramirez’s infamous murder spree looms large over proceedings) the movie nails the grimy underbelly of a coke-dusted Hollywood in a way I haven’t quite seen since the actual 80s itself and it’s the most thrilling aspect of the film by far.
However, outside of that glossy, De Palma style grime, MaXXXine seems undone somewhat by it’s own ambition as its director and star both have way to much to say about everything including, but not limited to, censorship, empowered women, the nature of fame and the history of Hollywood itself. As a result, the movie seems loss within itself as all of these ideas, points and stylish flourishes jostle for prominence which noticeably dilutes the more focused drive of the previous two movies. Both X and Pearl were mostly limited to a single location which gave the stories and themes space to grow organically, but with all of Hollywood to fuck around with and a far more varied (and impressively starry) cast, MaXXXine seems to be trying the same trick as Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood pulled, only with half the runtime and thus only gets to shine part of the time.
However, when it does shine, West shows that that the same, mean-spirited engine that fuelled the first two movies is still very much in effect. Mia Goth is predictably still amazing as Maxine doubles down on the life advice that got her so far in the first place and the actress continues that high quality that the series has set since it’s start. Goth manages to walk a fine line of having her beleaguered alter ego alternate between being be the aggressor (watch her take a would-be rapist to task with wince-inducing, nut-stamping revenge) and being the victim (claustrophobes should steer well clear of a scene where our heroine is encased in plaster of paris for a head casting) and the entire trilogy continues to be an enviable calling card for an actress who couldn’t give a fuck about taboos. She’s surrounded by a truly impressive cast headed by Elizabeth Delbiki’s frosty director, who should now only ever accept roles now that allow her to wear aggressive 80s shoulder pads. Elsewhere, Kevin Bacon goes full loathsome sleeze-bag as he milks a Louisiana accent for all he’s worth through gold teeth and Giancarlo also makes an impact as Maxine’s devoted agent and they’re just two of an ensemble that includes Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lilly Collins and Moses Sumney.
Matching the star power is West’s desire to visually tip his hat to as much of Hollywood’s history as he can. The aforementioned nods to early 80s De Palma are undeniable, but inbetween references to Dario Argento and Stanley Kubrick, a bravura moment that has Maxine pursued through various blacklots only to end up at the mocked up exterior of the Bates Motel truly shows the director’s love for the medium.
It seems like 2024 was A24’s year to go big, but still in it’s own, unique way and after Civil War’s country spanning scale, even Maxine has a big finish that takes place at the Hollywood sign, but while MaXXXine manages to wrap up the X trilogy in a decent way, it simply doesn’t stand on it’s own the way that X and Pearl did. For example, if I had seen either of the first two movies without any prior knowledge of the trilogy, I would be intrigued to see the rest – but if I had seen MaXXXine first, I doubt I would have bothered to catch up with the others.
Maxine Minx’s star still shines as brightly as ever, but her final bow isn’t the cinematic home run we all were waiting for.
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