31/45

The prequel released later in 2022

Line of Events

In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in a rural Texas farm, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the crew find themselves fighting for their lives.. The day after X (2022)'s South by Southwest premiere, writer/director Ti West revealed that during a mandatory two-week COVID-19 quarantine in his New Zealand hotel, before production could begin on this film, he wrote a prequel, Pearl (2022). A24 saw the script and greenlit the movie even before production on "X" had wrapped. He asked star Mia Goth if she wished to remain in New Zealand and film "Pearl," and she readily accepted.

Edited into MaXXXine (2024)

When Lorraine enters the basement and turns the light on, there is a modern halogen light bulb, which was not available in 1979.. Maxine: I will not accept a life I do not deserve.. There are no opening credits. The title doesn't even appear on screen until the end..

Act NaturallyPerformed by Loretta LynnWritten by Vonie Morrison, Johnny RussellCourtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

An interesting slow burn, but without enough to make it stand against the countless other slasher films, X is a fine film and another tribute to the iconic genre that made horror so popular in the first place. Granted, I do enjoy myself a slasher film from time to time- I'm quite fond of films like Nightmare on Elm Street and My Bloody Valentine, but where X faults among the others is through using a rather familiar formula without any true unique purpose. Throughout the film the characters often talk about an X factor, something that makes Mia Goth's character special and starworthy- but unlike its mentionings- this film just doesn't have that. The acting is really good, I love the underrated Mia Goth as always- as well as Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson, and even Kid Cudi did a rather impressive job.

The cinematography is fantastic and perfectly fits the amitpshere and tone the film is going for

The music is enjoyable and tense, and its pacing can be a bit slow at times, but does allow for an interesting point of view. Its main problem lies solely in its script, which revolves largely around a smut film production- but takes too many elements and formulaic tendencies from other horror films like Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, The Visit and most obviously Texas Chainsaw Massacre to really stand out on its own and become its own thing. In the end, its not a bad watch, I wouldn't watch it again, but I certainly didn't mind watching it. It isn't the most memorable, but I certainly don't have any disdain for it.

See which films ranked highest on IMDb

It just could have been more, especially given the talent involved, but ironically it settled for less.My Rating: 5.8/10.. A24 has produced some of the most memorable horror films of the 21st century.