X (2022) - Movie Review
What do you get when you take an incredible cast, a visionary director, and a script that nails the slasher genre better than any of the recent big budget attempts?
A damn good movie, that’s what.
Let’s discuss…
X is a 2022 horror / slasher brought to us by writer director Ti West. West has proven to be a polarizing director. His style is closer to Ozploitation than it is to the American Grindhouse films his work is often compared to. When looking at viewer reviews on IMDB.com you’ll find the average reviews fall between 5.5 and 7.0. To the untrained eye, this may lead one to think that his films are mediocre, but it’s more that his films are either love it or hate it affairs.
Which I can personally attest to. I didn’t like 2009’s The House of the Devil at all. I felt it was a derivative, unfinished idea. However, I liked 2011’s The Innkeepers, 2013’s The Sacrament, and I absolutely love X.
The film focuses on the staff of the Bayou Burlesque as they decided to diversify their business from the gentlemen’s club to full on, hardcore pornography. In seeking a cheap, secluded spot to shoot their masterpiece, they road trip it from Houston to the center of Texas’ portion of the Bible Belt. They set-up shop in the guest cabin of a rural farm owned by an unsettling elderly couple, under the auspices of just needing a place to stay for the night. But their dishonesty has dire consequences when the Bible thumping land owners turn out to have more than a little devil in them. Will the cast and crew of this XXX feature survive the climax, or will they join the other bodies at the bottom of the bayou? Find out in tonight’s feature, X.
It’s a simple premise.
And what’s the rule as an artist when working with a simple premise?
If you’re going simple, it’s gotta be perfect.
Good thing Ti West has an obvious love of the overall slasher genre. X utilizes factors from various different eras of the slasher genre including the likes of the extreme graphic violence of the later Italian Gialli of the 80’s, the wit and humor of the Ozploitation genre the Aussie’s invented in the 70’s, and elements of the 90’s American slasher boom.
It’s a perfect mix of elements to produce a taut, heartfelt thriller.
Of course it wouldn’t work without the fantastic cast and incredible script.
Every actor in this movie is a home run. Mia Goth is of course the breakout star of the picture, and has since starred in 2 sequels. She’s a fantastic actress that at first glance lacks the normal beauty one would expect of a starlet, however her sensuality is palpable. It helps that the ensemble of Kid Cudi, the great Martin Henderson, pre-scream Jenna Ortega, and the underrated Brittany Snow all give some of their best perfomances of their careers.
Paired with a fantastic script that fully fleshes out all of the characters you end up liking this group of degenerates. Really, these characters shouldn’t be the heroes. They shouldn’t be all that likable. However, every single character gets fleshed out through environmental and organic dialogue storytelling. It’s simple, but effective technique—however it’s technique that is sorely missing from the mainstream Hollywood system today.
This film is over the top. It’s got excessive nudity, blood, and gore.
It’s a loving homage to the work of Tobe Hooper, Ted Kotcheff, and Mario Bava.
X is not for everyone.
But it’s one of those rare perfect films that sums up an entire genre in less than 2 hours.
If you want to check this one out, it’s currently streaming on Shudder.
