Concluding A24's and Ti West's cult horror trilogy, MaXXXine is all gritty glitz and gory glam as it takes audiences into the sleaze and camp of 1980s Hollywood.
Maxxxine Review
In 2022, writer-director Ti West wowed audiences when he took his minimalistic approach to horror and crafted X, his homage to 70s/80s slashers. Before it even premiered, a prequel was ordered and later that same year Pearl, a more psychological based thriller, debuted. Now it's time for the conclusion to the cult trilogy, MaXXXine, which once again sees West paying homage to the horror genre while also exploring sexuality, satanic panic, and the lengths one goes to achieve their goals. Despite those themes running concurrently through the franchise, each entry feels distinct in how West approaches the story. Slightly less carnage than the others, but still offering some visceral gore, MaXXXine closes out the story of Maxine in a mostly satisfying way.
Underneath the neon lights, MaXXXine is without a doubt a horror film. Not only because the past threatens Maxine's future but because there is a real life element to it as well. While Maxine is dealing with a shadowy figure hell-bent on hurting her, women in Los Angeles are running scared from a real serial killer. West, unsubtly drawing on Alfred Hitchcock and many others, has put together something that is scary, bloodthirsty, and creepy as hell. And if it all starts to seem familiar that's because West has taken Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and drenched it in bright red blood splatters, severed body parts, and lechery.
It's 1985 and Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) is about to have her dreams come true. Six years after she survived the Texas massacre, she is now living life in the sunny city of Los Angeles, looking as self-assured and bratty as ever. Behind her eyes though, the trauma of her past lurks despite her best efforts to wall up her emotions. She is determined to make it in “straight pictures,” films that are quite the opposite of the ones she is known for (and still does in order to make a living). She also seems unafraid of the Night Stalker, a serial killer who is brutally attacking young women in the city.
Soon she lands the lead role in “The Puritan II,” a sequel to a popular VHS horror movie. Director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) warns Maxine not to screw this up as it will be her only chance. She promises not to but when her mysterious past starts to resurface in the form of a Private Investigator named John Labat (Kevin Bacon) and close friends begin to turn up dead, everything she has worked for could come crashing down around her in one bloody mess. But Maxine won't allow that and instead of running, she chooses to stand and fight.
This franchise has always been summed up by two words: sex and cinema. MaXXXine is the epitome of that pairing. By placing Maxine in a horror film sequel and even having Elizabeth Bender tell her they are trying to make “a B movie with A ideas,” West is able to play around with the meta of it all, much to the delight of genre fans everywhere. There is a chase scene on the Universal Lot that brings Maxine to the home of Psycho’s Norman Bates. That one is obvious even for the most casual fan, but there are plenty of others that callback to other 80s classics and beyond (Vertigo anyone?). That might sound like it could be off-putting after a while but West approaches those classic scenes and tropes with his unique style. To list all the references would take up the rest of this review but suffice it to say, if horror is your thing then prepare to be like a kid in a candy store.
Los Angeles might look beckoning with its palm trees, sunshines, and promise of stardom but West places his namesake in the seedy underbelly of it all. From the onset, the period is painted in juxtapositions. On one hand there is the allure of Hollywood, with its bright spotlights and gifts aplenty. On the other is a president (Ronald Reagan) who is preaching about the moral fiber of this great nation. Sexiness clashes with satanic panic and through it all Maxine is just trying to become the biggest freaking star out there. Thanks to a multi-dimensional performance from Goth, she's going to make it.
After watching X and Pearl, it's not surprising that Mia Goth is a force but she really digs into the progression of Maxine's character for an incredible performance. MaXXXine cements Goth as a Scream Queen, joining the ranks of Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis. She is asked to run the complete spectrum of emotions from horrified and depressed to happy, vulnerable, and immovable. Goth does it all without so much as smudging her makeup (unless you're asking her to cry then she turns the waterworks on and off with ease). It also doesn't hurt that she is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast who are always ready to lean into the campy vibe of it all.
Bacon is a total scumbag, doing his best Jack Nicholson in Chinatown impression. At first you don't hate him too much but it isn't long before you are rooting for his downfall, even if Bacon is gleefully sleazy. Debicki's Bender might seem like she would be a villain or at least a roadblock to Maxine but she is just the definition of smart, cool, and efficient. Like Maxine, Bender has had to fight for her spot at the table and her tough love is exactly what Maxine needs. She chews the scenery and the men who get in her way at every turn. Although the biggest scene stealer is Giancarlo Esposito, putting aside his more villainous side to play Teddy Knight, Maxine’s agent and entertainment lawyer, who acts as a stand-in father figure for her. He might look harmless in his layered sweatsuit but make no mistake, Knight is not to be messed with and you're going to love every second of it.
In terms of horror, out of the three, X still comes out on top for me. Where Pearl was a physiological thriller and X was a slasher, MaXXXine ends up being more a murder mystery, although West still delivers memorable scenes that will leave you in disgusted awe. The alleyway scene that happens fairly early sets the tone for the type of brutality we are in for. Although my favorite was a creative use of a junkyard machine. Despite the lack of outright carnage, there is still bloodshed aplenty but unlike the others, a lot happens off screen. The kills are used to heighten the mystery rather than to simply be as violent as possible.
If there is a flaw to be found in MaXXXine it is the revelation of the killer. It was always going to be hard to top passion-fueled, demented Pearl and her lackey husband but this one didn't even feel like it tried. Maybe that was West's plan all along and having recently rewatched the other films, I can see how we got here even if I felt indifferent about it. Fortunately, the rest of the film and performances of the cast more than make up for it.
VERDICT
Ultimately, MaXXXine is gritty and alluring as it pulls you in for one final romp in its sleazy, campy, '80s world. This finale to the cult horror trilogy is a neon-fever dream of sex, dr*gs, and bloodshed. The performances and setting sell the story even when the most absurd things are happening (why did that character fall like that?). Genre fans will practically be drooling at the references and will likely need more than one viewing to catch them all. With the trilogy at an end, it's easy to see how each film offers something unique yet connected. Based on his distinct style, I am looking forward to seeing what Ti West comes up with next.
MaXXXine releases in theaters on July 3. It is rated R for strong violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use with a runtime of 104 minutes.
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