Last night I watched MaXXXine, Ti West’s hyped followup to the throwback slasher flick X and its prequel Pearl. While I am no Roger when it comes to talking cinema, my newly found passion for horror generally has me sharing my thoughts over on my Letterboxd account. Though these “reviews” are usually my low-spoons post-movie impressions.

MaXXXine is a big one so I figure it’d be fun to share my thoughts with you! There may be minor spoilers for X and Pearl though I’ve done my best to keep it spoiler free because I honestly think that if you love horror, you should enjoy those movies free from the spoils of movie critics (or people like me). And I do recommend you watch X first, then Pearl, as the prequel film will spoil some major parts of X. Also of course, if you need them, check Does the Dog Die for trigger warnings.

Alright so MaXXXine is set 10 years on from the events of X, following Maxine Minx, a porn star who lands her first big break into mainstream acting. However, there is a serial killer on the loose in Hollywood and Maxine has a past she wishes to remain dead and buried.

The absolutely fabulous Mia Goth stars as Maxine, an actress I am continually eager to see more of. And we also have possibly one of the greatest actors working today (in my opinion, of course) as Teddy Knight, Esq, her agent: Giancarlo Esposito, most notably of Breaking Bad fame¹. We’ve also got Kevin Bacon, Lily Collins, Halsey, Elizabeth Debicki, just an absolutely fantastic cast.

The movie is set within 1980s Hollywood, during the height of the Satanic Panic and during the time of the infamous Night Stalker serial killer, who is used within this film’s plot. I do feel a little uncomfortable when movies utilise true crime to tell their stories like this when they could just create something new without real-world attachments, but it did work for the story. I also feel like this representation of the 80s is one of the better ones within Hollywood. We see a dark and seedy side of this period in history: adult film stars in peril, homophobia, peep shows, dingy video rental stores, all the “good” stuff. It presents a great aesthetic for a thriller that follows on from a 70s-throwback horror slasher. And there are some absolutely iconic scenes in here. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the car scene… wow. Brutal stuff.

The story itself is fine. I liked where it led and how we got there, but it is trying to present itself as a mystery thriller… however, there isn’t much mystery here, so don’t go in expecting a whodunnit.

As for the movie’s climax, I felt like it was a little weak. I loved what it was doing, but it felt like it was over way too fast and could have gone much harder. Though what we did get was still pretty good. None of this takes away from how much I loved this sequel. I really enjoyed myself and heck I want to watch the Pilgrim movies now?! Can we get those made next?