Between virginal babysitters and unpopped-cherry camp counsellors, sex and death have always had a direct correlation within horror cinema. Be it subtle or overt, the themes of doin’ it and dyin’ tend to go hand-in-hand. No subtext here, Ti West’s X ships a crew of dirty movie filmmakers out to an old farm in rural Texas where, as filming gets underway, the bodies hit the floor.
Maxine (Mia Goth) is one of the stars of this skin flick, filmed by artsy RJ (Owen Campbell) and executive produced by her boyfriend, Wayne (Martin Henderson, channelling Matthew McConaughey). Along for the ride are co-stars Jackson Hole (Kid Cudi) and Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and RJ’s girlfriend and assistant, Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). Holing up in an old cabin to film their porno, none of them are prepared for how freaky their little shoot is about to get.
Returning to feature length filmmaking for the first time since 2013’s The Sacrament, West delivers his best Tobe Hooper impression with this loving pastiche of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Eaten Alive. Over time, the Hooper-isms give way to a distinct identity all of X’s very own, leading to one of the most grotesque and unusual horror films seen in recent years. Coming at a time when the multiplexes are at their most sexless, X earns its 18 rating on all fronts. No screed on repression, this (although there is a little bit of that), West is informed by the horrors of ageing and the impotent rage which follows.
Clearly the time away has not dulled West’s own purpose. X is as strong as any of the director’s previous work, featuring his most brutal kill sequences and upsetting character deaths to date. Between West’s screenplay and a universally strong cast, X is surprisingly affecting – culminating in a tear-jerking acoustic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”
Inevitably, the film’s second half falls back on various overplayed slasher traditions – the “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” needle drop is an obvious one. However, its scares are masterfully done – both the jump variety and visceral – its villains unpredictable and original.
Cleverly subverting old “sex equals death” tropes, this is a tremendous return from a modern master of horror. X marks the (G) spot.
