“I will not accept a life I do not deserve.”
In 2022 writer and director Ti West gave horror fans the gift of the one/two horror punch of the films X and Pearl. From those two films came the rise of Mia Goth, who has since become horror royalty, and since the rumors began to rumble about a third film in this horror series, it has been hard to not get excited. Ever since the announcement of MaXXXine and hearing the cast of the film, it’s been the horror film I’ve been most looking forward to. I’ve been a big fan of Ti West ever since 2009 when I saw The House of the Devil. I adore that film, to the point where I have a Mondo poster of it hanging in my living room, and then he did The Innkeepers, which for me cemented his awesomeness, and that he wasn’t simply a fluke. When you look at his filmography and you watch his films, you can see the man has talent, but for some reason he’s not a bigger name in the industry. But I feel like that’s going to change soon, and it seems like A24 knows that West can deliver the goods, especially when you consider that they are releasing the film over 4th of July weekend, typically a spot meant for huge tentpole movies … or am I just being delusional?
I’ll say this right now: while I highly recommend seeing Pearl, mostly because of the amazing performance Goth gives in that film, it isn’t necessary to be able to enjoy Maxxxine, but seeing X will certainly help. It’s 1985, and it has been six years since the events at the farmhouse in X unfolded, and Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has moved on to Hollywood to pursue her dreams of being a star. Things seem to be looking up for Maxine as we watch her nail an audition in the opening scene, though it seems she’s still dancing and doing adult films … oh, and cocaine; yeah, she’s doing a lot of cocaine, but that’s just part of the charm of the 80s, right? The opening credits really set the tone of the film as we see news headlines of the time and a big focus on the Night Stalker, the serial killer who was terrorizing the citizens of Los Angeles at the time when the Satanic Panic was also at its peak and conservatives were fighting against Hollywood and the music industry. When I say Ti West captures this moment in time, it’s not a flashy neon clean version of 1985; his version has grime and sleaze and feels dangerous.
It turns out Maxine does get the part she auditioned for, and it is for the lead part in a sequel to a successful film called The Puritain. The film is being directed by Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). She’s a director who is looking to make more than just a sequel; she wants to be treated as a serious artist. She makes it clear that she’s taking a risk by casting Maxine due to her adult film past, but she acknowledges that she sees talent in her. Part of me wishes we got more with these two together, especially because of the time period and these strong women both able to see the drive and hunger to succeed, you can see how these two would bond … but this isn’t that kind of film. The only real male friend in Maxine’s life is Leon (Moses Sumney), who works at a video store next to her apartment. We are quickly reminded what kind of film this is when Maxine finds a videotape on her doorstep that reveals someone knows about her violent past, and to make matters worse, someone is killing her friends. If you are worried Maxine may have lost her edge and is going to just play victim, trust me, Maxine has not lost her edge, and we see that when she confronts a mugger.
This film is bigger in star power that we see throughout the film. Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan play a pair of homicide detectives who are investigating murders that may or may not be connected to the Night Stalker. Giancarlo Esposito plays Maxine’s entertainment lawyer, Teddy Night, who deserves a film of his own … he may not have a lot of screen time, but he’s so much fun every time we see him on screen. Then there is Kevin Bacon playing the ultimate sleaze-ball private detective, John Labat. OK, you know that when people say “so and so steals a movie” most times I kind of just roll my eyes, but what Kevin Bacon does here is on another level. Oh, and when his nose gets broken and we later see him dressed and looking like Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, OK, I friggin loved that. Then there is the studio back lot; this is almost a character of its own. The Psycho references from X have their payoff here.
Is the killer targeting Maxxxine to get her off the picture, or is it all a coincidence? Who hired John Labat to find Maxine? These are the big questions in the film, and with the scope of this film being so big, I feel the only part that disappointed me was that I wanted more time with all the separate plots going on and with all the characters we are introduced to. This easily could have been stretched out to a limited series. The film is simply so rich with material it had me craving more … like the stuff with Leon at his video store. I would have loved to see him dealing with customers, and he even gets a bit of a story of his own, but we don’t see it go anywhere. Though, I get it, the film can’t be three hours long, and it’s better to want more and be happy rather than feel like you watched something that was bloated and unfulfilled.
Now the film is kind of marketed as a slasher, but I’m not quite sure that’s a fair description. I can’t help but feel this had elements of the Giallo films of the 80s, but also a bit of Brian De Palma and a slew of other films like Crimes of Passion and Mrs. 45, and then throw in some elements of the Satanic Panic films, and this film was the result. This film is definitely its own film and stands out from the previous two, and that’s what I love most about this franchise. Each film has its own style, and what things you’re into might factor into which film you like more than the others.
I know some people might complain about the film’s third act. Sure, I had it figured out early on, but I don’t feel like West was really going for a “gotcha” twist with this film. Instead I feel West simply made this as a love letter to the films of the 80s that he loved growing up. The cinematography is fantastic, and honestly, I’d love to see what this looks like on VHS. I know that might sound crazy, but this just feels like the movies I used to rent from the video store when I was growing up, and I love it for reminding me of that feeling. In theory MaXXXine may close out the trilogy, but I feel like there’s still more they can do, maybe bring her into the 2000’s and have her in a “found footage” film. I don’t know what may be next for Ti West, but I feel he and Mia Goth are a tremendous creative pairing, and I’ll watch anything they do at this point.
