A most fitting tribute to the early days of the slasher film, writer/director Ti West’s X (2022), subtly pulls from Black Christmas, Halloween, while tossing in more liberal doses from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to bring the sub-genre back from the shadowy fringes of death and into mainstream theatres (though you could argue that this one is better suited for a classic drive-in screening).
Opening with a really clever shot that pays homage to the traditional boxy 4:3 aspect ratio of years past, it actually isn’t. . . just some visual trickery to place us in Texas, circa 1979. Rather bluntly teasing a bloody conclusion, we then flash back twenty-four hours to our sex-crazed protagonists.
Led by hotshot producer Wayne (Martin Henderson), he has recruited a small cast and crew (mostly strippers) to film an independent porno for the soon to be burgeoning home marketplace. Having found a rather cheap rural Texan farm to film at, along for the ‘ride’ is his star-dreaming and cocaine snorting girlfriend, Maxine (Mia Goth), blonde bombshell Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), well hung African American Jackson (Kid Cudi), as well as the technical couple of director/cinematographer RJ (Owen Campbell) and boom operator Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) – though he sees this as his chance at making his name with an artistic, avant-garde smut film, she is rather perturbed by the subject matter.
Arriving at the farmhouse, the residents are an extremely elderly couple, snarly and weak-hearted Howard (Stephen Ure), and the supposedly weak of memory Pearl (Goth – this time in impressive disguise). It also becomes quite clear that Wayne has not told them what they are renting the guesthouse for.
Getting to work, there are some odd occurrences, but everything goes quite smoothly. That is until there is a rather clever discussion revolving around Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and that, in very many ways, is the turning point. The first half of the film is an impressive slow burner. . . perhaps too slow for some modern viewers. But it does everything right, setting the atmosphere, introducing us to the backwoods location, and, though nothing really frightening happens, our instincts tell us that something is very off – most definitely giving us the heebie-jeebies. Following the Psycho-talk, it’s a whole different matter – the slow burner turns quite relentless in a hurry. It is also worth noting that there are some other noticeable references to the iconic 1960 horror classic – a dumped car is found mostly submerged in a pond, while there is also a shower sequence in this film.
A movie that will appeal to horror purists, it really is beautifully made. With a clever duality, the characters of Maxine and Pearl are mirror images (though that mirror is one that ages you). Dealing with themes of time and aging, Pearl, a former beauty and talented dancer, yearns for her past, seeing herself in the x-factor stripper. She’s desperate for the affection and adulation she once received, yet all that is left is her husband – and he uses his bad heart as a crutch for avoiding intimacy. Another nice touch has Ti West rarely ever showing us the visage of these elderly people, as if age is to be shunned, we either see them from a distance or hidden in the shadows –adding to the scare factor. There is also a duality in his direction. . . the use of split screen, ping pong style editing between two different scenes (this is a really unique and rather unsettling touch), the film within a film aspect, and a tango between two stories developing at the same time, it all adds layers and complexity to the piece. Lastly, there will be foreshadowing early on for keen eyed viewers.
A film that somehow feels more controversial today than if it had been released forty or so years ago, X is just not the type of nationwide release we see anymore. For independent and horror movie lovers, let’s hope this is the start of a change. Also tackling topics of sexuality and double standards, whether you agree with the narrative’s outlook or not, you can’t say it’s not intriguing fodder. It is also worth noting that there is a religious undertone that ties in rather nicely at the end. So, feel like you’re traveling back in time as you pay homage to the slasher flick, I’m quite sure you won’t tire of this one – as it is clear that the sub-genre has some life left in it.