Director Ti West’s horror series has garnered a cultish following, built largely on 2022’s ‘X’ and then its ambitious prequel ‘Pearl’. As such, 'MaXXXine' – the final piece of the puzzle in this refreshing slasher trilogy – lands with plenty of expectation. And, for the most part, it absolutely delivers.
Set in 1985, six years after the grizzly events that took place on a remote rural property in Texas (which was actually mostly filmed in Whanganui, New Zealand), 'MaXXXine' hones in on Maxine Miller (Mia Goth), trying to move on from the horror of 1979 and follow her dream of making it big in Hollywood. Still living by the adage ‘I will not accept a life I don't deserve’, and cutting plentiful lines of cocaine, Maxine – going by her porn-star name Maxine Minx – is laser-focused on living up to her x-factor potential.
However, she also finds that Hollywood is a rather brutal town, even for someone hardened by the horrors that took place in Texas. Adding to the collective unease is the presence of the Night Stalker, the real-life rapist and serial killer terrorising Los Angeles at the time. But instead of appropriating the crimes of the Night Stalker, aka Richard Ramirez, West uses it as a vehicle to build the very real unease and paranoia Maxine is feeling – particularly when she finds herself the subject of an invasive and threatening private detective (played comically by Kevin Bacon). As to who is trying to track her down – West superbly keeps this secret for some time, building just the right amount of suspense.
Of course, while all this is playing out, Maxine gets a big break – as the star of an iconic slasher-horror sequel, ‘The Puritan II’. If ‘X’ was a camp homage to late-'70s horror films, ‘MaXXXine’ is a loving ode to the over-the-top, comic slasher movies of the next decade. It’s self-aware, very clever and drops enough (but subtle) horror references to appease the nerds, without distracting from the plot. As for the plot, it’s not terribly complex, but Goth could be filmed doing her laundry and it’d still be absolutely captivating – she’s that damn good.
That said, there are some excellent performances from Goth’s supporting cast, in particular Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, who plays the hardened, no-nonsense director Elizabeth Bender, Maxine’s new boss on the set of ‘The Puritan II’. And Bobby Cannavale, who plays an over-dramatic LAPD officer who settled for life in the force after failing to make it as an actor.
As Maxine juggles her professional life and her past that’s rapidly catching up to her, the film is a pacy, strange and visually satisfying end to West’s trilogy. If you’re in it for the gore, you may not get as much as you want, but when it is served up, it’s every bit as delightfully gruesome as ‘X’ (and then some). Sure, the plot is a little thin on the ground, and the characters are mostly underdeveloped vehicles in Goth’s orbit, but that’s not at all a bad thing in what is ultimately a delicious, engaging ride from start to epic end.
★★★☆☆ 1/2.
