Ti West
Ti West
Stars: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi
Ti West’s new slasher film ‘X’ is a story that aims to tackle the relationship between sex, violence, desire and the rage that is created when one’s life lacks all of those things. The movie is set in the year 1979, and a group of aspiring actors from Houston, Texas, are hoping to make the next big film in the porn industry. ‘X’ explores the idea of what would happen if a porn movie went wrong.
We follow producer Wayne (Martin Henderson) who casts his younger girlfriend, the coke-snorting Maxine (Mia Goth), in the porno “The Farmer’s Daughter” alongside Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and former marine Jackson (Scott Mescudi, AKA Kid Cudi). Director RJ (Owen Campbell) aspires to make “a good dirty movie”, but to his girlfriend, Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), “it’s smut”. The ambition of all involved is to make cinema out of porn, echoing similar aspirations of the adult film industry folks in Boogie Nights. They embark on a journey that leads them to the perfect shooting spot, an old farmhouse home to an elderly couple.
The farm is isolated and creepy, and the group’s first interaction with the ancient proprietor (Stephen Ure), Howard, comes with a warning. Howard makes it clear that he disapproves of any shenanigans on his property, and eventually we learn just how complicated that becomes.
West has worked in horror for a long time, and in ‘X’ he fully commands the genre and excels in his craft. His camera work is impeccable, he manages to finds the right muted colors and textures to convey the grain of ’70s film. Mia Goth’s character Maxine is referred to throughout the movie as a “special woman”, and I have to agree, through the duration there was something about her on screen presence that was alluring and mesmerizing. She was easily the stand out for me.
Most people would have to agree, the thing with slashers is that they all come down to the same essential ingredients: a group of people is stalked and killed by a murderer. ‘X’ on the other hand embodies original ideas that make the film unique. Combine it’s gory violence with it’s sexual imagery and it makes for a uniquely entertaining watch. It’s a movie that explores people’s sexual desires, and asks the question….Do they ever really die?
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