MaXXXine

Film: MaXXXine

Year: 2024

Director: Ti West

Writer: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki and Simon Prast

Review:

This was a film that I was excited to see. My wife, Jaime, and I have gone to the theater for all the movies in the series. Now when X and Pearl came out, our child wasn’t born yet. We were able to catch this on opening Friday together in the theater. I avoided spoilers and what I heard ahead of seeing this was positive. I’ve also now given this a second watch to see where I sat with it for my end of year list.

Synopsis: in 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actor Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the rising stars of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.

We start this off by seeing a black and white film. It is a home movie of our lead, Maxine, when she was a girl. She is portrayed by Charley Rowan McCain. Her father is filming her and she aspires to be like him, taking an important role in the church. Something else of note, there is a mantra that he’s instilled. She is going to get the life that she deserves.

This then shifts to the present, which is 1985 and Hollywood, California. Maxine comes to an audition for a horror movie. In attendance is Elaine (Deborah Geffner), who is a casting director, a producer and the director, Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). This is a sequel to Elizabeth’s earlier film, The Puritan. There are protestors outside of the studio, putting pressure on them.

Maxine is a busy woman making it in Los Angeles. She leaves the audition and goes to the location where she makes porn. She has made a name for herself and she’s hoping that will help her get into the mainstream. It is there that she talks to another performer, Amber James (Chloe Farnworth). She invites Maxine to a party in the hills, but our lead must work that night in a peepshow. It is at this gig we meet another friend, Tabby Martin (Halsey). She also invites Maxine to a party, to which she declines.

There is good news here though. She didn’t land one part that she auditioned for on a television series, because of her work in the adult industry and not having enough mainstream work. This annoys her, because like with all experience, how do you get it if no one takes a chance? She did land the role in the horror film. She is excited to share this with her friend, Leon (Moses Sumney), who works at a video store and is a film buff.

Like the synopsis says, there is a killer targeting rising stars in Hollywood. It is believed that it is the ‘Night Stalker’, Richard Ramirez. We see this black gloved killer watching Maxine in a peep show room and they might also be the one throwing the party in the hills. The deaths are people close to Maxine, which leads detectives to her to ask questions. They are Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Torres (Bobby Cannavale). There is also a private investigator who found her, John Labat (Kevin Bacon). These all complicate her life which could turn her focus needed for Elizabeth’s horror film away.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start then is that this is an interesting trilogy. Each film is different from the last. X was a slasher film set in the late 70s. Pearl is a character study of why that character became how she did in the early 1920s and then this one here feels like a giallo with slasher elements. I commend Ti West for bringing these types of films together to tell this story.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me get into this one and I want to start with our lead, Maxine. What is interesting is that the version of her we got in X isn’t the woman that she is here. That ordeal changed her. We see that even from being a girl from the cold open, she’s been determined to be a star. She’s made a name for herself in the adult industry and has turned her sights on mainstream fame with The Puritan 2. Elizabeth can see her talents. She recommends that whatever is holding her back and haunting her, she needs to take care of it or it will bring her down. That forms the framework of the story for this character and I thought this movie does well in the character arch. We already know that Maxine is a fighter, but she still needs to grow to survive. Goth is great here and one of her best performances in my opinion.

Let’s then discuss more of the story. An aspect that I love is this being a love letter to films of the past. We are seeing that underbelly of LA where Maxine works in porn and other adult things. There is gialli here with our killer wearing black gloves and stalking her. There is sleaze that comes with it. I love framing this with the ‘Night Stalker’, which is a true case. Sticking with the Italian mystery references, Maxine is approached by the two detectives who want her help. She does her own investigation. You could even consider this as a neo-noir as well, since there’s a private detective, John, who is working for our killer. My only gripe is that I knew who the killer was early on. I do think more could have been done there. The reveal isn’t bad though because if you’ve seen the other films, it is the only thing that makes sense. More care could have been done though to weave it in.

Before moving away from the story, I do love that this incorporates other things from the past as well. There are news stories about the ‘Satanic Panic’ craze. We see people outside of the studio protesting The Puritan 2. Elizabeth makes a great comment about how the heads didn’t want Maxine cast due to her being in porn. The director thought she could nail the role and it is ironic that being their concern, when the movie is about possession and demons. I thought it was also strategic in Elizabeth being British, because she references the ‘video nasties’. That was a good touch. This would make an interesting double feature with Censor, which takes place over there in a similar era. These were little touches that as a cinephile and horror fan, fit into the true history.

That should be enough for the story so then over to the acting. I’ve already said how great Goth was. She owns this role. In support of her, I liked Debicki as the director. She is helping her grow, which is needed for the story. My other favorite character was played by Sumney. Jaime whispered to me about how if I was in this world, which would be me. He’s a film fan who works at a video store, which was a job I’ve previously held. Bacon plays an odd character and it worked well. I’ll credit Monaghan and Cannavale as the detectives. Farnworth and Halsey were solid as was Simon Prast. I love the cameos by Giancarlo Esposito, Larry Fessenden and Lily Collins. The acting here was good to push Maxine where she ends up.

All that is left is filmmaking. Something that I read before writing this was that they used film, cameras and techniques that were from the era. It is the care like that which brings charm to this. The cinematography is great. The framing was as well. They do well to capture that giallo vibe needed. I’d say that the effects were great here. They also fit that subgenre with how visceral and realistic they looked. I appreciate that. I’d say that this is paced well, tells a good story, even though I guessed the killer a bit too early on. Other than that, I love the song selections for the soundtrack. It was spot on for what was needed.

Now to stay in this vein, I noticed and figured things out with a second watch. Maxine steps over a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is one belonging to Theda Bara. She was a silent film actor who was a sex symbol for her time. She also inspired tempter roles in movies that would follow. That’s great to include and is lost on most people with one viewing, including me. There is also good writing here with things that are said, then called back to. One would be with Labat and a reference to his religious stance. The duality as well of people believing that Hollywood as satanists. This is something that is still believed by the fringe today. There is more care here than I originally realized.

In conclusion, I loved this movie. This is such an interesting trilogy. Each film is different, but it works in the framework that each one needs. Goth is great here. She owns this character. The rest of the cast is good at pushing her to where she ends up. I like how this was made, from the cinematography, soundtrack to the effects. This being a love letter to gialli, cinema of the past and the horror genre is great. I can see people not clicking with this one, but it worked for me. I’m glad that I rewatched this as it definitely solidified that even if I think this could be the weakest of the three, it is still a great film.

My Rating: 9 out of 10