Joey Magidson
How can you not love a gory little indie horror franchise? Both X (reviewed here) and Pearl (reviewed here) showcased some of the best work from filmmaker Ti West to date, so I went into MaXXXine with decently high expectations. After all, when you see a trilogy organically coming together within the genre, especially when the installments have all been really good, you get excited. Lucky for us, West and his muse Mia Goth have outdone themselves here. MaXXXine is the best in the franchise, a top tier 2024 horror flick, and a terrifically entertaining film. It’s a bloody good time at the movies!
MaXXXine again shows West mixing gory horror with a vivid period setting. He’s become a master of the homage, with here the influences being not just Hollywood in the 1980s, but the video nasties of that era as well. It’s grimy in all the right ways. There’s dark fun to be had, as long as you don’t have a problem with blood and guts. This is both the most plot heavy and also the most violent of the trilogy, which is no easy task.
Adult film star Maxine Minx (Goth) has moved to Hollywood in the 80s, determined to break into legitimate movies. She still does porn and works at a peep show, but she’s also about to land a role in a B horror sequel being made by the well regarded and demanding director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). She’s still haunted by the massacre in Texas she was the lone survivor of, however, with the emergence in Los Angeles of the serial killer The Night Stalker only adding to that.
As some of her friends go missing and are found dead, she begins getting hassled by private investigator John Labat (Kevin Bacon), as well as detectives Torres (Bobby Cannavale) and Williams (Michelle Monaghan). The cops want her help in preventing more victims, suspecting that these killings are only meant to emulate The Night Stalker, while Labat represents someone from Maxine’s past who wants a word with her. Assisted by her agent/lawyer Teddy Night (Giancarlo Esposito), Maxine has no intentions of letting anything get in the way of her movie stardom, even if it means getting her hands dirty again.
Mia Goth continues to do amazing work in this franchise. She’s a scream queen in this trilogy, but also obviously so much more than that. There’s a captivating presence to Goth that she exudes in all of these flicks, with a confidence here that’s hypnotic. You’d follow her in a character study, let alone a scary movie. X had double duty and Pearl had a tour de force, but this is pure star power. Kevin Bacon is having a blast chewing the scenery, though I wish Bobby Cannavale, Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito, and Michelle Monaghan has more to do. They’re all solid, but there’s not enough time spent with them. Then again, that leaves more for Goth’s Maxine, which is hardly a bad thing. Supporting players here also include Lily Collins, Larry Fessenden, Halsey, Toby Huss, Simon Prast, Moses Sumney, and more.
Writer/director Ti West has a brilliant feel for the time and place of his works, with MaXXXine no exception. Bringing the Satanic Panic and The Night Stalker into this story pays major dividends, especially considering how lurid he makes LA seem at the time. There was a beauty to the Texas farm of X and Pearl. Here, it’s a different vibe. There’s also more humor here, though it’s of the pitch black variety. While somehow also darker, this manages to be a crowdpleaser, too. It’s a riot, provided you’re into that sort of thing. I am, and I had a blast.
MaXXXine is a gory hoot. This is an incredibly satisfying new entry into A24’s horror franchise. If we’re not done with Maxine and her bloody adventures, count me in for more. If this is the end of the line, well, what a way to go out. Mia Goth’s performance and Ti West’s playful filmmaking combine to make a genre treat. I loved it!
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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