Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Plot: In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
Ti West and muse Mia Goth are at it again with the follow-up to their arthouse horror movies, X and Pearl. Where X was a gorgeous and gritty shout-out to slashers of the 70s and Pearl played out like an effed-up version of The Wizard of Oz, MaXXXine is a love letter to not just 80's horror (Maniac and Dressed to Kill came to mind while viewing it) but also to the era itself. A time when Hollywood was at its sleaziest but also its most creative, especially when it came to the horror genre.
Sooooooo...you wanna be a movie star. Like, a real one
Picking up six years after the events of X, the film opens with a superb longshot of Maxine auditioning for a role in a horror movie called The Puritan II. She states without any hesitation to the film's director Elizabeth Bender (played by a scene stealing Elizabeth Debicki who Marvel fans will recognise from her role as Ayesha in GotG). This scene sets the stage for what one would hope to be a ruthless Maxine taking out anyone who gets in her way, but for some reason West chooses to dull Maxine's edge and make her more into a final girl type than the bloodied badass we know her to be.
She's on the defensive for most of the movie and I simply didn't like it. The reason Goth has been so captivating in X and Pearl respectively is there was this sense of invincibility that surrounded her. She has that swagger that makes her come across as unstoppable and a sense of self that proves there's nothing that she won't do on her quest to be a star. The problem with the story here is outside of an alleyway scene where Maxine gets the better of a would-be attacker (in a way that will probably have every man in the theatre squirming in their seat) there's never a sense that's she's the one in control.
It was the 80s. It was a different time
While it may seem as if I didn't enjoy MaXXXine that couldn't be farther from the truth. Like most horror fans most of my favourites come from that glorious age known as the eighties and Ti West's love for the films of that genre are on full display here. This movie looks fantastic with scene after scene oozing that 80's aesthetic, while also never coming across like a simple homage. If anything, West blends his own unique tastes to the era and the combination is the kind of movie that feels like it could've easily been found in the horror section of your favorite home video store (yes, youngsters, there was a time when we had to leave our houses to go in search of movies) while also feeling like something new.
There's a lot to appreciate and enjoy in MaXXXine. The gore is top-notch, the kills are ruthless, the entire movie looks amazing, and the acting is solid all around. Overall, I enjoyed it and the conclusion was satisfying (if it did go down the way we saw – I'm still not sure if it was real or not, but that's a discussion for another time). Ultimately though it lacked that little something extra that made the previous two films in this trilogy standout the way they did.
Sommer's Score: 6.5 out of 10
Which is your favourite of the Ti West trilogy? And you can check more thrilling horror content below:
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
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