Film Review

MaXXXine (2024) — Ti West’s blood-soaked love letter to the 1980s

An adult film star and aspiring actress gets her big break, just as a mysterious killer is stalking Hollywood starlets.

It’s an ambitious undertaking to consecutively release a series of interconnected films within five years, particularly without an original concept or narrative arc. Yet, Ti West has accomplished this with remarkable clarity, swiftly establishing himself as a prominent figure in contemporary horror.

With X (2022), the writer-director unveiled a visceral throwback that captivated an enthusiastic SXSW audience before achieving theatrical success. After quietly concocting an origin story for its tormented female antagonist, West unexpectedly unveiled the prequel soon after. Pearl (2022) offered a strikingly different tone, leaving critics and audiences eagerly anticipating more.

Arriving with considerable hype, West concludes his trilogy with the highly anticipated MaXXXine. Tapping into the seedy underbelly of peep shows and the surreal realities of studio backlots, the final…