Movies | Horror
‘MaXXXine’ is a Muddled Experience with Glimpses of Excellence
Ti West’s latest film in his horror trilogy loses its identity amongst its constant throwbacks to the ‘80s
I went into Ti West’s Maxxxine with extremely high hopes after thoroughly enjoying X and Pearl, the previous two films in his recent horror series. X was a fun crowd-pleaser that still showcased a clear voice and vision, but it’s his follow-up that made me greatly appreciate West’s work as a director. Pearl was a fascinating, horrifying experience, one that worms its way into your thoughts and refuses to be pried from them.
Whether it’s the film’s phenomenal leading performance (seriously, Mia Goth is sublime) to fantastic writing and directing that melds horrifying moments with ironically cheery homages to movies like Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz, Pearl was a landmark moment in the horror genre in recent years. With all that in mind, I was curious to see how MaXXXine would build on the storylines and themes already established in these films, and what its style, tone and execution would contribute to this horror trilogy.
It’s very rare that I go to a movie and come away from it feeling like I’ve just watched a compilation of scenes rather than a consistent…
