It’s September, so you know what that means — Spooky Season is right around the corner.
I know we aren’t officially into Spooky Season just yet, but I thought I would weigh in with a film I watched recently.
In a rare turn of events, I actually watched a horror film.
The film is “X,” which was released in 2022. OK, so it’s not a true throwback. But, hey, we have bent the rules before.
“X” was written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure and Kid Cudi. The film’s plot follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple’s rural Texas property but find themselves threatened by an unlikely killer.
When I first watched a preview for “X,” I was underwhelmed. However, my kids pointed out the fact that it a film by A24. A24 films are typically solid, so I decided to give “X” a whirl.
“X” starts kind of slow, but once it gets going, watch out. There are plenty of chills, thrills, gore — and porn — to go around. Without a doubt, the film pays homage to some classic slasher films, including 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
Although the film is set in Texas, it was filmed in New Zealand.
The film is set in 1979, where aspiring pornographic actress Maxine Minx (Goth) embarks on a road trip through Texas with her producer boyfriend Wayne (Henderson), fellow actors Bobby-Lynne (Snow) and Jackson Hole (Kid Cudi), director RJ (Campbell) and RJ’s girlfriend, Lorraine (Ortega), to shoot an adult film for the booming theatrical pornography market. Bobby-Lynne and Jackson strike up a romance, while Lorraine is unimpressed with the film’s content, and RJ attempts to make it seem like a serious cinematic piece.
The group arrives at the farm of Howard and Pearl, an elderly couple in whose guest house the group intends to shoot the film “The Farmer’s Daughters.”
As you can imagine, Howard and Pearl are not happy when they find out their guests are using the guest house for such illicit activities.
One by one, the bodies begin to pile up. There are some gruesome deaths, so don’t watch if you get queasy from that sort of thing.
Full disclosure: I am NOT a horror film guy. I found them entertaining in my teen and college years, but I feel like I have matured since then — at least a little bit. I haven’t watched any of the “Saw” films, and the new generation of slasher films doesn’t excite me. If I am going to watch something for two hours, I want it to be something I’ll enjoy.
But the truth is that I got sucked into “X” and really enjoyed it. It’s a roller coaster ride of sorts. And while the blood and gore is a bit much at times, it’s not over the top.
While doing some research about “X,” I learned that there is a prequel called “Pearl” and a sequel called “MaXXXine.” While “X” is good, I don’t know if it’s trilogy good. But I had my doubts about “X,” so we will see.
One performance to watch in “X” is Kid Cudi. He’s not an actor by trade, but he knocked his performance out of the park.
“X” is rated R for graphic violence, adult language, adult themes, nudity and sexual situations. In short, don’t watch it with the kiddies.
“X” is available on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and Xfinity OnDemand.
