Well.
This was NOT on the itinerary for this week but when you randomly find Showtime playing a film that’s been on your watchlist for a bit, you take the chance to watch it. Even if it is Super Bowl Sunday!
I did a mini short blurb on my Letterboxd so if you aren’t following that for WHENEVER I watch a film, you won’t miss out any reviews or new additions. But today is gonna be a review of the 2022 horror film X by Ti West and maybe one of these days, sooner than later, I’ll watch the prequel/sequel, Pearl.
Let’s talk about X!
So this film reminded me of a mix of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Debbie Does Dallas and I liked the overall vibe of the film. I liked the sense of community the main core has, even if things go haywire cos when one half of a couple decides to participate in the sex film but besides that, everyone seems to be on a very similar page. Yes, they have their differences here and there or outlook on what they do for a living, etc., but at the end of it all, they were together. 
I could say the same for the old couple, they are a community duo in their own right.
The plot of the film is pretty simple: a group of performers and their crew are using a shed (in a Texas outskirt location) to shoot their film in. The problem is that the elderly couple are not as warm as you’d like. There’s an immediate distrust and eerieness when we meet this couple. Like we already know something’s up with them.
There’s discussions of sex, embracing your sexuality and how you use your sexuality (or sex), young vs old age mentality, slut shaming, religious upbringing/religion, sex when you are older (The Golden Girls taught us otherwise), relationships, a lot of different topics that are under the umbrella of horror.
What I found the most interesting was that our group were likable and were out to help the elder couple (separately or together). They were essentially good people who also happened to be porn performers.
The gore is great! Best kill for me would be… either nail into foot and then rake into eyes OR the constant stabs where the neck almost looks decapitated. Oh goodness, the kills in this vary from brutal to just what the fuck like death by croc/gator. 
Favorite scene(s) is hearing Brittany Snow (Bobby-Lynne) sing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac as Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi (Jackson) plays guitar and the cuts between them in a circle listening as Pearl and Howard struggle with intimacy, him more so than her. The other scene that I just loved was towards the end when Maxine (Mia Goth) confronts Pearl (also Mia Goth) and Howard (Stephen Ure) and Howard suffers a heart attack and dies to which Pearl says “He’s having a heart attack” and Maxine says “I don’t give a shit!” after the complete disregard to her friends being killed.
If I were Maxine, I’d respond the same.
X got 4 out of 5 stars from me (here and letterboxd) and well worth watching! This film stars Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Scott Mescudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell and Stephen Ure, directed by Ti West.
Have you seen X? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
Shots of Horror 