Whether you like him or not, you gotta respect Ti West for putting out an entire trilogy in the time span it takes other directors to release one film. Hear that Peele, you hack? Bong Joon-Ho who? 

There’s certainly a “quantity over quality” argument that can be made, but I for one have enjoyed these films quite a bit. X was a neat callback to 70s grindhouse, most noticeably Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that paid homage and even played a bit with the time period’s stance on sex in film. Its follow up prequel, Pearl, was far more of a character study, set in the period of technicolor while tackling themes of repression and art’s role in self-awakening. Similarly, Maxxxine adopts the veneer of 80s slasher era horror. It shares many of the same elements as those films; women being slain by an unseen killer, bright red blood, and the fact that I don’t think it’s very good.

That might be a bit of an over exaggeration, but for me, this was my least favorite entry in the franchise. While I respect its technicals, its practical gore and its recreation of the era, I found the story to be a scatterbrain of ideas that didn’t come together in a super compelling way. The film most squanders the talent of Mia Goth, saddling her with her least interesting role in the trilogy that neither lends itself to a stellar performance or character. To me, this was a bit of a letdown, not really doing much for the series, the established characters, or the particular sub-genre it chose to focus on. And no Vin Diesel cameo? What’s up with that?

Years after escaping the texas massacre featured in X, sole survivor Maxine Minx is looking to break into Hollywood through her first leading role in a new horror film. Yet predictably, all is not well in Tinseltown, as rampant evangelism threatens expression, Maxine’s own past comes back to haunt her, and a real serial killer referred to as the Night Stalker is picking ladies off one by one. Maxine must confront her demons and tap into the badass she became on the farm to get out alive and make a name for herself in the city of stars. 

Mia Goth is undeniably the lynchpin of the whole series, being the only actress to appear in all of the films in some capacity. Pearl gave her the reins to lead the story while X mostly kept her as one of the ensemble until the very end, though some may forget Goth also portrayed the elderly Pearl in chameleon-like prosthetics. The first two films gave her room to do something fun; something unique. In Maxxxine, Goth does what she can, but the story doesn’t give her a ton to work with. Maxine kind of just floats from scene to scene, never really changing or being the interesting thing about the scene. Things kind of just happen to her, but she’s not endearing enough to really make me care a ton. Her hardened identity of being a survivor kind of makes her cold reactions to all the death around her understandable, but it also makes her feel a bit dissociated to the world around her. This could have been really interesting to explore, but the film has so much going on that it doesn’t really take the time to sit and go a little deeper with the character.

The world around her and its inhabitants were much more enjoyable in my opinion. Side performances from the likes of Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon all brought a little something to their small amount of screentime, whether it be artistic pursuits in a silencing world or a hammy bayou accent. Likewise, the sleazy world of 80s Hollywood is realized beautifully through vibrant, intense lighting, impactful editing, and a fun 80s score that doesn’t rely too much on the obvious choices. When it comes to the gore, there’s a ton of really solid practical blood and guts work that felt very reminiscent of the time, particularly Italian horror. Necks get cut, heads get exploded and every man will instinctively cover the testicles in response to a particular scene. These moments are definitely squirm worthy, which helps make up for the film’s unfortunate lack of tension. Outside of one scene involving a plaster cast of a head, I was never really stricken with impending dread despite so many forces working against our main character.

Whereas X and Pearl’s inspirations were a bit more singular and narrow, Maxxxine is throwing everything at the wall, yet not a lot of it sticks. West wants to cover a lot of ground yet the focal point of the film feels aloof and unfocused. Like I mentioned before, there’s a lot of ground the film attempts to traverse. Satanic panic and its looming threat to the film industry, the rise in public awareness of serial killers, and the Hollywood dream machine in general are all showcased here, but they all just take turns swapping between importance as the film goes on. We’re told how ruthless the film industry is time and time again, but Maxine doesn’t ever experience this. Religious protestors are seen constantly throughout the film, yet their impact is never really felt until much later in a very shoehorned fashion. At the end of the day, the film doesn’t really say anything new or do anything interesting with these concepts despite all the potential they offer. The previous films kind of had similar issues but never to the extent where the whole plot feels constantly scatterbrained. Never is this more apparent than the climax; an excessive overloading of goofiness that blindsides you in a way that leaves you in the wrong kind of disbelief. It feels like it was built to provide some sort of catharsis for Maxine, but the emotional implications of the scene feel like they were meant to be generated right then and there, not throughout the entire film like you would think.

Maxxxine haphazardly wraps up this trilogy with a film undecided in its identity. Its campy, B-movie aesthetic neither lampoons the genre enough to be funny, nor does it manage to be subversive with its chosen setup. Despite some solid performances, a sick visual style, and some gnarly moments of bodily harm, the story remains half baked, cobbled together by plot points that come and go and writing that absolutely needed another look over. I was really hoping to like this one, and while there’s plenty I appreciate, I still wish it could have delivered on more. I think it’s time Ti West stepped away from the slasher realm, maybe try his hand at another sub-genre, as staying in this one for three films has certainly seemed to dry the well. Maybe a Western?

Actually, Kevin Costner might have a word on that…

RATING

FORMER PORNSTAR MARTINI

A cocktail for those ready to leave behind the dirt and grime of their past life, but still want a little bit of that sensuality. In place of the passionfruit flavors you’d find in a traditional Pornstar Martini, I’ve opted to use both strawberry and cherry for a nice balance of sweetness and tartness. The combination of the thick strawberry puree and sweet vanilla vodka makes this a deliciously simple, semi-dessert cocktail that reigns its harsher, tart notes back thanks to an almost cheesecake-like complexity. This should be all you need, but if you’d like to still tap into your pornstar past, feel free to serve this alongside a small pour of champagne, as is tradition!

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5oz vanilla vodka
• 1oz tart cherry juice
• 1oz strawberry puree
• Dash vanilla extract
• Garnish: Cherry

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into chilled coup glass.
3. Garnish with cocktail cherry.