Ti West, as a filmmaker, has been known to subvert genre. From the 80’s devil worshiper Horror film to the lone gunman, Western film he has shown a real sense of reverence while introducing interesting thematic flourishes. His latest film, X, is no exception to this. The reverence is dripping from this film. The look, the pacing, the environment, is all directly placeable in the that grimy, late seventies slasher motif.
This time, however, West seems less interested in any subversion or modern flourishes. It is through and through a celebration of the films of that specific past.
And he does it well.
This film is a tribute to those genre films. It loves them, it celebrates them, and it emulates them. The film plays like a celebratory parade for the gritty slasher.
But that is all it really accomplishes.
There are moments of thematic positing, questions almost asked and then forgotten. There are ideas of mortality, aging, sexuality, the spectrum of lust, but they slip by as the blood flows. ‘X’ is a well made tribute to the more hedonistic horror narratives of the past. But it just that, a well made tribute. It really doesn’t bring any new ideas, experiences, or modern themes to the narrative table. It flashes by with blood, nudity, and increasingly outlandish kills, but it never stops to add anything to the communal conversation.
Credit: A24This means that ‘X’ is will most likely play out like a horror Rorschach test.
If you love the silliness of bloody and creative kills, if you want to see a slasher live up to their title, this film will be glorious for you. It is well directed, well performed, and hits every horror beat one could hope for.
If you were hoping for something more traditionally within Ti West’s library, if you were looking for subversion and perhaps some analyzation of sexuality and mortality, you will find yourself a bit apathetic to this offering.
‘X’ knows what it is and it knows how to do that well. But it also trods down the well travelled path of predictability. There are no real shocks here, no twists, no new ideas. Just a hedonistic trip through sexy and violence.
Credit: A24The most interesting approach within the film is the casting of Mia Goth as both the protagonist and the antagonist. In some version of this script, that parallel could introduce an interesting examination of the stages of life; of what youth takes for granted and lets slip by with little appreciation.
It is not to say those ideas aren’t sprinkled throughout the film, but they are sprinkled so sparsely that they never influence what happens on screen or present any real statement from either side.
As it stands, ‘X’ is simply a horror film; a slasher film intent on slashing. It passes through with voracity and passion but as it does so it never really stops to dip below the surface. It is what is. It is up to each audience member to decide if that’s enough.
