MaXXXine's Big Hollywood Break
Maxxxine's Hollywood premiere highlights just how perfect the concluding chapter of Ti West's X trilogy is for the big screen. While X and Pearl premiered at prestigious film festivals like South by Southwest and the Venice International Film Festival, MaXXXine got the chance to debut in one of Hollywood's most iconic locations. The TCL Chinese Theater has been a part of cinematic history for over a hundred years, with countless legendary stars getting to grace its halls. MaXXXine is the latest, with Ti West and members of the cast walking the red carpet ahead of a screening of the film.
On top of the traditional glitz and glamor of a movie premiere, there were some unique touches to the MaXXXine premiere that helped it stand out from the other premieres that have been held there. Protesters straight out of the film were present to decry the effect of cinematic horror and sexuality on children. Costumes from the film were present, including ones previously seen in Pearl. Notably, the elderly version of Pearl from X was seen stalking the lobby, silently moving around and scaring patrons — many of whom attended the premiere in 80's cocktail party attire to accommodate MaXXXine's aesthetic.
MaXXXine Understands That Good Horror Can Also Be Very Campy
As with any film about filmmaking, there's a self-aware touch to MaXXXine that in lesser hands could potentially become unwieldy or dull. Luckily, MaXXXine avoids that potential complication by being, for lack of a better word, quietly campy. There's no self-aware meta winks to the audience, so much as there are deliberate allusions to previous hallmarks of the horror genre. There's a full-throated commitment to the Classic Horror styling that benefits the film, and never lets it slip into parody. This is clear in the writing and direction, but is felt most fully in the performances by MaXXXine's gifted cast.
Mia Goth should become a horror icon for her work in the X trilogy. MaXXXine highlights her impressive capabilities with a dangerous and vulnerable performance. Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Halsey, and Lily Collins bring just enough grounded depth to their characters to keep them from feeling like stereotypes. Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale find a fun riff on classic cop archetypes. The two performers having the most fun are Kevin Bacon and Giancarlo Esposito, who bring an almost cartoonish energy to their characters without ever making them feel unreal. It's a talented cast that absolutley nails MaXXXine's tonal balancing act.
How MaXXXine Embraces (And Satirizes) 1980s Hollywood
MaXXXine is firmly set in 1985 in a Hollywood that feels trapped between the sleezy past and an opportunistic future. This gives the film much of its unique flavor, as the visual and tonal trappings of the era flesh out the world around Maxine. While X and Pearl benefited from the isolated nature of rural America, MaXXXine utilizes the varied scope of Los Angeles. Scenes take place in dingy apartments, backroom clubs, and bustling skyscraper restaurants. Movie studios and classic sets like the Bates Motel and house from Psycho factor both into the thematic arc and tense plot of MaXXXine.
The film also thoroughly indulges in the music and fashion of the era, with a killer soundtrack that would feel perfectly at home blaring out of an old-school boombox. The costuming transports audiences back to a different era, perhaps none so more than the specific hairdo of Maxine's agent, Teddy Knight. MaXXXine's portrayal of the film industry and the surrounding city is at times campy, at times creepy, and even occasionally earnest. It highlights the inherent contradictions in Hollywood, underscoring the similar internal divide between the ruthless Maxine she wants to be and the vulnerable side she struggles to hide.
MaXXXine Has More Dangers Hiding Under The Surface Than Just The Night Stalker
Building off the Slasher tropes of X and the brutal exploration of stunted potential in Pearl, MaXXXine features some pretty intense and scary beats. The film tackles all sorts of tension, ranging from some gory kills to tight suspense. Although the movie sets up the Night Stalker as a major threat hunting women like Maxine down across the streets, the actual plot ends up being far more complex and intricate. Despite the several twists and turns of the plot as well as the film's keen focus on character, MaXXXine never forgets the horror roots at the core of the trilogy.
Some of the horror is grisly, with bloody close-ups of killers at work. Others rely more heavily on the inherent suspense found in the implication of being followed or captured. Maxine's attempts to stay ahead of her unknown pursuers sees her fight back with a vicious edge, allowing Maxine to deploy some righteous punishment of her own. It's a solid mix of several different approaches to horror that reflects the varied history of the genre. It's also exactly the kind of movie that begs to be seen in theaters, where audiences can experience all the gore, suspense, and retribution together.
MaXXXine Is More Of A Mystery Than You Realize
One of the things that makes the X trilogy so compelling is the way is also expands beyond the horror genre. While X was firmly rooted in the slasher tropes that it was modernizing, the film is also quietly about themes of aging and the act of filmmaking itself. Pearl is plenty horrifying, but it's also quietly an exploration of the American dream and Golden Age cinema. In that same sense, MaXXXine isn't just a Horror Movie. More than anything, MaXXXine ends up feeling like a Hollywood noir mystery, with moody lighting and a purposefully mysterious atmosphere.
MaXXXine is just as tonally indebted to the legacy of movies like Chinatown and Double Indemnity as it is Psycho, and Ti West's direction and script blend horror and mystery incredibly well. The two tones reinforce the other, building the suspense in different but compelling ways. It's an edge-of-your-seat mystery, keeping audiences guessing for much of the run-time even as it steadily uncovers more about the villains and Maxine alike.
MaXXXine Is Why We Go To The Movie Theater
The best part of being in the audience for MaXXXine's world premiere was getting to see the film in an absolutely packed theater. The scares were met with shocks of surprise, the comedic beats used to cut through the tension eliciting huge laughs from the audience. Maxine's journey even prompted applause and cheers at points, bringing the audience together behind Mia Goth's performance. Make no mistake, MaXXXine is a solid film that will play great at home. However, there's just something about the film's tonal swings and excellent execution that makes it ideal for seeing it in a packed theater.
The theater experience is something at risk of being lost in the modern era of streaming and home release. Horror Movies have always been one of the best genres to see on the big screen, allowing audiences to share in the scares. MaXXXine continues that tradition, and one-ups it by also being genuinely funny, effectively tense, and surprisingly affecting. MaXXXine is a genuine blockbuster in the classic sense, while still feeling like it could never have been made before. Audiences looking for a good time at the theater (and aren't too squeamish) need to see MaXXXine on the big screen.
