So I went to see this film just today and I had to let it REALLY sink in, to write this review. I knew that I loved it, but just had to comprehend where the love was coming from, in a sense. I had to analyze all of the underlying undertones of the film, had to let it sit for awhile inside of my head. This film is original, it's refreshing, it's beautiful, it's gritty, it's dirty and it did indeed show me a good time. Ti West, I salute you, for bringing in the proper tones, the back to basic slasher feel and also making one hell of a horror film.
So this here will be the spoiler free zone, where nothing will be spoiled but also will be very vague so you can determine for yourself if you want to watch this film. This film was one hell of a wild ride, pun may be intended for obvious reasons (sorry had to do it). It had you on edge, it had you giggling to all of the innuendo jokes, had you tearing up, feeling sympathy for characters, it was an emotional roller coaster. This film definitely had the "X" factor because it is memorable for its originality and the stunningly shot scenes that take you back to the 70's baby. There is just something about 70's-80's horror films that have that grittiness that I just adore and this film was able to replicate that perfectly.
I can't say much more without spoiling anything so here we go, we are driving our white porn van up the dirt road that leads us to SPOIL CENTRAL. We are stepping out, venturing into the depths that WILL SPOIL the film so look away, close your eyes, or just click off the review because here we go baby!!!
So let's start off with Maxine, played by Mia Goth, which I was not familiar with her previous work, but I definitely will pay more attention to her now because her performance was stellar. She had a grittiness to her that was magnetic when she was on screen and to top it off, she was also playing as the villain of the film, Pearl. Words cannot describe how incredible she was as both characters, she definitely had me cringing when she was playing as Pearl, but also felt sympathetic for her knowing her situation with her husband. She longed to be desired, to be touched, to be ravished, but at their age, it has become more difficult for them, especially with her husband's heart condition. She grew envious of the bystander's youth, so therefore, she grew angry and it caused her to do unspeakable things, ending in a blood bath.
Then we have Maxine's boyfriend and also the executive producer of the porno, Wayne, who rents a space at a farmhouse that ends up being far more than imagined. Wayne wants the best for Maxine and also for himself, believing that the porno will get them somewhere. Too bad for Wayne, he didn't quite NAIL it because the nail got him....RIGHT IN THE FOOT. Already injured, Pearl has an advantage, while Wayne peaks into the holes in the barn when he sees movement, that will be the last thing he ever SEES. No one deserves to die in their tighty whities.
One of my favorite actresses, Brittany Snow plays as Bobby Lynne, blonde, bubbly and sings a killer cover of Landslide. She always knows what she wants, she goes after it but also has a caring side, until an old lady calls her names that are completely uncalled for, leading her to get eaten by an alligator. If there is one creature I would never mess with, it'd be an alligator. Brittany never ceases to amaze me as an actress though, she always impresses me and this time is nothing different than expected. She was sensual and she was bratty but in the best ways possible for her character to be so likable.
The man holding the camera making all of the magic happen behind the scenes is RJ, determined to make a decent porno flick. He has an eye for it and enjoys making the film until his girlfriend, Lorraine AKA church mouse, decides that she wants to be in the film as well. He is completely against it but he has no control over her, so he is forced to film the scene. Poor guy wanders off in solitude, in the shower to cry. He couldn't handle that his girlfriend was no longer "a good girl", that he could no longer handle her so he decides to try and drive off. While jamming to the song "Don't Fear the Reaper", he comes face to face with what appears to be the reaper herself. Pearl stops him from driving away, attempts to have her way with him but he rejects her advances.
Now stabbing away at him, she feels some sort of way that must've been uplifting to her because she starts to dance, the way she danced when she was younger. I was a tad confused when they played the "Oui Oui Marie" song as she was dancing but now looking at it, I can only imagine it is because she is feeling a rush of youth surging through her as she kills RJ. The way the headlights were bright white then as she stabs him more and more, the lights transition to a color red, illuminating the screen with a red tint as well. It was brilliant imagery if you ask me.
Jackson is played by Kid Cudi, who gets all of the action in this film, lets face it. He is calm, cool and collected, with an ex marine background. He is also helpful when the owner of the farmhouse, Howard is looking for his "missing" wife, Pearl. He volunteers to help him and even when he sees that car in the swamp, he sticks around only to get SHOT.
Then there is Lorraine, along for the ride to be with her boyfriend, RJ, to help out with the filming of the porno. She is played by the up and coming actress Jenna Ortega, who is blowing me away this year with every performance so far. She is timid, she is observant with judgmental eyes, until her curiosity causes a rift between her and RJ. She desires to be a more significant part in the porno and that crushes RJ, knowing that she will not be the same girl he thought she was at the beginning. Lorraine searches for RJ when he is nowhere to be found, only causing more trouble for herself because she ends up getting locked in their basement with a dead body chained to the wall. I feel for her character but then when Maxine does help her out, she insists they stay together but Lorraine screams "I hate you" and then runs out the door ONLY to get her face blown off by a shotgun. She should have listened to Maxine.
It is then revealed on the tv screen that the pastor they kept showing is actually Maxine's father who seems to be looking for her. My only guess is that they forced religion down her throat and she just wanted to decide a life for herself on her own terms. The 70's I can imagine was a very rebellious time and also about free love so Maxine took matters into her own hands. They did choose the right girl to be the final girl because there was many layers to Maxine. "I will not accept a life I don't deserve" Howard ends up having a heart attack and Pearl is all alone, racing to the shotgun only to break her hip, giving Maxine a fair chance to get into the car, drive over Pearl's head until it EXPLODES and then drive off to freedom, leaving her now dead friends behind. Leaving us with the mantra: "I will not accept a life I don't deserve"...
X is eXtraordinary, eXhilerating and eXcellent !!!!!!!!! XXXXX/XXXXX
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