In Texas, an Amateur Film Crew Meets Danger During Production

Mia Goth in "X"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

When it comes to deconstructing movie tropes, no genre lends itself quite as nicely as the horror genre.  Given how many iconic movies, and numerous sequels to those movies, have been released over the last few decades, it’s always fun to analyze the patterns that show up.  While Wes Craven’s “Scream” franchise became the leader in doing so, we’ve also had Drew Goddard’s modern classic “The Cabin in the Woods” find its own imaginative way to deconstruct horror tropes.

Renowned indie-horror writer-director Ti West tackles slasher tropes with his latest film, “X,” a supremely entertaining horror film that explores these motifs in unique and subtle ways.

In 1979 Texas, Maxine (Mia Goth), Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), Wayne (Martin Henderson), Jackson (Scott Mescudi), Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), and RJ (Owen Campbell) drive to a farm where they rent a house to shoot an adult film.  As their time on the farm goes on, the group realizes that their hosts aren’t what they seem.

Goth provides an excellent performance as a young woman who dreams of being famous, but falls into a sense of contemplation when production on their film begins.  It’s a performance that’s unexpectedly poignant at times as we watch her go through moments of rumination when she’s alone or goes through unsettling interactions with the farm owners.  With these scenes, whether Maxine is speaking or not, Goth presents her character in such a way that has us wonder about her and what deeper things are going through her mind.  

The six core actors and actresses in this group have a chemistry that’s a lot of fun to watch, with each of them having a distinct personality that engages you in their interplay as they try to get through their film production and survive the terror that comes their way.  Despite this being a slasher movie, the characters don’t feel like genre archetypes, but instead come across as real people, and part of that comes from the strength of the performances from this group.

The screenplay by West lets us see the friendships unfold before the bloodshed begins, allowing us to get to know the group dynamics.  The narrative slowly builds up the horror elements of the script, but for the first half, there’s mostly focus on the characters as we learn about each one.  Aside from the scares and laughs, the movie tackles some surprisingly emotional themes that add depth to the characters and makes this movie much more than a slasher film.  The topics that are explored add to the viewing experience because you’re caught off guard as you start to see what this movie is really about, leaving you to wonder how it’ll tie in with the later events of the movie.

This is an entertaining subversion of slasher tropes that takes you back to the era that invented those tropes.  Between the characters, setting, and technical aspects, we have clever nods to slasher movies like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Halloween,” and “Friday the 13th.  However, this movie is less of a wink-wink to what we’ve come to know in the genre, and is instead a movie that encourages you to search deeper into the movie to see how these tropes are being used and shaken up to offer something different.

As a director, West accomplishes a balance in the scares, humor, and melancholy.  Although he maintains a killer sense of fun in this examination of slasher hallmarks, the movie has more on its mind than that, with the off-kilter atmosphere prepping us for the unexpected paths that this movie will take.  Other than this, cinematographer Eliot Rockett, who collaborated with West on “The House of the Devil,” “Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever,” and “The Innkeepers” offers several creepy shots that will have you squirm with dread, especially an overhead shot at the farm’s lake early on in the film.

West uses his low budget to work wonders in recreating the late ‘70s, providing the movie with the same look of the low-budget horror films that emerged from that era.  In doing so, West constructs a movie that feels very much in its place and time.

And, just when you think the movie has done much to surprise you, there’s one more thing.  When the film ends, make sure to stay until after the credits because you’re in for something great.

With “X,” you’ll find that West is another horror filmmaker who can present something new out of what we’ve seen before.

Grade: A