X

There hasn't been a horror film since It Follows that so creatively and intelligently pays homage to a single genre phase and, moreover, serves as a faithful commentary not only on the film culture of the time, but on the era itself. The return to 1979 on the hot Texas plains is not just a retro comeback of hixploitation (the clash of urban cool kids with Southern rednecks), of which there are many – and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre alone has eight futile sequels – X revives an entire libertine decade when censors increasingly had to grant the inaccessible X rating, with an emphasis on the most natural and at the same time the most taboo topic: sex. First of all, this is not a straightforward physical confrontation like in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to which Ti West deliberately refers in some of the stylistic choices (hunter-victim shooting), the opening gas station stop, the Texas setting, etc., this one builds on ingenious parallelisms between the two camps of characters, who have essentially the same needs and whose sexual options are separated only (and significantly) by their age. People don't change mentally, but the inexorable passage of time always shows itself. Whether physically on individuals or on the nature of society, which dictates what is in – and in the seventies, "tits and ass, and a big dick" were all the rage, to borrow an idea from the magical Jenny Ortega. And so it's only natural that this film’s final girl has to be a shameful slut to survive, facing another, very wrinkled shameful slut. It's brilliantly shot, perhaps just a little too posed and lengthy in places, the retro look is good and the level of brutality is not such that the violence draws attention to itself and distracts from the compelling and often quite true-to-life ideas: "one day we're gonna be too old to fuck", or a retired couple will come with pitchforks to deal with their mental issues the way, well, only rednecks can. 85% and the fifth star goes for the fact that this just turned out to be the film for me. (04/15/2022)

After a hiatus of almost 10 years, the overrated Ti West returns with his best horror film to date, and it is already attacking second place. X is a great homage to 70-80s slashers and hixploitation horror with a beautiful retro look, a downright rarity nowadays and as a lover of the subgenre I of course applaud and salute, this film does a lot things right. The film has an interesting premise about a bunch of young filmmakers who want to make an adult film in a remote Texas location owner by a creepy retired couple, who of course don’t approve of what the youngsters have in mind. I like that Ti West goes about it a little differently, and rather than watching a bunch of teenagers drinking and then having it out as is customary in films like this, this style suited me better. Anyone expecting a NC-17 rating was naive, it really wouldn't pass muster in the US, but at least the girls show up topless, which in itself is brave these days (the 80s were better at that). The introduction to soft porn is a substantial and entertaining spectacle that soon turns into uncompromising and fine carnage (as weak as the previous three years were for gore, I'm very happy with this year). Ti West additionally took advantage of the fact that creepy old people are in vogue, but why should they just haunt when they can murder too, right? The main villains are really fucking sleazy and nasty (we may not see better horror baddies this year). A grandma with a knife and a pitchfork, with a smile on her face while the blood splashes, I dig that! The characters are likable, the are girls attractive (Jenna Ortega!), the gore is very good (the cow scene in the opening act really got me off my chair and on my feet), and that crocodile, well he played two awesome and uncomfortable scenes right there. X is a very essential horror film for this year as well, it came at the right time and gives horror fans more or less everything they would expect from a solid horror film. One funny and apt line from the film: “Nobody's comin' to see this film for the plot. They're comin' to see tits and ass” and Gore! Fucking A- Right. Story 3/5. Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 8.5/10. (04/14/2022)

Sometimes a movie ticks all the right boxes for you to enjoy, but it somehow leaves you cold. That was my experience with X. Yes, the subject matter is great. It features good directing and visual effects and has some superb acting performances. It has also got some cool subplots even though it played out predictably and unexcitingly. It simply elicited no better response in me than an appreciation of solid filmmaking, which is a bit of a shame in this case because I expected a bit more from it. (05/07/2022)

High-quality gore doesn’t guarantee a good film. That’s a lesson I took away from X. The rural American setting was pleasant, but the characters offered nothing compelling, and I didn’t root for anyone. I was also negatively surprised by a few depraved scenes (such as the intimate games of the older couple). The creators could have left those out, so don’t be mad at me for saying that. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it; the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre is definitely a better work in my view. For me, it’s 4/10. (05/05/2022)

If you're looking for a classic slasher, you've come to the right place. You've got a group of young idiots on one side and a couple of elderly folks with unfulfilled dreams on the other. Add in sex, blood, rock and roll, and surprisingly good filmmaking. The director and cinematographer have a keen eye for great shots, and the period atmosphere is spot-on. (02/07/2023)