X

I didn’t quite expect to find such an interesting, ambitious and not very often explored theme at the centre of a horror murder mystery from the backstage of the amateur porn industry, one that even made me sympathise with the main villain at several points (well, until she went into full psycho bitch mode, that is). The cinematography is great, West, like in The House of the Devil, convincingly imitates the 1970s, plays with editing and delivers more than one strongly creepy sequence. Unfortunately, the heroes aren't exactly my cup of tea – even though they are portrayed quite effortlessly and easily recognizable from each other – so the first half was more like waiting for the inevitable carnage to finally begin. But after the first stab, things get beautifully brisk and horror-packed until the end. I’m not as thrilled as I thought I’d be, but I’m satisfied. (04/14/2022)

Can't you combine a retro slasher, a romantic story about love in retirement and porn all at once? Wrong. I never had Ti West in my crosshairs all that much, but here he fits beautifully and I'm just short of complete satisfaction and a five star rating. The very idea of a porn shack making adult films in a redneck backwoods is quite a treat, and when you add pissed off psychopathic pensioners and lots of blood and nastiness, you've won. The atmosphere built up from the start is perfect, working great visually and musically, only for the film to unleash utter madness in the second half. The characters are quite cleverly introduced and so you experience and suffers with them all the more, the "bad guys" are sleazy and disgusting, and I have to say that the "disgusting old people" element works perfectly here and I haven't felt such intense inner disgust and fear in a long time. There’s nudity, headshots and bizarre things that will make weaker close their eyes. If the creators had gone even bolder with the gore and avoided some of the clichés in terms of character behaviour, I would have given it a full score. But I'm still pleased with the result, as I haven't been in a long time. Few films so artfully combine so many elements that make for simply good horror, and the legends of a potential horror film of the year really weren't lying. (04/16/2022)

X is the most inventively directed seventies exploitation flick by a contemporary young filmmaker. Ti West knows what he’s doing as he plays with the viewers and genre techniques, mixes a bit of soft-core porn with a chunk of hard slasher, and doesn’t forget to be a little bit deviant. But mainly, he gives form to the classic slasher premise of “horny teens must die” in the craftiest way in recent decades. X won’t scare you, but the more you are at home in the genre and love a breath of fresh air in it, the more you’ll enjoy the story of unfortunate visitors to the evil farm. Also, bare breasts. (04/21/2022)

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)

So, I've had another "horror" experience that certainly didn't enrich me in any way. Ti West directed his own script, and the outcome was just as peculiar as his first name. The script didn't hold much weight; aside from the two seniors, all the characters felt dreadfully onedimensional (and therefore boring). The only scene that genuinely horrified me was one where I found myself grateful for no longer being young and that life had already dealt me enough blows, sparing me from deeper psychosexual trauma. While I understand that love knows no age, and I wholeheartedly support that, I simply didn't need to witness it here. I reckon Mia Goth enjoyed her dual role far more than I enjoyed the entire film because my two stars go to those responsible for the masks and the killings. The story itself struck me as rather laughable; the characters acted idiotically enough to fit the current "horror" trend, and I found myself fast-forwarding through the slower parts. Let me be frank; I've seen much worse. Nevertheless, I can't say I'm eagerly anticipating the second part (which is actually supposed to be the first part). / Lesson learned: Yes, there can be circumstances in human life when death seems like a better option. (10/24/2023)