Adults Only: X Gives New Meaning to "Dirty Movie"
3.5/5 stars
Over the last few decades plenty of filmmakers have tried to emulate the ingenuity and low-budget creativity of horror films from the "Grindhouse" era of the 1970s. That wonderful time when weirdos, artists and artistic weirdos put films that felt truly dangerous in theaters.
Very few have really been able to capture that energy, but Ti West got close with his 2009 slow-burn horror flick House of the Devil. Now he's taking an even more deliberate stab at it with the seductively-titled X and while it doesn't quite reach the heights of a deranged masterpiece like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it still provides plenty of sleazy fun.
Set in 1979, the film follows a DIY film crew who head to a cabin in middle-of-nowhere East Texas to shoot a pornographic movie. Things seem to be going according to plan until the elderly couple that owns the cabin begins to take an interest in their guests. An interest that soon turns deadly.
In the tradition of horror films of the era it's representing, the film takes its time establishing the characters and setting before the blood starts to fly, giving it a laid-back feeling held together with stylish direction, likable characters and experimental editing choices reminiscent of Easy Rider of all things. West does such a good job with these moments that the horror scenes feel rushed by comparison. That said, his direction still shines giving us a creepy atmosphere charged with sex and violence and clever little visual references to exploitation films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive, and even The Toxic Avenger! His story of free-spirited, sexually liberated youth clashing with repressed, moralistic elders is straight from the Grindhouse playbook, making it a welcome breath of grimy, gory air.
Written and directed by Ti West // Starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, James Gaylyn, Matthew Saville, and Simon Prast // 106 minutes // A24 // rated 'R'
