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Ti West’s X aims its slasher-movie homage straight at classic horror fanatics

Mia Goth stars in a dual role in a movie that pays tribute to Texas Chain Saw Massacre, in its own striking way

A woman with a bloodied hand sobs in Ti West’s X

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This review of Ti West’s X originally came from the 2022 media expo SXSW. It has been updated for the film’s digital release.

The House of the Devil director Ti West never left horror. It’s been nearly a decade since his last horror movie, The Sacrament , but he’s stayed busy in horror TV, directing episodes of Scream: The TV Series , The Exorcist , Them , and more. He returns to his big-screen roots with X , a deliciously gory, delightfully funny homage to 1970s indie filmmaking that lures viewers into a false sense of security with a fun hangout movie, then unleashes all hell on the screen. By the time the credits roll, it makes sense that A24 would confirm this as the distribution house’s first horror franchise .

In 1979, strip-club owner Wayne (Martin Henderson) decides to gather a group of friends, employees, and a couple of idealistic filmmaking-enthusiast tagalongs to shoot a porn film that will make them all famous . There’s Wayne’s girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), Bobby-Lane (Brittany Snow), and Jackson (Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi), who will star in the film. Of course, this won’t be just any old porn film. As writer, director, editor, and cinematographer R.J. (Owen Campbell) explains, he’s here to prove that it’s “possible to make a good dirty movie.” He’s ready to employ avant-garde techniques and everything, and he’s brought along his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) as boom-mic operator. Of course, given that this is a ragtag production, corners are cut — most notably, the cast and crew are staying at a remote farmhouse owned by an elderly couple who are supposedly unaware of what they’re planning to do. Soon enough, bodies start dropping.

Though the premise of a porn shoot turning into a horror show could easily result in a schlocky parody, Ti West has more in mind. The adult-film angle serves two purposes — it puts a meta spin on the practically mandatory nudity and adult content of R-rated slasher films, and it uses the adult industry to speak about indie filmmaking at large. The first half of the film is a love letter to independent filmmaking, to the satisfactions of grabbing a group of like-minded friends and a camera, and heading to a remote location to make movies. At the Q&A following the film’s SXSW premiere, Ti West spoke about the similarities between horror and porn in the 1970s — specifically, the desire to break free from studio systems and make a name for yourself, with nothing in hand but a good idea.

The doomed crew of X walks through tall grass, film equipment in hand

Given that this is a horror film about a group of young people in Texas, there are clear homages to Tobe Hooper’s original 1974 movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , especially in the beginning, where West is following a group of friends having a good time, unaware of the carnage waiting for them. West carefully waits to unveil the carnage, choosing to focus on character work and setting a creepy mood through long takes and ominous cutaways. (The A24 way!) The story isn’t all gloom and doom — West is clearly having a ball making this an enjoyable comedy, too. Double entendres and crude jokes fill the first half of the film, like the team’s van reading “Plowing Services.” Even when the killings begin, most of them have a lighthearted tone.

This is in no small part due to the cast, especially Brittany Snow, whose turn as a wannabe porn star makes for a hilarious return to horror for the actress. Meanwhile, Mescudi does an impressive job as the guy full of bravado and confidence, a veteran who fears nothing, even when he should. Still, this is Mia Goth’s movie: She pulls double duty as both the lead character and as house owner Pearl, subject of a planned spinoff prequel. Goth infuses both characters with a burning desire to obtain fame, and a deep fear of losing it. Even when buried under tons of makeup, her performance shines through.

As funny as X gets at times, however, it’s just as effective at providing scares as it is at provoking laughs. Once the kills begin, West unleashes heavy gore and entertaining death scenes, enhanced by effective, novel editing that West and his co-editor David Kashevaroff use to enhance the scares, or create new ones. From smash cuts and juxtapositions to cutting away from a kill to an unrelated scene to screen wipes and split-screens, X makes for an unpredictable experience.

Sadly, as great as the makeup is, it follows the recent unfortunate trope of villainizing the elderly, implying that aging naturally turns people into vicious villains . Get ready for gratuitous scenes of naked elderly people, designed to suggest that aging is gross and scary.

Tired stereotypes aside, though, West delivers a crowd-pleasing return to horror that’s a love letter to the genre without becoming a parody. This is no Texas Chain Saw Massacre rip-off , but it is still the best Texas Chain Saw Massacre film of the year. Ti West is back — may he not leave us again anytime soon.

X is now widely available for rental or purchase on Amazon , Vudu , and other digital platforms. The prequel, Pearl , is coming to theaters Sept. 16.

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Metacritic reviews

100 Screen Daily Nikki Baughan Screen Daily Nikki Baughan There are some tremendous misdirects, effective jump scares, and literal piles of gore. There just happens to be plenty of brains to go with all that blood.
91 Consequence Brett Arnold Consequence Brett Arnold Ti West’s X is a strange and wonderful return to form for the indie-horror phenom, an ode to the life-altering magic of cheap and dirty horror pictures. 13 years after his breakout hit in the genre, Ti West has added another great horror film to the canon.
85 Slashfilm Matt Donato Slashfilm Matt Donato Ti West is back with a violent vengeance, slicing and dicing through likable characters that light up the screen throughout their doomed and debaucherous overnight shoot. West is operating on another level — even the slightest editing cut cranks fear factors another notch higher.
83 The Playlist Jason Bailey The Playlist Jason Bailey With its shout-outs to horror classics and juicy pay-offs of its own, X feels like the movie West was born to make.
83 The A.V. Club Todd Gilchrist The A.V. Club Todd Gilchrist While you’re languishing in the performances and period detail, West is sneaking up to pull the rug out from beneath you, or to raze some outdated cliché. X is bloody, ballsy fun.
83 IndieWire Robert Daniels IndieWire Robert Daniels While West isn’t always operating on the same levels as his influences, his signature flair for tension through simmering slow-burn pacing remains unparalleled.
82 Polygon Rafael Motamayor Polygon Rafael Motamayor West delivers a crowd-pleasing return to horror that’s a love letter to the genre without becoming a parody.
80 Variety Owen Gleiberman Variety Owen Gleiberman X is a wily and entertaining slow-motion ride of terror that earns its shocks, along with its singular quease factor, which relates to the fact that the demons here are ancient specimens of humanity who actually have a touch of…humanity.
80 Empire Kim Newman Empire Kim Newman West’s frightfilms are playful — a stereotype is inverted as guys wander half-naked to their doom like stereotypical slasher starlets — but run to serious scares. X is a properly satisfying shocker.
75 RogerEbert.com RogerEbert.com X is a clever formal experiment, but one that plays like a feature-length joke for horror fans and filmmakers rather than offering a distinct perspective. West conjures nasty fun with a genre enthusiast’s expertise and then doesn't offer much beyond that.
See all 35 reviews on Metacritic.com
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X Reviews Are Online, Read What Critics Are Saying About The Porn-Centric Slasher Movie

What did critics think of Ti West's latest offering?

Ti West is finally back with another horror movie after a decade of other projects. His new film, X , features what sounds like a formulaic setup for a throwback ‘70s horror flick: A film crew drives out to a remote Texas farmhouse to shoot a porn while trying not to raise suspicions of their elderly hosts. It’s probably safe to say there will be sex and there will be blood. X premiered March 13 at the SXSW Film Festival, and the reviews are in. What are critics saying about West’s latest project?

The movie Mia Goth , Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) as the adult film stars, Martin Henderson as manager Wayne, and Jenna Ortega and Owen Campbell as the film crew. X clocks in at just 105 minutes, so let’s see how much horror the critics are saying Ti West was able to pack into that run time, starting with our own CinemaBlend review . Mike Reyes rates the slasher 4 out of 5 stars, saying writer/director Ti West has put together a slow burn that sets the stakes for each character before a satisfying payoff:

By taking his time to get to ‘the good stuff,’ West turns the entire movie into ‘the best stuff,’ as the stakes that are set in motion pay off one after the other. When horror fans get to the blood and guts of X, they’ll be even happier that they got to know the score before playing ball, as the finished package is all the more satisfying because of that strategy.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says X succeeds where many movies trying to emulate The Texas Chain Saw Massacre fail. It’s not just a cheap imitation, however. This review says X is a deliberate tribute with “genuine mood and skill and flavor”:

‘X’ is a wily and entertaining slow-motion ride of terror that earns its shocks, along with its singular quease factor, which relates to the fact that the demons here are ancient specimens of humanity who actually have a touch of…humanity. West, as a filmmaker, reverses tropes in a way that speaks to the era that was coming.

David Crow of Den of Geek agrees with the other reviews that this ode to an era of horror succeeds in keeping audiences uncomfortable by withholding its most horrible images until the audience least expects them:

The film, which just had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, certainly dabbles in exploitation, happily indulging every lusty 16mm square frame we see of the movie within the movie, but to write it off as merely those baser elements would miss the more intriguing ideas in its first two (superior) acts. Essentially posited on the conceit of “Debbie Does Dallas… and then has an existential crisis about her own mortality,” X is an intentionally jarring experiment that mashes up tones and styles. While it doesn’t always pay off, the exercise yields curious results.

Patrick Cavanaugh of ComicBook.com rates X a perfect 5 out of 5, commending Ti West on his return to horror movies with one of the best horror films of the year and arguably West’s best project to date:

While the film assuredly tackles heady themes like mortality and aging, it still offers some unsettling and traditional horror imagery. Though, keeping in tradition with West's track record, it takes a full hour before anything overtly violent takes place. This allows audiences to truly connect with these characters and invest in whether they could really get this film made, only to then be reminded that, for as unconventional as it might be, it's still definitively a horror movie.

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting rates it 4.5 skulls out of 5, saying Ti West’s deceptively simple setup gives way to a go-for-broke horror-comedy that leaves you breathless, both from laughter and nail-biting tension. And what about the kills?

X is a crowd-pleasing doozy when it comes to brutal bloodletting and kills. Some deaths leave you queasy, and some will leave you cackling with glee. All of it is immensely satisfying.

The critics seem to agree on X being a tense, bloody and masterfully done tribute to slasher horror.

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X Explained: Exploring The Bloody Secrets of Ti West's Porno Slasher

If you’re a fan of the genre, you can catch X in theaters starting Friday, March 18, and be sure to check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other movies are coming soon.

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.

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Review: The artisanal horror of Ti West’s ‘X’ delivers more tease than release

A young woman crawls in a dark, tight space in the horror film “X.”

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Indie horror stalwart Ti West may not intend for his oeuvre of slow-chill creations ( “House of the Devil,” “The Innkeepers”) to feel cozy. But for the discerning cinephile, his throwback style — preferring the massaging of creeps over slapping you with shocks, and the dread of a lonely space over the presence that explains everything — is a welcome embrace of sorts: nostalgic shivers that also produce a smile.

West likes to recalibrate your expectations for a horror film at the same time he revels in the less flashy elements that have long defined the form: patient shots, offbeat humor and the currency of eeriness. He believes the violence you create in your head is far more effective than anything he can show, but it doesn’t stop him from producing the requisite amount of grisly death when the need arises.

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Now, after many years away from the genre (since 2013’s “The Sacrament” ), West is back in that malevolently playful mindset with “X,” a slasher homage to the sex-begets-death days of young, beautiful libertines in remote settings, well and truly screwed. The setting is 1979, and a vanload of aspiring pornographers from Houston are on their way to a secluded homestead to film something called “The Farmer’s Daughter.”

Fueling their smutty little project, however, are some serious dreams. For confident, freckle-faced starlet Maxine Minx ( Mia Goth ), fame is the goal, and porn is just a stepping stone, while her big-talking producer-squeeze Wayne (Martin Henderson) — thoughts of “Debbie Does Dallas”-style success dancing in his head — gets practically giddy thinking of the money to be made. He’ll even accommodate the artistic aims of his ambitious cineaste director, RJ (Owen Campbell) — whose nervous girlfriend (Jenna Ortega) is in tow to handle sound — because a wider audience just means more revenue.

With a camera-ready pair of swinging lovers in Jackson (Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. rapper Kid Cudi ) and Bobbi-Lynne (Brittany Snow) eager to answer the call to “Action,” all that’s left is for everyone to keep their project a secret from their farm hosts: crusty, rifle-toting World War II veteran Howard and his frail-looking, white-haired wife Pearl, first introduced to us as a ghostly figure in an upstairs window as she captures the wandering gaze of Maxine.

Although the setting and scenario are ripe for an existential body-count gorefest a la “Friday the 13th,” West has some other shadings in mind before he turns the screen red. One is that porn and horror are practically twins in the family business of tease and release, a point West stresses (a bit obviously) when he crosscuts between the porn crew’s filming of a ludicrous howdy-stranger setup scene and the first unnerving exchange in the main house between a snooping Maxine and the shut-in, but no less curious herself, Pearl.

Mia Goth in Ti West's horror slasher "X"

Inside Ti West and Mia Goth’s already filmed secret prequel to A24 slasher ‘X’

‘Pearl,’ starring Mia Goth, was filmed in secret in part because of COVID-19 restrictions

March 24, 2022

The second has to do with the connection between Maxine and Pearl, which isn’t hard to figure out, because it’s also telegraphed by a scene in which Bobbi-Lynne sings Fleetwood Mac’s getting-older ballad “Landslide,” accompanied by a subdued use of story-melding split screen. The problem is that these efforts to elevate “X” into something evocative about youth, desire and aging don’t sit as comfortably in West’s filmmaking wheelhouse as the craft-oriented stuff — shadowy stillness, a suggestive angle, a shot held five seconds too long — that keeps us in a state of unsettled anticipation.

West may want your suspense held as much through the emotional grounding of his hapless and not-so-innocent characters as through his masterful technique, and on that front, Goth does a fine job embodying West’s themes of female agency and denied passion. But chances are you’ll be way more preoccupied by the genre lures: that alligator introduced so terrifyingly early on, wondering when that small ax is going to get used, or what’s in the old couple’s basement. It would be a mistake to call “X” a misfire — in its artisanal, period textures and delight in old-school atmospherics, it’s too well made. But it’s better at teasing than following through.

'X'

Rated: R for strong bloody violence and gore, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Playing: Starts March 18 in general release

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Maxine is the first to tour the grounds and notices that things are off. She doesn’t relay that to the group, but they probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. Meanwhile, Howard and Pearl are in a loveless marriage and want intimacy, but he can’t because of the husband’s heart problems. When Pearl witnesses the group shooting in all their naked glory, this ignites a sexual rage in her that she chooses to take out on the young group. Let the game begin!

A24’s ‘X’ Has Shot A Prequel, Ti West Reveals At Pic’s SXSW Premiere

The idea that lack of sexual connection could cause one to become a murderer is interesting but isn’t expounded upon here. Pearl sees Maxine as a “special woman,” but the reason why isn’t revealed until the last scene. There are too many loose ends to count, but the redeeming cast is what keeps X afloat. Each actor brings their own quirks to the table. They are good-looking, dynamic and having a good time.

I give West credit for having a vision and sticking to his influences. He knows what he wants to do and how to execute it unapologetically. X is surface-level entertainment — focused more on having fun than telling a good story — but still a satisfying piece of indie horror filmmaking that’s worth taking a chance on. Don’t expect anything like his previous film, The Innkeepers, but don’t think too hard while watching X . Just enjoy the ride.

‘X’ Trailer: Late-’70s Rural Texas Porn Shoot Goes Bad In Ti West’s Horror Pic

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Grindhouse-style exploration of aging, sex, and gore.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Movie's themes aren't exactly streamlined, but it

Even though main characters are all likable and ge

Of the six main characters, three are women (one L

Intense, graphic violence designed to shock. Lots

Several sex scenes, with characters sharing partne

Several uses of "f--k," plus "t-ts," "c--k," "ass,

Old 1970s Coca-Cola cooler displayed. Wonder Bread

Main character snorts cocaine in at least three sc

Positive Messages

Movie's themes aren't exactly streamlined, but it touches on faith-based repression vs. sexual freedom, and sexual freedom vs. emotional commitment. But main themes concern age and desire: Despite a life of faith, the older couple still feel desire, but the younger people are revolted by them. Draws no conclusions on these themes but leaves viewers with something to talk about.

Positive Role Models

Even though main characters are all likable and generally positive, their life choices are iffy, and all but one pay a high price. The survivor is somewhat self-involved and doesn't suffer consequences for problematic choices.

Diverse Representations

Of the six main characters, three are women (one Latina) and one is a Black man. One woman seems to be the driving force of the movie, becoming the only survivor. A Black sheriff appears in just two scenes but has two of the movie's best lines.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Intense, graphic violence designed to shock. Lots and lots of blood, spurting, spraying, gurgling, oozing. Bloody, gory crime scene. Extremely gory slaughtered cow, hit by truck: Slabs of flesh hang from the truck and are shoveled from the road. Van wheels smoosh through cow guts. Character stabbed repeatedly in throat until flesh torn; lots of spurting blood. Head smashed with wheel of truck. Corpse with torn-up face. Rifle shown, characters shot. Handgun shown. Character torn up, eaten by alligator. Man breaks woman's fingers. Character steps on protruding nail. Naked male corpse hanging from wall. Character has heart attack.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Several sex scenes, with characters sharing partners (performed for an adult movie). Bare breasts and bottoms, plus thrusting, moaning, etc. Penis seen in silhouette. A character wipes ejaculate from her thigh with a towel. Man naked except for tiny underwear. Passionate, slurpy kissing. Sex-related dialogue. Dialogue about adult movies; Debbie Does Dallas is mentioned. A skinny-dipping woman is shown fully naked in an extreme long shot. A character touches another character's hand to his penis ("feel how hard my c--k is!"). Penis seen on male corpse.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Several uses of "f--k," plus "t-ts," "c--k," "ass," "d--k," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "hell," "whore," "pecker," "smut," "oh my God," and "God save me."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Old 1970s Coca-Cola cooler displayed. Wonder Bread shown and mentioned.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Main character snorts cocaine in at least three scenes. Smoking. Characters drink beer with dinner.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that X is a horror movie set in 1979 about people making an adult film in a remote farmhouse who end up being stalked by the elderly couple that owns the place. Ultra-gory and explicit, it's also funny, clever, and effective, touching on themes of sexuality, repression, and aging in unique ways. There are multiple instances of partial nudity (breasts, bottoms, slightly obscured penis), a fully naked skinny-dipping woman seen in a long shot, and several sex scenes, with thrusting, moaning, and more. Violence is very graphic, with lots of blood (spurting, spraying, gurgling, oozing), bloody carnage, gruesome murders, torn flesh, broken bones, eyes stabbed, etc., as well as guns and shooting. Strong language includes "f--k," "t-ts," "c--k," "ass," "d--k," "bitch," and more. A main character uses cocaine without consequences, and there's social drinking and smoking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

Parents say (10)
Kids say (29)

Based on 10 parent reviews

Rated 18 (strong bloody violence, sex).

MAIN CONTENT ISSUES - There are several scenes of strong bloody violence, sometimes featuring gory injury detail. These include a man being stabbed in the neck multiple times, a man being stabbed through the eye, a man being shot in the chest, a woman having her fingers battered with the butt of a shotgun, a woman being shot in the face with gory aftermath detail, and a woman having her head crushed by a vehicle causing a big spurt of blood and gore. Some of these sequences are quite sustained, and linger on injury detail. There are also multiple prolonged sex scenes, featuring heavy thrusting and sexual moaning, explicit sexual dialogue and references, as well as graphic breast and buttock nudity. One moment also shows a woman wiping some semen from her hip. These sexual scenes primarily take place in the context of the characters filming a pornographic film, although no actual penetration is shown and the sex is only simulated. | OTHER ISSUES - There is strong threat and suspense throughout, including a sustained sequence of sexualized threat where a woman is inappropriately touched and caressed by another woman whilst sleeping. There are also some scenes of drug use where a woman snorts cocaine. Multiple uses of strong language ("f*ck"), as well as milder terms ("c*ck", "b*tch", "wh*re", "p*ssy", "d*ck", "sh*t", etc). | Rated "18" - Suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over. Contains content recommended for viewing by adults only.

What's the Story?

In X, it's 1979 in Houston, Texas. Wayne ( Martin Henderson ), who runs a burlesque club, climbs into a van with two of his sex workers, his girlfriend Maxine ( Mia Goth ), and Bobby-Lynne ( Brittany Snow ). Also along for the ride are Bobby-Lynne's boyfriend, sex worker Jackson ( Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi ), filmmaker RJ (Owen Campbell), and sound recordist/RJ's girlfriend Lorraine ( Jenna Ortega ). Their destination is a remote house on a ranch owned by an odd older couple. There, the team hopes to film an adult-oriented movie, The Farmer's Daughters , and make a fortune in the burgeoning home video market. The shoot begins well, but then one of the home's owners starts to exhibit extra-creepy vibes, leering at the youngsters. Over dinner and beers, Lorraine decides to be in the movie as well. A distraught RJ storms off into the night, thus setting off a shocking cycle of violence and gore.

Is It Any Good?

More than just a stylish grindhouse throwback, this gorefest explores sex and violence in fresh ways. It takes into account the oft-ignored subject of aging bodies and balances things with moments of wry humor. It's no surprise that the confident direction is the work of Ti West , whose The House of the Devil , which has a similar throwback style, has already become a horror classic and whose other genre works deserve the same fate. The look and feel of X comes from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre textbook, and West understands it inside and out -- not only its shock and gore, but also its sense of place and unexpected comic touches. But he uses it to create his own thing, rather than a slavish copy.

For example, in many traditional horror movies, sex is equated with death -- but in X , sex is treated as natural and freeing. Even though the actors are creating "smut," they seem in control of their bodies ... that is, until the attacks start coming. Those are fueled partly by faith-based righteousness and partly by jealousy of youth and beauty. It's a deadly combination, and certainly West could have gone deeper with it, but instead he focuses on sheer sensation. Some shots, like the click of a basement light switch, a casual swim in a pond (accompanied by a hungry gator), and a protruding nail, create giddy squeals that are practically old-fashioned. The combination of shock, titillation, and laughs may seem a bit messy, but that may be precisely what X is really all about.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about X 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

How is sex depicted? In the story, how is filmed sex different from "real" sex?

How are drugs depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?

Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies ? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?

How does the movie touch upon themes of repression and liberation? Of aging and desire?

Movie Details

In theaters : March 18, 2022
On DVD or streaming : April 14, 2022
Cast : Mia Goth , Jenna Ortega , Brittany Snow
Director : Ti West
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : A24
Genre : Horror
Run time : 105 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence and gore, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and language
Last updated : February 27, 2024

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Pearl: Mia Goth's 10 Best Movies, Ranked (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

Pearl movie ending explained (in detail), how a fourth x movie can make up for pearl's most heartbreaking story.

X movie ending leaves lingering questions, setting up franchise spin-offs exploring the killer's origins and Maxine's pursuit of stardom.
Ti West's X offers a bloody spectacle with hidden clues, building to a crescendo that blurs the line between convention and change.
Mia Goth's portrayal of Maxine and Pearl in X hints at a cyclical nature of characters, leading to potential high stakes in the upcoming sequel.

The X movie ending crescendos to a bloody spectacle that throws up several lingering questions. Director Ti West's 2022 slasher X follows a film crew as they arrive at a secluded Texas farm to shoot a pornographic film in the late 1970s, which idealistic fictional adult movie director RJ (Owen Campbell) believes will be " a piece of cinema. " Seemingly blinded by their ambitions to capitalize on a burgeoning home video industry, the young group of X movie characters remains largely unaware of the covetous presence next door — the old woman in X, Pearl (played by Mia Goth).

Watch On Netflix

Ti West's X movie has horror fans hyped the world over for many reasons, not least of which is because of the franchise-spawning X movie ending. Between several big character deaths and hidden clues that point to a whole canon unexplored in the movie, X 's final scenes are quite the rollercoaster ride. The X movie ending has also spawned a prequel exploring the killer's origins, and the upcoming sequel MaXXXine . Hindsight gives the X movie ending even more significance .

What Happens At The End Of Ti West's X?

The X movie ending conspires to close the narrative loop of Ti West's film, bringing audiences back to the bloody scenes shown in the X first act . The X ending sees just two surviving members of the porn crew, with Maxine hiding under Howard ( The Lord of the Rings trilogy's Stephen Ure) and Pearl's bed, while Lorraine is locked in the farmhouse basement. Pearl and Howard, excited from the savage murders they have just committed, have sex, allowing Maxine to quietly crawl away and find Lorraine.

However, when Mia Goth's Maxine frees Lorraine from her basement prison, Lorraine reacts rashly, unfairly blaming her promiscuity for the horrors that have unfolded across X 's runtime. Panicked, disoriented, and hysterical, Lorraine attempts to run from the farmhouse on foot, only to be shot by Howard. The X movie endgame then ensues, with Lorraine's death rattle scaring Howard and inducing his heart attack that he has long since dreaded.

Enraged by the death of her husband and confidante, Pearl (also Mia Goth) attempts to shoot Maxine with Howard's shotgun, but the force of the weapon's blast throws her backward, breaking her hip. As Pearl lays stricken on the floor, begging for help, Maxine decides to take revenge for her slain friends, reversing over the aging Pearl's head in RJ's van in a particularly sickening scene before driving at break-neck speed away from the farm .

The next morning, Sherriff Dentler (James Gaylyn) and his police force arrive at the house at the end of X to retrieve the crew's bodies, which they still believe to be intruders following Howard's earlier call to police. However, the police soon discover RJ's film camera and speculate what the footage is, indicating the aging Pearl and Howard's murderous deceit will soon be rumbled. The X 2022 movie then ends with a shocking reveal that Maxine is the daughter of a conservative Christian, whose local televangelist-style speeches have been playing on Pearl and Howard's grainy television throughout the movie .

15 Best Horror Movies Of All Time, Ranked

What are the best horror movies of all time? Every fan has their opinion, but these movies have stood the test of time to become certifiable icons.

Why Pearl Is A Killer In X

Ti West's horror movie X ends with Pearl killing RJ and his pornography crew in the movie, with Mia Goth perfectly portraying Pearl's jealousy at the group's hedonistic pleasure when X reaches its murderous rage-fueled crescendo. Pearl's envy of their overtly sexual lifestyle is also why Howard barks at the group to stay away from the farmhouse itself, knowing full well that his wife will react poorly to the porn film being shot on their property.

However, the X movie ending doesn't explain the reason Pearl killed so many times before very well , particularly given Howard's admission midway through the film that he has cleaned up the murderous Pearl's messes in the past (as evidenced by the car in the lake and the chained corpse in the basement, then expanded on in prequel Pearl ). It is unlikely that there are many roving groups of pornographers looking to use Howard and Pearl's farm in the 1970s, leading audiences to rightfully query what Pearl's specific homicidal trigger on this occasion actually was.

The prequel established Pearl was already a killer prior to the X 2022 movie, but the justification for her final spree in X itself is best explained by her covetous nature , which comes to the fore as she watches over a sleeping Maxine. Pearl's confidence when strutting around the farmhouse and the talk of her " glory years... before the first war " indicates a singular desire for her to return to her former, beautiful self.

In this way, it is inferred by X that Pearl kills out of jealousy and spite against her own mortality, rather than being purely triggered by sexual acts as X 's story initially indicates. This also tracks with Mia Goth's casting as both Maxine and Pearl, with Maxine closely resembling a young Pearl as an overt nod to her lost youth taunting her throughout Ti West's movie.

Who Is Maxine's Father (& What It Means)

As aforementioned, the X movie ending shockingly unveils Maxine's father as the local televangelist barking at his acolytes on Howard and Pearl's old TV set. On-screen, the Christian preacher reveals that he is Maxine's father and subsequently prays for her to return to the family and God. This biblical tie to Maxine's less-than-pious life is subtly repeated throughout X , with the film's final girl often repeating " I will not accept a life I do not deserve " — a sentiment lifted from Mark 10:15 in the Bible.

Bible verses are, of course, a long-standing horror trope used in classics like The Exorcist , but the X movie uses them particularly well to hammer home its narrative themes (instead of simply adding a bit of Gothic horror flavor, as some movies and shows do). Maxine discovering her heritage affirms her own, oft-used mantra to herself, with Maxine now using her father's prosperity gospel as her new driving force.

Maxine's X ending is somewhat ambiguous, leaving it open to interpretation whether Maxine chooses to seek her family or not, but her most likely destination seems to be Hollywood , with Maxine speaking of " making it " in Los Angeles before the bloodshed at Howard's farmhouse begins. No doubt the sequel MaXXXine will cull this ambiguity, but for now, Maxine's reaction to her father post the events of X is unknown.

A rising star in the horror genre, Mia Goth's other credits include an erotic arthouse drama, sci-fi thrillers, and a Jane Austen adaptation.

The Real Meaning Of X's Ending

While on a surface level the X movie ending is classic slasher fare as the final girl overcomes the murderers and escapes, Ti West's horror movie is interwoven with more symbolism than Maxine backing over Pearl's head with a van would suggest. The symmetry of Maxine killing Pearl (both played by A Cure For Wellness ' Mia Goth) is representative of a natural life cycle, with the new outlasting the old .

Pearl covets that which she can no longer have, youth and beauty, and, despite her best efforts, can never attain it — with Maxine rebuffing her advances before defeating her in the final act. In this way, Pearl is representative of convention, while Maxine represents change , and while the two inevitably clash, change inexorably comes out on top both in the real world and in X 's final reckoning.

The X Movie Ending Set Up A Franchise

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Mia Goth returns as Pearl, the titular killer with dreams of being a star but is resigned to a life as a caretaker on her family's farm. Pearl desperately yearns for a Hollywood life, but her devout mother and ailing father keep her grounded in a life she doesn't want. When a talent recruitment group comes to her small town, she decides to try her luck and show off her "X" factor. However, to get what she wants, her dark tendencies get the better of her, sending her on a path of carnage to escape to a life of stardom.

Ti West's X 2022 movie sets up an entire movie franchise, with the prequel film Pearl and the X sequel MaXXXine . While the X movie ending adds a dash of finality to Pearl's story, it completely opens up the world to Maxine, who will be the front-runner in the upcoming sequel. The story and origins of the X killer are explored in the prequel film Pearl, which came out 6 months after X . What these two films do is answer two major questions set up by the X ending. The first is why did Pearl become a killer?

Pearl is set at the same farmhouse in 1918, when Pearl is a young girl with big dreams. She lives with her overbearing and critical mother and invalid father, and while Pearl waits for her husband Howard to return from WWI she's forced to take care of the latter.

During this time, Pearl also discovers she has a penchant for abusing and killing farm animals. The X movie killer Pearl had dreams of being a chorus girl one day, and she's given a shot when she goes to an audition, which she, unfortunately, doesn't get. One by one, her family members are killed off, and Howard comes home to quite a surprise.

Pearl 's gory ending rivals that of X , and also shed a lot of light on why Pearl has such uncontrollable bloodlust by the time RJ and Maxine arrive in the 1970s. The second question from the X movie ending is what will happen to Maxine now that she's free — especially in the advent of the revelation that she's the preacher's daughter. Horror movie director and fan Ti West is set to answer that question with the upcoming X sequel MaXXXine.

Based in 1980s Los Angeles, MaXXXine will follow the exploits of Mia Goth's titular character as she tries anything (and everything) to boost her way to stardom. The teaser trailer reveals that there will be plenty of 1980s pop culture fun and flair as X did with the '70s and Pearl its early 1918 setting. Period horror director Ti West brought his A-game with X , so much so that this singular film set up an entire franchise full of great horror Easter eggs.

Pearl, the prequel to Ti West's X, follows the origin of its murderous titular character. We break down the ending and what it all really means.

How Mia Goth Interprets The X Movie Meaning

Mia Goth has of course given her own thoughts on the meaning of the X ending, and her interpretation of both Maxine and Pearl as characters. Speaking alongside co-star Brittany Snow , Mia Goth revealed that one of the key thematic points of the movie is tied to both characters she plays, and the fact it's her playing both of them.

We [Mia Goth and Ti West] spoke at length about the fact that they're very much the same woman. They carry the same essence, they're just at different life stages and the product of different circumstances and life choices ultimately - but their spirit is the same. When they come across each other for the first time, it's quite for Maxine, but it sparks something in Pearl.

For Mia Goth, the X movie is about the similarity between Maxine and Pearl, and how the former is in many ways repeating the same cycle of the latter . With MaXXXine completing a trilogy, the ending of the X movie will doubtless gain greater significance as part of a wider story.

Speaking to Variety , Mia Goth was very open about the third movie having significant implications for her character following from when audiences last saw Maxine at the end of 2022's X — "It’s the biggest story of the three with the highest stakes and Maxine has gone through so much at this point. So when we find her in this new world, she’s just a force to be reckoned with, and she goes through some pretty wild adventures. "

What Ti West Has Said About X

Ti West has used the X movie ending to set up an entire franchise, with the prequel Pearl , and the upcoming sequel MaXXXine . The thing about the X movie is, he always planned for it to be part of a bigger franchise. In an interview with Men's Health , the horror director opened up about the pitching process for X , and how A24 gave him the go-ahead to make a whole trilogy rather than just a standalone film.

Initially, he had the idea for the sequel MaXXXine , but realized later on that it could only work with the prequel Pearl . He reportedly sold the idea to A24 by using a Back to the Future reference, "We have to go back into the Biff Tannen timeline, and fix it, before we can go forward to make the '80s movie that you're imagining," West said.

He also talked about how X and Pearl are informed by one another , and later jokes, such as Pearl saying she doesn't like blondes in the X movie, only make more sense once the prequel has been viewed. West had this to say about the little Easter egg:

I had written the script [for Pearl] before we even filmed X. I can't remember if the blonde thing that she says was in X prior to getting to New Zealand, because it's all a blur. That probably was in there. And then I probably retrofitted that into Pearl.

All in all, the X movie ending perfectly sets up both the prequel and the sequel. Audiences will have to see what final girl/villain Mia Goth will be up to next in the sequel MaXXXine .

Ti West has teased a potential fourth movie in his X series, and if it happens, it can make up for Pearl's saddest story through Maxine.

X Franchise Oscars Snub Explained

The 2023 Oscars sent a clear signal when the X franchise was completely snubbed by the Academy. Ti West's Mia Goth horror franchise garnered widespread critical acclaim, but despite this, it has received nary an accolade. This hasn't gone unnoticed by Pearl actress Mia Goth, who took to " Jake's Takes " to talk about the Oscar snub. While being interviewed about her film, Infinity Pool , Goth challenged the Academy's decision to ignore the horror genre as a whole, stating that "a change is necessary ." On the snub, Goth said:

"It’s not entirely based on the quality of a project per se. There’s a lot going on there and a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to nominations. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but I think that’s true. I think a lot of people know that."

Director Martin Scorcese himself sang praises ( via Variety ) over Ti West's Pearl , saying that the film was a " wild, mesmerizing, and deeply disturbing " ride. Despite this shoutout, the X franchise didn't get any recognition from the 2023 Oscars, and it's quite a shame considering how impactful the X movie ending was.

How The X Ending Leads Into Maxxxine

The X movie explained in its conclusion that Maxine was the daughter of the televangelist preacher seen on television throughout the movie, which seems to set the stage for the upcoming sequel Maxxxine . The third entry into the franchise will be a continuation of Maxine's story after the events of X and will see her in Los Angeles in the 1980s as she continues to search for fame and success.

It is likely her father will play a role in the story, as the idea of a disapproving father searching out his runaway daughter in the LA pornography scene of the era is a familiar story. Kevin Bacon is also playing a private detective in the sequel who could have been hired by Maxine's father to find her.

The fact that the police also find the film at the end of X could mean that Maxine is wanted by the police as they will likely recognize her as the only body missing from the farmhouse massacre. The pornography industry at the time was also known for taking advantage of young girls looking to become stars and plenty of sad stories surrounding that world at the time.

It is possible that Maxine will once again find herself in danger. However, with the similarities in her story and Pearl's story, it is also possible the X sequel will explore the bloody methods Maxine is willing to use in order to make her dreams come true.

Director Ti West presents X, a horror slasher film set in 1979 in rural Texas that follows a group of amateur filmmakers attempting to shoot a pornographic film. When the group gets further along in the film, and the elderly homeowners take notice, they slowly realize they've drawn their formerly gracious hosts' ire - and jealously.

Horror Movies

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Saw X review: Brings back some much-needed tongue-in-cheek mischief to the franchise

The latest instalment flashes back to show a little love for its arch-architect of murderous escape rooms, article bookmarked.

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A good horror franchise can only survive so long without showing a little sympathy for the devil. Chucky is a family man now, and he’ll stab you in the head if you don’t respect his genderfluid kid’s pronouns. Michael Myers has slowly pivoted from a vessel of all-incarnate evil to a vessel of all-incarnate generational trauma. Now, the time has come for the Saw franchise to show a little love to its arch-architect of murderous escape rooms, John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell). And so, in its latest instalment, Saw X , we get up close and personal with the puppet man himself.

In all fairness, Saw has always toyed with its audience’s sympathies. John – who only picked up his sadistic hobby after facing serious tragedy and a terminal diagnosis of cancer – dedicates himself to teaching blackmailers and insurance fraud types about the preciousness of life by forcing them to chop off their own limbs. Does he always choose the best victims? No (he loses a few points for his zero-tolerance policy towards addiction and sex work) but there can be no Saw , really, without the secret, guilty hope that his victims will fail to escape their respective traps and be pulverised into instant mincemeat. And so, while no one would really argue they’re on John’s side, audiences would be lying to themselves if they claimed the opposite to be true.

Saw X puts that theory into practice. John becomes both anti-hero and protagonist in a film that brings back some much-needed tongue-in-cheek mischief to a franchise that last suffered the hammy yet self-serious, Chris Rock-headlined Spiral . Since John kicked the bucket at the end of Saw 3 in 2006, the events of Saw X actually take place between the first and second films, as he struggles to accept his own mortality. We see John get an MRI scan and attend a cancer support group. It would be almost moving, if he hadn’t just recently put a woman in a reverse bear trap.

John travels to a clinic outside of Mexico City to receive an experimental treatment vaguely and repeatedly referred to as a combination of “drug cocktail and surgery”. Turns out he’s actually been scammed. As soon as the realisation sets in, John whips out his leather-bound notebook full of torture ideations and gets to work on entrapping medical mastermind Cecilia Pedersen (Synnøve Macody Lund) and her minions.

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Bell, who has played John since the very first outing in 2004, is the primary reason why this concept works. The actor doesn’t play the character as maniacal, but as a control freak who’s really only enacting the murder version of a one-star Yelp review. He’s the perfect combination of psychotic and everyman, and is certainly more reasonable than his apprentice – and franchise regular – Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) with her early 2000s-primed grunge look, cropped hair and inappropriate enthusiasm. Between murders, the pair sit down for a little pep talk and the air turns thick with irony – earlier on, John tells Cecilia that his work involves him helping people to “overcome inner obstacles and make a positive change”.

As for the traps, they’re suitably surgery-themed – one could most aptly be described as “Edward Scalpelhands”. Ten films in and it’s a routine we’re so intimately familiar with that it’d be hard to call any element of Saw X original but returning director Kevin Greutert knows what’ll satisfy his audience: a few buckets of blood and the gag-inducing sound of crunching bone. Here, they’ll get exactly what they want. And so will John.

Dir: Kevin Greutert. Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Michael Beach, Renata Vaca. 18, 118 minutes.

‘Saw X’ is in cinemas from 29 September

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‘Black Twitter: A People’s History’ Offers a Hasty Archive of a Bygone Era: TV Review

By Aramide Tinubu

Aramide Tinubu

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‘Black Twitter: A People’s History’ Offers a Hasty Archive of a Bygone Era: TV Review 1 week ago

Black Twitter: A People's History -- Based on Jason Parham’s WIRED article “A People’s History of Black Twitter,” this three-part docuseries charts the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life. Jason Parham, shown. (Disney)

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Some sections of “Black Twitter” are challenging mentally and emotionally to relive. The series moves through the Obama years into the Trump era, addressing cultural tipping points like Trayvon Martin’s murder, the Ferguson uprisings, the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd, giving reverence to the people who kept their fellow citizens informed when the government and traditional news outlets failed the general public.

Thankfully, Penny bookends these difficult sections with humorous Black discourse. Reliving snippets from Black Twitter’s response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, which populated the hashtag #ComeGetYourWhiteCousin, as well as reflecting on an imagined Paula Deen menu with racially charged options like #BackoftheBusBiscuits. These countless tweets and hashtags showcase the beauty of what it means to address the foolishness of American politics and white supremacy while calling for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Trying to squeeze in a decade-plus of discourse into three hours was always going to be challenging. Though the show does consider some of the troubling aspects of Twitter in the third chapter’s “It’s Giving Toxic,” the terror, homophobia and misogynoir Black women, trans folks, and queer people experience at the hands of the Black community in internet spaces should have been more closely examined. Additionally, addressing the countless policy failures, misinformation and the Wild West-like infrastructure of the platform needed an entire episode on its own.

While “Black Twitter” isn’t revelatory for those who were there, seeing the tweets, memes and moments displayed on the screen with contributor context does provide insight to those on the outskirts. Relieving the origins of these movements is a recollection of where we are culturally and how much things have shifted, evolved or stayed the same. Most importantly, as Musk’s X continues to erode, the docuseries stands as an archive, reminding us that we possess the power to demand change; we need only to use our voices to activate it.

The three episodes of “Black Twitter: A People’s History” premiere May 9 on Hulu.

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The Inventory

On X-Men '97 , the Road to Xavier's Dream Is Paved With Good Intentions

The third and final part of "tolerance is extinction" mostly punts the tough questions to season 2, but gives fascinatingly terrible layers to professor x..

And so, X-Men ‘97 's largely successful first season has come to an end. What does it have to say about the state of mutantdom in the face of the overwhelming threat our heroes have thrown down against these past three episodes in Bastion? Honestly, not all that much. But it does have a lot to say about Charles Xavier , even if it might not mean to.

Challengers review – Zendaya holds court in absurdly sexy three-way tennis romance

Luca Guadagnino’s sizzling, sharply scripted drama, co-starring Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, is such fun it’s almost indecent

N obody harnesses horniness quite like Luca Guadagnino . With his lavish, luxurious portrait of forbidden lust, the Tilda Swinton -starring I Am Love , Guadagnino embraced one of cinema’s most cliched symbolic sensual devices, filling the frame with come-hither shots of delectable food. But somehow, in his hands, this hackneyed metaphor feels fresh, and the film is a skin-tingling exploration of erotic tension. Then there’s Call Me By Your Name , with its scenes of peach-grappling and languid yearning, in which even the spaces between the characters are charged with longing. And Bones and All , which virtually rebrands cannibalism as a legitimate kink. But even by Guadagnino’s highly charged standards, Challengers is an absurdly sexy movie. With its power plays and exquisite cruelty, the shimmering beauty of its three leads and their tantalising interlocking desires, and the slow-motion shots of pooling sweat dripping on to the lens, the film borders on trashy at times, but it’s so much fun that it’s practically indecent.

At the very centre of the story, and providing much of the muscular energy that drives it, is a never better Zendaya . Deploying every last drop of her silky star quality, she plays Tashi, a former tennis prodigy. When we meet her, Tashi is now coaching her husband, Art (Mike Faist, channelling a thorny combination of brash entitlement and neediness), a multi-grand-slam-winning tennis champion who has hit a confidence-sapping losing streak. And it’s more than his career that hangs in the balance. The stress is compounded because Art is well aware that for his wife, losers are a massive turn-off. “I love you,” he says plaintively. “I know,” she purrs, lazily uninterested. Advantage Tashi.

Steely, businesslike and definitely the one who wears the tennis shorts in this relationship, she decides to pull her floundering husband out of a high-profile forthcoming competition and to enter him instead into a low-stakes regional Challenger tournament, the 2019 Phil’s Tire Town Challenger in New Rochelle, New York. The idea is that the podunk circuit, frequented mainly by unseeded players at the very beginning or end of their careers, is unlikely to throw up an opponent who will further dent Art’s beleaguered game.

What the couple hadn’t anticipated was that they would encounter Patrick Zweig (a devilishly charming Josh O’Connor ), a washed-up former hotshot coasting on charisma and the pocket change he can still scrape from occasional wins. This wouldn’t be a concern, but for the fact that Patrick is Tashi’s ex-boyfriend and formerly Art’s closest friend. And as such, Patrick is uniquely well placed to get inside his opponent’s head and blunt his competitive edge.

Zendaya and the ‘devilishly charming’ Josh O’Connor.

Just how well placed becomes clear as the film, guided by an agile screenplay by writer Justin Kuritzkes (husband of Celine Song , whose directorial debut, Past Lives , also, coincidentally, features a love triangle), deftly volleys back and forth between timelines. Rewinding 13 years to 2006, we meet all three as promising junior players. Art and Patrick have been friends since childhood, on top of the world having just carried off a doubles trophy. But Tashi is in a different league. The boys watch her play for the first time, an apex predator in a kicky little tennis skirt. And they struggle to tear their eyes away from her to follow the ball. Later, when they meet her for the first time at a party held in her honour, she tells them: “Tennis is a relationship.” A piano motif – uneasy, excitable, off-balance – leaves us with no doubt about what kind of relationship she means. A smouldering hotel room scene, reminiscent of a pivotal moment in Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mam á Tambi én , further seals the deal.

Music is a potent force throughout. When the blood is up, on the tennis court or elsewhere, prowling, pulse-racing techno thunders on the score (by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), an instantly thrilling jolt of adrenaline. It’s an assertive, almost aggressive musical decision, but then perhaps the film-making choices need to be big and bold, if only to match the oversized egos of the ultra-competitive and manipulative central characters. The camera, caught in the crossfire as the tension between the three builds, is so involved in the climactic match between Art and Patrick that it shoots from the perspective of the ball at one point. The dividing line between sporting clash and romantic rivalry is blurred to the extent that it no longer exists. The sex is like tennis: fierce, combative bouts in which there will always be a winner and a loser. And the tennis, ultimately, is like sex: an ecstatic consummation between two perfectly matched people at their glistening physical peak.

In UK cinemas now

Wendy Ide's film of the week
Drama films
Josh O'Connor
Luca Guadagnino
Romance films

Comments (…)

After its finale earned rave reviews, X-Men ’97 matches a Rotten Tomatoes record previously held by a surprising Marvel show

X-Men '97 and Ms Marvel are now head-to-head for the highest rated Marvel show of all time

X-Men '97 is officially the highest-rated Marvel TV show on Rotten Tomatoes – but shares the honor with another, perhaps more underrated Marvel show.

X-Men '97 and Ms Marvel currently hold a 98% Fresh critic rating on RT, though X-Men holds a higher audience score of 94% than Ms Marvel's 80%.

The critically acclaimed show serves as a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, with our favorite group of mutants learning how to cope in a post-Charles Xavier world. As it turns out, Professor X's absence is the least of their worries – and there's so much else at stake. Some critics have called the series Marvel's best release in years, with others pointing out how refreshing it is to have a Marvel release that isn't connected to the MCU. The show has been greenlit for both a second and third season.

Ms Marvel, which hit Disney Plus in 2022, follows an Avengers-obsessed 16-year-old named Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) who ends up developing her own powers. The miniseries ran for one season before Kamala appeared in The Marvels alongside Brie Larson as Captain Marvel and Teyonah Paris as Monica Rambeau.

Something both shows have in common, besides the whole Marvel thing, is the fact that Kamala Khan herself is a mutant. This makes Kamala the first mutant in the MCU, with Wolverine coming in second thanks to the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine . Kinda cool to see two mutant-centered shows in the top spot.

X-Men '97 season 1 is streaming now on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guide to the X-Men '97 post-credits scene explained .

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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X review
X review - Bump'n'grindhouse from horror director Ti West. The film-maker's latest, about a porn shoot gone wrong, is a playful gore-fest. T he year is 1979 and a foxy gang of actors from ...
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Camera: Eliot Rockett. Editors: David Kashevaroff, Ti West. Music: Tyler Bates, Chelsea Wolfe. With: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell,. Stephen Ure, Scott ...
X review (2022)
X review (2022) - Ti West returns with horrific grindhouse homage. X is Ti West's grand return to horror movies, and it's an efficient, gruesome tribute to '70s filmmaking, featuring a great double-performance by Mia Goth ... Henderson's smarm, and Goth's simmering electricity, that any dip in attention is immediately recovered. X is a ...
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This review of Ti West's X originally came from the 2022 media expo SXSW. It has been updated for the film's digital release. The House of the Devil director Ti West never left horror. It's ...
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X. 35 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com. There are some tremendous misdirects, effective jump scares, and literal piles of gore. There just happens to be plenty of brains to go with all that blood. Ti West's X is a strange and wonderful return to form for the indie-horror phenom, an ode to the life-altering magic of cheap and dirty horror ...
X
X isn't every horror fan's idea of a good time, but it's often unique and never boring. In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive ...
X Reviews Are Online, Read What Critics Are Saying About The Porn
The movie Mia Goth, Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) as the adult film stars, Martin Henderson as manager Wayne, and Jenna Ortega and Owen Campbell as the film crew. X clocks in at ...
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REVIEW OVERVIEW. X. SUMMARY. X is a fantastic display of grimy southern slasherdom with inspirational touches of religious and beauty horror sub-genres. The 70's film style puts the viewer in the time period, and the soundtrack and score move the film into a nice groove. The cast and characters are great and keep us invested, with Mia Goth ...
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Review: The artisanal horror of Ti West's 'X' delivers more tease than release. Mia Goth in the movie "X.". (A24) By Robert Abele. March 17, 2022 7 AM PT. Indie horror stalwart Ti West ...
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Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Aug 20, 2022. X manages to tap into the nostalgic style of 70's horror while being a breath of fresh air for the genre. Ti West shows through his masterful ...
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A24. Director Ti West 's X is a new love letter to the slasher film genre. This movie within a movie aims to tackle the strict relationship between sex, violence, desire and the rage that ...
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X is a 2022 American slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West.It stars Mia Goth in dual roles: a young woman named Maxine, and an elderly woman named Pearl. The film also stars Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure and Scott Mescudi.Set in 1979, the film follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple ...
X Movie Review
October 12, 2023. age 16+. 16+. My almost 14 Y/O wanted to watch this, so I watched it first. The movie has a lot of violence,sex,swearing, and some drug usage. The whole movie is based on a group of young adults who go to a farmhouse to shoot porn. The house owners, who are jealous of their youth, kill them off.
X Movie Ending Explained (In Detail)
The X movie ending crescendos to a bloody spectacle that throws up several lingering questions. Director Ti West's 2022 slasher X follows a film crew as they arrive at a secluded Texas farm to shoot a pornographic film in the late 1970s, which idealistic fictional adult movie director RJ (Owen Campbell) believes will be "a piece of cinema." Seemingly blinded by their ambitions to capitalize on ...
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Published on March 15, 2022. 3 min read. X is an early contender as one of the best horror movies of the year. Writer/director Ti West brings a 1970s-era slasher that is gory, exciting, and ...
X (2022) Movie Review
Blending the Horrific, the Religious, and the Erotic. As I settled into a theater seat to watch X -Ti West's new 70s-era slasher horror-the two teenagers behind me were apparently playing a word association game. One of them whispered to the other-" Jesus "-when production company "Little Lamb" flashed across the screen. While the first-century religious leader may not have ...
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