X review: Ti West pays stylish homage to classic horror slashers

Polygon Team is reporting from SXSW 20,22 Media Expo, including a glimpse at the latest independent sci-fi and horror releases.

The House of the Devil director Ti West never left horror. It’s been nearly a decade since his last horror movie, Sacrament, but he’s stayed busy in horror TV, directing episodes of The TV Series Scream, The Exorcist, TheyYou can find out more. With this, he returns to his roots on the big screen. XThis is an ode to 1970s Indie Filmmaking. It’s a delightfully gory, hilarious, and funny tribute. 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, the bodies will start to drop.

Although the idea of a porn show turning into horror shows could be a parody, TiWest has other ideas. 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. In the first half, the film celebrates independent filmmaking. It shows the pleasures of gathering a few like-minded filmmakers and taking a camera to film in remote places. 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.

Christopher Moss/A24. Photo by Christopher Moss

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 Texas Chain Saw MassacreIn the beginning Westt follows a group friends who are having fun, but they don’t know the horrors that lie ahead. West waits patiently to reveal the carnage. He instead focuses on character work, setting an ominous mood with long takes and other threatening 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.

Brittany Snow is hilarious as the wannabe porn star, which in large part explains the success of the ensemble cast. Mescudi is a great actor as Mescudi, who plays the veteran with bravado, confidence and who doesn’t fear anything, even though he shouldn’t. 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 gives both of her characters a strong desire to be famous and fear. She shines, even though she’s covered up in tons of makeup.

Funny as can be X gets at times, whoever, it’s just as effective at providing scares as it is at provoking laughs. West’s killing spree includes heavy gore, bloody scenes and entertaining deaths. West, along with David Kashevaroff, use novel editing techniques to either enhance scares or create new ones. You can use smash cuts, juxtapositions or to cut away from one kill to another scene. Screen wipes are also available. X This makes it an unpredictable experience.

Unfortunately, the make-up is not as good as it seems. It also follows the unfortunate trend of villainizing elderly people, which implies that the elderly naturally turn into evil villains. Prepare for scenes featuring naked elderly men, intended to portray that aging can be scary and disgusting.

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 film is nothing but a tribute to horror. Texas Chain Saw MassacreAlthough it’s a scam, it’s still the best. Texas Chain Saw Massacre The film that was the best of 2011. Ti West is back — may he not leave us again anytime soon.

XOn March 18, theaters will be open.