After watching the A24 film X for the first time, one is left with a sense of equal adoration and utter horror. Mia Goth comes alive on screen with screaming prowess, doubling as the fame-hungry, esoteric adult film star, Maxine Minx, and as the homicidal old woman, Pearl. With the combination of ’70s fashion and music, the movie was sure to be captivating.

X, released in 2022, follows a troupe of adult film actors, who arrive at a remote farm to film their latest picture. The group soon begins to feel uneasy about the owners of the farm, an elderly couple. The couple quickly turns homicidal, and they kill every one of their new residents off, except for Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), the quick-witted final girl.

The story continues in the prequel film, Pearl, also released in 2022. In this movie; the antagonist’s origin story is told, amidst a 1910s backdrop. The movie gave the titular antagonist, Pearl (Mia Goth), a realistic nuance. Pearl was packed with just enough detail and context to create a perfect prequel.

The third installment of the series came out this year, titled MaXXXine. The film is centered around Maxine Minx’s violent ascent to true fame. Set in drug-crazed 1980s Hollywood, Maxine Minx is fiercely determined to make it out as an actress among a sea of millions.

This movie was nearly the perfect continuation of Maxine’s story. With all the elements of a campy ‘80s horror movie, MaXXXine was full of wildly unexpected twists and turns. The movie begins with Maxine finally getting her big break after auditioning for various films and working tirelessly in every facet of the entertainment industry. She has officially secured a main role in a major movie, and she walks into it confidently.

Concurrently, Hollywood is paralyzed with fear of the famous real-life serial killer, Richard Ramirez, and Maxine and her friends are among the most wary. This real life element truly sets the murderous mood of the movie, as Maxine is haunted by her violent past and confronts her increasingly more violent future.

As Maxine begins filming the movie, her past begins to catch up to her. Fellow actresses in her circle begin to die in violent, cult-like ways. Maxine begins to be stalked intensely by a private investigator, played by tenured horror star Kevin Bacon. She continues to wrestle with finally becoming a star and staying alive throughout the film. As the savage killings continue and become more personal to Maxine, the investigator and his unknown boss make it clear to Maxine that their relentless pursuit for her will not stop.

MaXXXine evokes senses of amazement and tantalizing fear. It engulfs the audience into a dark world of bright eyeshadows, slamming 80’s ballads, and ritualistic murder. Ti West once again managed to perfectly craft a film about the dark realities of the adult film industry and Hollywood seamlessly. Maxine’s satisfaction for her hunger for fame, and her desperation to move on from her past was expertly portrayed by Mia Goth’s performance of this complex character

The wardrobe was charmingly accurate to the flashy time period. In each scene, Maxine sported a different intricate outfit, including black leather mini skirts, acid washed jeans and jackets, and shoulder pads. Maxine and other characters wore makeup extremely reminiscent of the time period, embracing dramatic blue eyeshadow, dark eyeliner, and heavy blush. Maxine donned big, blonde bombshell hair, making her determination to be a star even more visually evident.

Everything is quintessentially ’80s in MaXXXine, and the production elements reflected this brilliantly. The mood of the movie was thoroughly suspenseful, stereotypically so, yet endearing. All the aesthetic elements of the movie reflected this. Blue and red lighting cast a beacon in dark sets, and the sets themselves were a true reflection of the time and place, including faux movie backlots, imitation Blockbusters stores, shadowy nightclubs blasting with glam rock, and more.

Although MaXXXine was thoroughly enjoyable, it lacked the level of intricacy and unique edge that X and Pearl possessed. It tied most loose ends together, but the sentiment left viewers in the movie theater wanting a little more. At times, the film felt as if it recycled old tropes too often. The build-up to the shocking revelation in the end was well crafted, but it could have used some refining in order to pack a greater punch.

Overall, MaXXXine was a very artfully crafted, entertaining sequel that finished X and Pearl’s story tastefully. Every second of it, from the rotary phones to the gruesome murders were artistic, managing to turn a stereotypical slasher into an even more sinister, reimagined movie. Mia Goth’s portrayal of the spirited Maxine Minx stunned once again, making MaXXXine a terrifyingly riveting film.