FAME, SEX AND DEATH (X)

© A24

And so to Ti West's 'X' - the first in a series of films that celebrate and shake up the slasher movie genre.

Released digitally last year, the film helped establish Mia Goth as the movie industry's pre-eminent cult actress.

Made in New Zealand back to back with its prequel 'Pearl,' it should be viewed before watching that film.

A loving recreation of Tobe Hooper's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and John Carpenter's 'Halloween,' it's a glorious throwback to the days when slasher movies really spooked cinemagoers.

© A24

However be under no illusions - 'X' isn't a mere pastiche.

Goth takes on two roles in 'X'.

The first is Maxine, a stripper recruited by her sleazy boyfriend, Martin Henderson's Wayne Gilroy to star in a porn movie called 'The Farmer's Daughters'.

The movie is being filmed in 1979 on the cheap, on a farm deep in the Bible Belt of rural Texas.

© A24

Wayne is a man on the make - an entrepreneur who spots an opportunity to cash in on the home video market before it really takes off.

He believes video will radically change the porn industry, taking dirty movies out of seedy cinemas and creating a new set of customers who will want to watch them in their own homes.

Hoping to make a quick fortune, he hires Owen Campbell's aspiring indie filmmaker RJ to shoot the film on a 16mm camera.

RJ's girlfriend, Jenna Ortega's Lorraine reluctantly comes onboard to record the sound but is not convinced by the filmmaker's argument that he isn't making a dirty movie but an arty porn film.

© A24

In addition to Maxine, Wayne has hired Brittany Snow's fellow stripper Bobby-Lynne Parker, who sports a Marilyn Monroe look, to perform alongside Scott Mescudi's Jackson Hole.

A remote farm has been hired for the location from Stephen Ure's elderly war veteran Howard who at first brandishes a shotgun when they arrive but then realises who they are.

The old man shows them around the old Civil War outhouse where they are staying and where they intend to shoot the film unbeknownst to him.

Howardtakes an instant dislike to Wayne and warns the crew not to disturb his wife in their home across the field.

© A24

While Bobby-Lynne and Jackson shoot their first sex scenes, Maxine explores the farm and is enticed into the house by Howard's elderly wife Pearl, who is also played by Goth in heavy make-up and prosthetics.

After drinking lemonade with her, Maxine is repulsed when Pearl caresses her and appears to make a pass.

Returning to the cast and crew, Maxine gets coked up and shoots her sex scene with Jackson in a barn while Pearl peeks through a window.

Later that evening, the cast and crew discuss the morality of filming pornography.

© A24

Lorraine surprises RJ by saying she wants to star in the film and shoot a scene with Jackson.

Unable to handle Lorraine's about turn, RJ decides to abandon the shoot as everyone is asleep.

However he is confronted by Pearl, unleashing an orgy of violence.

West, who wrote the script for 'X' too, delivers an expertly paced, really knowing slasher horror film.

© A24

He pays respectful homage in the film to classics of the genre without ever making them feel recycled.

Tobe Hooper's 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' John Carpenter's 'Halloween,' Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining,' Steve Miner's 'Friday the 13th Part III' and the grandaddy of the genre, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' are specifically referenced.

Of all of these influences, 'Psycho' holds a particular resonance for West.

In a pivotal moment of the film, Lorraine demolishes RJ's argument that she cannot suddenly appear in their porn film because you cannot change the plot halfway through to introduce a new character.

© A24

Lorraine counters his argument by citing Hitchcock's groundbreaking film, reminding him that it is one of his favourite movies.

Later overcome with heartbreak at the scenes he has had to shoot between Lorraine and Jackson, RJ sobs in the shower - a clear reference to Hitchcock's film that foregrounds the violence to come.

The creepy old woman in the wooden house overlooking the outhouse is a clear nod to Norman Bates.

'X' doesn't just reference 'Psycho' several times or other slasher movies.

© A24

There are nods too to Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' Lewis Teague's 'Alligator,' John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place,' Paul Schrader's 'Hardcore' and Peter Jackson's 'Braindead,' while the porn film 'Debbie Does Dallas' is specifically referenced to by Wayne.

By referencing these movies, West isn't simply box ticking.

The homages in his film are integral to the narrative and they're expertly delivered.

A scene where Maxine skinny dips in a nearby river not only references the opening scenes of 'Jaws' but bristles with excruciating tension, thanks to overhead shots of an alligator tracking her movements and getting ready for the kill.

© A24

Another scene where one of the party tries to escape from a cellar, using an axe is a nice reversal of a similar scene in 'The Shining'.

Like all good horror films, 'X' also moves into the territory of allegory, touching upon the moral bankruptcy of entrepreneurs like Wayne, his cast and crew who will do anything for money.

In an era of reality shows, TikTok and YouTube social media influencers, West goes back 40 years to examine the roots of society's unhealthy obsession with easy fame and fortune.

While hoovering up cocaine Maxine gives pep talks to herself about achieving notoriety, while she and Bobby-Lynne talk fancifully about a Hollywood lifestyle.

© A24

Even RJ is intoxicated by the dream of becoming a famous auteur, believing a porn film will propel him into the mainstream movie industry.

The film's title 'X' is a clever play on adult movie certification but it also references our contemporary fixation with rising stars having the "X factor".

Fears of ageing and not having lived life to the max are expressed by Bobby-Lynne and Pearl who appears to be its living embodiment. 

All of this wouldn't work, however, without Goth who is superb in her dual roles.

© A24

Fully embracing the opportunity to shine both as an anti-heroine and a tormentor, she dominates her scenes and is a gripping screen presence.

Henderson, Snow, Mescudi, Ortega and Campbell throw themselves vigorously into their supporting roles. 

Ure, Stephen Prast as a tele-evangelist who keeps popping up on TV screens and James Gaylyn who stumbles upon the carnage are also on song.

Cleverly shot on digital cameras by Eliot Rockett to resemble 16mm film, West and his fellow editor David Kashevaroff expertly stitch the movie together and brilliantly ramp up the tension.

© A24

Uncomfortable at times to watch but impressively made, 'X' is the work of a cine-literate horror filmmaker who really knows his craft.

All the right buttons are pressed at exactly the right time.

Intelligently cast and chillingly told, you will still be pondering it for days.

('X' premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 13, 2022 and was released on on-demand video services in the UK and Ireland on April 14, 2022)