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"X" dir. by Ti West


"X"

Where I watched it: I bought a DVD like a caveman.

Ok so, this film has been on my radar since the trailer dropped. I've seen a number of Ti West films and I've generally left with favorable impressions each time. Seeing that Ti West's latest production was backed by the now-synonymous-with-slow-burn-horror-dramafilms-that-have-metaphorical-and-allegorical-content-designed-to-highlight-real-horrors-of-the-human-condition-company A24 made me very curious about how his filmmaking style and theirs would align.

Of course... it's doesn't. Ti West is a goofball. His movies have a lot of him in them especially when it comes to silly, sassy dialogue. This film might be his least cringey when it comes to the words that come out of characters mouths but where it gets a pass in that department, it severely fails in others.

If you've seen this movie you know that it gets pretty weird. If you haven't, I'm not going to spoil it for you but rest assured that if you do check it out you'll probably say "wtf" at least 30 times.

Ultimately, this film is an homage to classic slasher flicks of the golden age of horror. Big time Psycho, Texas Chainsaw, Shining, Alligator references throughout.

I guess one of the aspects that had me confused was that I have yet to see a slasher flick produced by A24 who are known for (say what you will about this) high brow horror and of course to any "intellectual horror" fan, slasher flicks are right down there in the dirt. The kills are just like the ones you'd see in a Friday 13th film, they're over the top, implausible and most of the time... super hilarious which keeps the tone hard to decipher.

Kid Cudi is in this and yes there is a scene where he mimics Dirk Diggler.... if you know, you know.

The old people should have been played by actual older actors, I kept thinking the couple was Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze.

Why does this movie exist if not as a tribute to the movies Ti West grew up on? I can't say.

Apparently they shot a prequel simultaneously while shooting this and that will be released soon. I'm hoping that might help give the proper context that this film was lacking and help make sense of the whole thing.

I wanted big things for this... I really did... but it was definitely a let down.

Still, if you haven't seen: The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, The Sacrament and In a Valley of Violence... you are missing out on prime Ti West. If you have... some of this movie will make sense to you and some of it will not.

The nostalgic film style was great as a fan of classic horror/slasher movies and some of the kills looked pretty horrific with good use of practical effects. Acting was serviceable.

I'm going to rate this an X/10 (like a strike not a 10... and not a strike like a strike in bowling which is ideal... like a strike in baseball where... like... if you do this shit to me 2 more times Ti West... you're out!)

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