X Movie Review: Slasher Genre Gets A Killer Throwback

As a unabashed fan of not only A24, but the slasher genre, Ti West's X has been very high on my radar ever since first seeing the trailer. I love not only the visuals I was seeing from that trailer, but very much also the obvious homage to classics such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The slasher genre may have lost a bit of the novelty it once use to have, but with recent big hits from Scream and the new Halloween films it's been nice to see a bit of a resurgence from this subgenre that I've admittedly had quite a love for since I was a kid. And now with X, Ti West has continued that upwards trend in spectacular fashion with what is honestly one of the most exhilarating & best entries this genre has seen in many, many years.

The cast of characters may not be the most memorable group, but everyone in this cast is delivering rock solid work. From the wonderful Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson, and even rapper Kid Cudi, everybody fits into these roles perfectly and serve their purpose well. You're not going to get much in terms of depth and nuances with these characters, but these actors do have a genuine chemistry with one another. The two particular standouts here though are by far Jenna Ortega and Mia Goth. Ortega in particular just continues to impress as one of our brightest rising young stars, as she already has had such an impressive 2022 with excellent work in other films such as the newest Scream and The Fallout. She brings a good amount of sympathy and charm to her role here that certainly makes her one of the more engaging characters to follow. But Goth especially deserves so much credit as she has the difficult task of juggling dual roles and yet excels in nailing both. She's such a natural presence on screen.

As great as the cast is though, this is Ti West's film, and he is certainly the main star of the show as both the director & screenwriter. Instead of relying on jump scares or cheap shock value to get a reaction from his audience, West has crafted one of the more visceral and well directed horror films in recent memory. This is a deliciously wicked, mean, darkly comical, and even genuinely terrifying film that fires on nearly all cylinders. Just when I felt I knew exactly where this was going, the film continues to throw some curveballs. The first half here is very much a slow burn that sets up its cast of potential victims and feels even very deliberately paced, but it all feels like very necessary set-up. I love the eerie and unnerving atmosphere that is very much felt through every single frame of this film. The kills are also brutal and even creative, slasher fans will certainly have a lot of great moments to eat up. For every moment of brilliant suspense though, the film knows just exactly the right moment to sprinkle in some twisted humor that will surely play very well with a large audience. West very clearly is paying much respect to slasher classics of the 70s & 80s era (the Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspirations couldn't be more apparent) but make no mistake this is still very much its own awesome beast. Not only is the direction here is so top notch, but also the editing is incredible and even the soundtrack here kicks major ass, plenty of great needle drops.

It's not a perfect film by any means, but honestly, I don't have too many major criticisms that I can think of. My biggest nit-pick is that besides Goth & Ortega, I didn't necessarily find myself caring about any of the other characters much. Everyone is doing great work in their roles, but it's obvious most of these characters were just meant to be easy victims and are barely even two dimensional. And like so many modern horror films, there are many moments where you will either laugh or just simply roll your eyes at some of the moronic decisions these characters make. Given the film's dark comedic nature though, I think this was a part of West's goal though. Most of these issues can be contributed to most slasher films which might not be a great excuse, but I'm a sucker for these films regardless.

Even with its flaws, X is an absolute blast and one hell of a bloody good time at the movies. For fans of the slasher genre that have been craving for something more original rather than just a mere continuation of an already established franchise, look no further than with this one because it absolutely delivers the good and is easily one of the most satisfying entries the genre has seen in way too many years. It's a wonderful throwback for sure, but Ti West has also crafted an exciting original film that very much has its own identity and could also be the beginning of a brand new franchise that I would be very excited to see continue on. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you have at least an idea of what you're getting yourself into with this one please be sure to seek it out this weekend.

Final Grade: B+