MaXXXine, The Final Film of Ti West’s Slasher Trilogy

Mia Goth as Maxine Minx in MaXXXine, image via IMDB

Ti West has done something legitimately and yet subtly remarkable. He has made a trilogy of films that stylistically look absolutely nothing like one another. By that, I mean you can tell that they are following characters from the three films and are part of a larger overarching world, but the three films are each very much their own. West has even remarked that you can watch the films in any order. 

First, you had X (2022), which started this all off as a throwback to 1970s horror/exploitation films, featuring actor Mia Goth as both hero Maxine Minx, and the main antagonist, the elderly Pearl. Then, there was Pearl (2022); a prequel presented like the films from the 1950s in wonderful, beautiful technicolor, a sweeping musical score, and a vicious body count (only slightly more than The Wizard of Oz.) 

And now, MaXXXine.

The movie opens with an old Super-8 black and white film with a young girl recording a phrase that, throughout the course of the film, becomes a call to arms: "I will not accept a life I do not deserve."

Taking place 6 years after X, we see 1985 Hollywood where we catch up with our final girl, driving a convertible with the film’s title on her license plate which, frankly, is very 1985. The montage manages to capture the entire vibe of 80s Hollywood.

The sequence leading up to her audition introduces the backdrop of real-life serial killer, "The Night Stalker," who terrorized Hollywood in the early 80s while “Gimme All Your Lovin’” by ZZ Top cranks behind news footage, concluding as Maxine saunters into an audition in a Hollywood film lot hangar.

This audition sets up the tone for the film with a fairly solid interview between the filmmakers and Maxine, who makes the compelling reason she wants to transition from adult films to more mainstream acting.

“Actors age like wine, but porn actors age like bread,” she says, and the point seems to intrigue the panel right before her audition. She is told that there are cue cards, but she declines, saying she “knows the lines” with absolute confidence. She recites the scene complete with flowing tears and more importantly, gravity and talent. This sequence does not linger and in no time, Maxine is finished and taunting the other actresses waiting for their turn.

This establishing scene is a masterclass in how to open the (potentially) last film of a horror franchise. Step one—don’t treat it like the third film in a trilogy of horror movies. MaXXXine is without its preceding films, a love letter to 80s slasher films that plays with the tropes it so obviously loves. The parade of side characters that occupy this world are just as vital to what makes this movie not only entertaining but work as its own universe, separate but equal to its cinematic siblings. 

From this strong opening, Maxine shows us that she has lost exactly none of her ambition to become a mainstream actor and fuels this with hard work and of course, a lot of blow. One of her friends, Tabby (played by singer Halsey), invites Maxine to a party in “the Hills” which she declines as she has another gig working a peep show. Maxine also stops to see her friend Leon (played by Moses Sumney), the owner of a video store and discusses the future of being an actress like Brooke Shields as opposed to Marilyn Chambers who went from porn to Cronenberg’s Rabid (1977).  Maxine points out that Marilyn did not show up in the latest Muppet movie. (I for one am up for Mia Goth showing up in a Muppet Movie. Can that please happen?)

When a mysterious video cassette arrives at Maxine’s apartment, it is the police evidence footage from “The Farmer’s Daughter;” the porn film being shot in X, from which she was the sole survivor. It contains a meeting request for the following day. She gives the tape to Leon to try and dig up the origin of the tape.

Maxine shows up at a swanky hotel where she meets private detective John Lebat (played with slimy gusto by Kevin Bacon). He tells Maxine her crime of killing Pearl as she escaped will be exposed if she doesn’t meet with his employer, who we assume to be the black-leather-gloved creep following her—even watching her peep show at one point. 

Two detectives show up to question Maxine about her two friends, Tabby and Amber, who had invited Maxine to that party in the hills. Their bodies had been discovered and have been identified as possibly being victims of The Night Stalker. Maxine does not cooperate as, of course, she doesn’t talk to police.

As the movie rages on and features all the trappings of a TV detective movie of the week, MaXXXine flat out rocks. It’s fun, uncomfortable at times, much like the style of film it is embracing. It’s less a tribute to exploitation films and more a character study of a final girl that’s not been characterized before; Maxine is a final girl, but she’s almost an anti-final girl. She is fundamentally unlikable for the most part, but we experience her world through her bleary eyes. She does work hard at achieving her goals and she has a ruthless efficiency in how she goes about getting what she is after. The opening scene where the child version of her says, “I will not accept a life that I do not deserve,” is very much a battle cry and holy cats, does Maxine live up to that ideal. 

Where to watch MaXXXine:

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There is a scene early in the film where some guy attempts to assault Maxine as she cuts through an alley. It goes quite differently than he expects and she ruthlessly explains what happened the last time someone tried to kill her. She is not a final girl in the sense of Ripley from Alien or Sydney from Scream. Maxine, if she was ever a victim, isn’t a victim for very long. The agency of Maxine is truly one that will be debated for the next few years. Is she actually unlikable or is she just not afraid to go after exactly what she wants regardless of what “it” is? Fame, fortune or just to get the life she believes she deserves; that’s admirable in most stories, but why is she so different?

The film opens with a quote from the iconic Bette Davis—“In this business, until you’re known as a monster, you’re not a star.” By the time we reach the blood-soaked climax, whether you still find Maxine unlikable or otherwise, you will still be rooting for her (even if she really should lay off the coke) and have no doubt about it; she’s a star.

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Article by Nelson Pyles

Nelson W. Pyles is an author, musician, podcast creator and voice actor living in Pittsburgh. He has written two novels and is currently working on his third. His second collection of short stories, essays and articles All These Steps Lead Down will be released in Summer 2024 from Cold War Radio Press. He is a member of the HWA. You can find Nelson at https://whatnelsonwrites.com/

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