asalaw
Sr Member
Just watched a very recent (2022) release by A24 called X. It looked like a decent little horror flick, so I thought I’d check it out.
Boy, was I wrong. It’s not decent at all. In fact, it’s highly indecent, and man, is it good.
It bills itself—and starts off—as Boogie Nights meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original), and right through the first act and early second, it delivers on that premise (um, don’t watch this with your kids or any clergy you might be hosting for Sunday brunch). It also sets up all the classic slasher movie tropes, and you really think you know where it’s going, and even who’s going to survive.
And then, a few minutes before the midpoint, it starts to subvert your expectations. It starts with Landslide, the Stevie Nicks song, covered by Brittany Snow (and very nicely, too), and a montage that really starts to hint the film’s not going anywhere near your expectations…
And then, right at the midpoint, all your expectations, all those precious tropes you think you know so well, go right out the window and never come back. Think you know horror? Good—Ti West is counting on it…
So if you’re a tired slasher fan, jaded to the point that even the Scream parodies bore you, give X a rent and prepare for a very good time.
Boy, was I wrong. It’s not decent at all. In fact, it’s highly indecent, and man, is it good.
It bills itself—and starts off—as Boogie Nights meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original), and right through the first act and early second, it delivers on that premise (um, don’t watch this with your kids or any clergy you might be hosting for Sunday brunch). It also sets up all the classic slasher movie tropes, and you really think you know where it’s going, and even who’s going to survive.
And then, a few minutes before the midpoint, it starts to subvert your expectations. It starts with Landslide, the Stevie Nicks song, covered by Brittany Snow (and very nicely, too), and a montage that really starts to hint the film’s not going anywhere near your expectations…
And then, right at the midpoint, all your expectations, all those precious tropes you think you know so well, go right out the window and never come back. Think you know horror? Good—Ti West is counting on it…
So if you’re a tired slasher fan, jaded to the point that even the Scream parodies bore you, give X a rent and prepare for a very good time.
