While 2022 has seen a number of excellent horror movies, one of the year’s biggest surprises in the category was A24’s slasher blockbuster X, directed by Ti West. Pearl, the prequel to the shocking horror hit X, is set to hit theatres this Friday. The world was already taken aback by West’s shocking announcement of MaXXXine 3, the third instalment in his slasher trilogy, during the TIFF premiere of Pearl this week, which featured a reveal trailer featuring Mia Goth reprising her role as the title character.
Maxine, in the narrative, decides to go to Hollywood in an effort to realise her dream of becoming a movie star. While that’s all we know about the sequel right now, West has also hinted that the theme of MaXXXine is influenced by the 1980s VHS craze. The uniqueness of the X franchise lies in its use of Hollywood and the horror genre to comment on complex real-world ideas, as explained by West at the screening: “The way that X is a movie that is informed by and affected by independent exploitation auteur Americana and 1970s cinema, and Pearl is perhaps affected by the Golden Age of Hollywood and the glitz and glamour of cinema, MaXXXine will be more about within the industry itself and the boom of VHS.”
Pearl seems to be dealing with the horrors of solitude and the extent someone might go to achieve their aspirations, whereas X was all about the fear of getting old and our innermost desires outlasting our youth. MaXXXine can do some serious digging into the decade of excess that was the ’80s and the lethal insatiability of our insatiable want for more. Similarly, it might consider how the VHS period resuscitated not just the film business in Hollywood and the horror genre, but also the concept of the “American Dream.” It sparked a new wave of aspiration to join the entertainment industry’s A-list. In what has become a genre-spanning saga, these books explore the profound impact that Hollywood has had on American culture throughout the years.
It remains to be seen what it means for Maxine in this specific film, but the middle of the 1980s was the height of the slasher frenzy, and our favourite new “final girl” has found herself in another messed-up horror picture. A frightening brush with mortality might do more than anything else to reignite a person’s passion for pursuing their dreams. X is now among the most original horror franchises of the previous few decades. The original film was not just a thought-provoking voyage into tragic lunacy but also included numerous wild and blood-soaked episodes of thrills with some really charming characters. That’s due in large part to West’s brilliance, but it’s also up to Goth’s great work in the spotlight.
The actress’s work as Maxine and Pearl has catapulted her to the position of horror royalty in a very short amount of time. The simple explanation for that is X. Her follow-up, Pearl, a prequel to the first, seems like another Wizard of Oz-sized fever dream. You can see why A24 didn’t hesitate to give the green light to a third picture by the director after hearing the positive reviews for X and Pearl. Given the acclaim that Goth’s murderous performances have received from the horror genre. X has the potential to surpass Halloween as the finest horror trilogy ever with the release of its third instalment. Even without knowing that it would focus on the genesis of physical media, the news that West and Goth are creating a third X film is thrilling. Traditional media ushered in a new era and remains inextricably linked to the spooky subgenre.