In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
Chuck says:
It’s obvious Ti West is a student of horror films. His work on The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers are firmly rooted in the haunted house movie tradition, features that drip with a sense of dread. He knows full well an effective atmosphere is necessary to generate genuine thrills – a simple rampaging monster or killer won’t do.
His latest, X is a throwback to the grindhouse horror and adult films of the 1970’s. The premise is hardly original – a group of young adults cluelessly stumble into a horrific situation they’re powerless to combat, their callous attitude towards the environment they find themselves in spelling their doom. West recreates the B-Movie aesthetic of the movies he’s alluding to, a washed-out palette seen through a seemingly grainy lens, all of which contributes to the sordid nature of the tale. West effectively rachets up the tension by delaying the requisite bloodletting, which is done with a relative sense of restraint. Equally effective is Mia Goth who provides us with a fierce Final Girl we root for from the start.
3 1/2 Stars
